Four years ago, a small group of Nova enthusiasts set out to find a fun place in the community to cruise their classic cars to. Members of SoCal Novas and StevesNovaSite.com not only enjoy their cars, they enjoy hanging out with each other. Long time Nova wagon owner RK Smith organized a 10-mile cruise through the streets of Fullerton and Anaheim and asked CPP if they would be the final destination. The first year, over 50 Novas joined in on the fun and over 70 came in 2010. When we challenged the local Nova community to break the previous year’s numbers, we couldn’t believe how many took us seriously!
Over 110 Novas met up in the early morning hours, before hitting the highway and cruising to our shop. What a sight to behold...four lanes of Novas across the 57 freeway! Participants from all over Orange County, Ventura, San Diego and the Inland Empire joined in on the 10-mile cruise through Brea, Fullerton and Anaheim. Once the caravan arrived at CPP, parking was swift and very organized thanks to some awesome volunteers and CPP employees. Goody bags were handed out and raffle tickets entered into the drawing. Our sponsors kicked in some great stuff with the grand prize being a Total Cost Involved Rear Torque Arm Kit valued at $1799! Tours of our engineering department, machine shop, build department, shipping and showroom went on throughout the morning, giving everyone an inside view of CPP. The In & Out Burger truck arrived just in time to feed the hungry crowd. The event video can be viewed on our video page, so be sure to check it out! After the final count was tallied...140 Novas lined the streets in front of CPP. Can we top that this year?!?
Ford’s “Total Performance” program was well underway when Lee Iacocca hired Dearborn Steel Tubing Company to build a batch of special lightweight Ford Fairlanes for its top drag racing clientele. Stripped down, painted Wimbledon White and stuffed with 427 cubic inches of Galaxie V-8, the cars were dubbed “Thunderbolts”, and they struck drag racing like lightning. The 1964 Thunderbolt offered here is finished in factory correct Wimbledon White and displays the Thunderbolt’s trademark reverse teardrop hood scoop, Ram Air headlight openings and Spartan Beige interior.
This mean-looking Pro-Touring 1969 Camaro showcases Detroit Speed’s comprehensive approach to enhancing all aspects of performance. Beyond power such as that found in the car’s dual 4-barrel 350 CI small block, Pro Touring also emphasizes handling and braking. The former comes via Detroit Speed front suspension, frame connectors, 4-link rear suspension, coilovers and a complete mini tub kit to keep it all nicely packaged; the latter is courtesy of Baer Extreme Plus 6-piston disc brakes.
A DS firewall plate, B Cool radiator and Vintage Air complete the engine compartment. DS also supplied the custom dash insert, electric RS headlight door kit, battery mount and windshield wiper kit. Eye-popping Red and Black paint, a custom interior with full gauges, aluminum center console, billet switchgear and hand-stitched upholstery and matching Red-on-Black Asanti wheels complete this one-of-a-kind Pro Touring powerhouse.
COPO expert Ed Cunneen has signed a COPO Connection certificate authenticating this 1969 Chevrolet Camaro as a double COPO car ordered from Berger Chevrolet, one of only 12 Berger COPO cars equipped with a 4-speed manual transmission. The matching numbers L72 427-powered Camaro, which has been with the same owner since 1998, has undergone a complete and photo-documented rotisserie restoration to spectacular condition. Finished in correct Garnet Red with matching Endura bumper, Black vinyl top and interior, it incorporates all correct 9561 and 9737 COPO components, and Dale Berger has lent his personal touch by autographing the upper radiator support.
From the Swamp Rat to the Bud King, from "the Snake" to "the Mongoose," from the first fans lining airport runways to those who today pack historic venues such as Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, NHRA’s rich and storied past will take center stage in 2011 as the world’s largest motorsports sanctioning body celebrates its 60th anniversary.
What began with a simple signature by Wally Parks in March 1951 has evolved in the last six decades into the fastest and most powerful and fan-friendly motorsport in the world. And NHRA will be marking the 60th anniversary of Parks’ formation of NHRA with a yearlong celebration that will pay homage to the evolution of the hot rod, the impact of the sport’s legendary racers, and the lifeblood provided by the many millions of loyal and passionate NHRA fans.
“Wally created NHRA for the hot rod enthusiasts, and the 2011 season, our 60th anniversary, will be a yearlong celebration in their honor,” said NHRA President Tom Compton. “Fans, accustomed to the up-close-and-personal experience through our open-pit environment, will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the stars and see the cars from throughout the 60-year history of the sport.”
In an era when American motorsport was brimming with larger-than-life characters, California racer Bill Thomas was a giant. Founder of Bill Thomas race Cars and creator of the Cheetah road racers famous for taking on Shelby’s Cobras, Thomas was a visionary innovator whose talents earned him a direct pipeline to Chevrolet’s racing skunkworks, a connection that in 1965 gave Thomas instant access to the factory’s new 396/427 CI “porcupine” engines. To promote the new powerplant, Thomas bought a used 1963 Chevy Nova into which he installed a lightweight tubular front subframe, a straight tube axle, leaf springs and a fiberglass flip front end. The project served as the prototype for a kit that became popular with the Nova racer who wanted to turn his little Chevy into a drag strip terror, and the finished car became known as the “Novel Nova” after the title of a Hot Rod magazine feature story by tech editor Jim McFarland.
In October of 1960, General Motors introduced a new trio of truck models called the Corvair ’95. The Corvair ’95 received its name from the line which included two pickup trucks and a panel delivery truck mounted on a 95-inch wheel base.
The Corvan models, which were the panel delivery models, offered no side windows on the vehicle while the Greenbrier models offered windows throughout. The Greenbrier model was 70 inches wide and 68½ inches high.
The Loadside models, which were only produced for two years, were a pickup truck version of the Corvair. The Loadside model is considered as the rarest Corvair trucks for only 369 models were produced.
By: Robert Tate In 1958, Chrysler offered the "Forward Look" designs for its Chrysler line products. To help boost sales in 1958, a limited - production two-seat convertible Firemite junior model powered by a two-horse power Briggs & Stratton type 6B four-cycle 3,500-rpm engine was offered. Two six-volt batteries that operated the horn and all four headlamps and two of the six tail lamps was standard. The Firemite's body trim were made by the Halsen manufacturing company in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. The frame was all steel, but the body and most of the trim were plastic. The Gilman Brothers Company, located in Gilman, Connecticut, supplied the quarter-inch thick white polystyrene sheet plastic from which the body was made. The Firemite model, which weighed about 45 pounds, could hold two children when operating on sidewalks. It was 33 inches wide, 74 inches long, and 29 inches high at the windshield.
One of the most successful car launches in automotive history was the entry of the DeSoto in 1929. The vehicles were built until 1961. Produced by Chrysler as a mid-priced vehicle it entered the market at a highly competitive time and helped lay claim to an empire. GM had the slogan a “car for every purse and purpose”. The Chevrolet to Cadillac philosophy helped establish GM as the world’s largest and most successful auto company. So Walter P. Chrysler, head of Chrysler, conceived the DeSoto to add to its nameplate “ladder”. It is possible the creation of this vehicle also propelled the Dodge Brothers and their bankers to sell the Dodge Company to Chrysler. After the introduction of the DeSoto the Chrysler/ Dodge sale took place giving the newly formed company two mid-priced vehicles. Thus, with the stroke of a pen Walter P. Chrysler purchased Dodge Brothers and created a sibling rival for the Desoto.
Fuel cell users can now upgrade their cells from the troublesome flip-style filler to the Easy Turn Fill Cap Assembly from Pro-Werks. The assembly features positive grip finger notches, quick-starting coarse threads and a radial squeeze O-ring.
The assembly is precision-machined of lightweight billet aluminum to exacting tolerances, according to the company, and is available in a large selection of Pro-Werks Brilliance Anodize Finish colors or micro-polished aluminum.
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