Tag Archives: Chevrolet

Car show, Manufacturer news, Uncategorized

Krypton Green 2016 Camaro Is Hypnotic

November 14, 2015 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

SEMA Show has plenty of amazing new and improved products. But the one display that kept the crowds baffled was Chevrolet’s floor display of a 2016 Camaro – labeled Krypton Green. What kept the crowds mystified was a pulsating display of bow ties on the front quarters.

The display was hypnotic as the bow ties came on and off. Crowds kept looking for a light source or a projector beam but could not find one. Lots of smart guys put their hand in front of the body panel thinking they would block the “light”.

Lumilor Paint

But the bow ties were actually layers of paint – LumiLor paint to be specific that glowed as an electric current was applied to the body panel.

This is a neat look but at $80,000 for the effect, might be out of the budget for most folks. But a great display of undying American ingenuity from Darkside Scientific.

Click here for more details from the eBay Motors blog.

What do you think? Would you do it if you could afford it?

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Car show, Uncategorized

Jimmie Johnson’s 1971 Corvette

October 30, 2015 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

Jimmie Johnson’s resto-modded 1971 Corvette was featured in the first episode of Jay Leno’s Garage series. The Corvette is awesome and features some modern technology to back up those classic styling lines of a 71 Corvette. But we had a chance to see it first at last year’s SEMA Show and the Chevy Media Preview Show.

Jimmie Johnson at SEMA

Jimmie Johnson was present to discuss his modified Corvette in person and it spent the balance of the week as a highlight of the Chevy display at SEMA.

Corvette LT1 Engine

The engine is a stock crate LT1 engine that puts out 460 horsepower and an even more astounding 465 foot pounds of torque. It was backed up to a 6 speed Super magnum transmission.

The 71 Corvette rides on 18″ rally wheels and is slowed down by C6 Z06 brakes; six pistons up front and four pistons in the rear. The interior included black leather and gray suede bucket seats and a three spoke steering wheel.

Enjoy the pictures! Wonder what the folks from Chevy will bring out to the SEMA show this week/ Look for an update here after SEMA.

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Manufacturer news, Uncategorized

Lingenfelter Car Collection

September 9, 2015 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

The Lingenfelter Company is known for hopping up the Corvettes to boost their power and handling. As if a C7 Corvette needed anything more?

Next week on the Velocity Channel starting on Monday September 14, 2015 the car show Car Crazy hosted by Barry Meguiar of the car care business fame will look at the Lingenfelter Collection with Ken Lingfelter.

As a recent press release noted, the show will feature an in-depth look at one of the most outstanding car collections in the world and explore the unique story of the man responsible for this dream garage.

Lingenfelter Collection

The Lingenfelter Collection, assembled and curated by Ken Lingenfelter, owner of Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, is a 40,000-square-foot building filled with over 200 unique and historically significant American muscle cars, Corvettes and late-model exotics, including a Bugatti Veyron, a Lamborghini Reventon and eight Ferraris, including a 2015 LaFerrari.

The Collection’s diversity comes from Lingenfelter’s wide-ranging automotive interests and cars he likes. Corvettes, both old and new, are of course featured in the Collection which includes a ’53 Supercharged Corvette, the first supercharged Corvette, (one of two ever produced and the only one believed to still be in existence); the ’54 Duntov Test Mule, which is considered the first true high performance Corvette as well as Lingenfelter Performance Engineering’s new Level One and Level Two tuned C7 Z06s.

This amazing private collection is not only a showcase of some of the coolest cars ever, but it is also serves a noble purpose – helping others. Lingenfelter uses the Collection as a unique venue for public tours and special events to generate financial support for charitable organizations through The Lingenfelter Foundation. Over the years, Collection events have raised funds for breast cancer, juvenile diabetes, youth organizations and other worthwhile causes.

As a quintessential “car guy”, Lingenfelter has a deep appreciation for stylish, high-performance automobiles, and he puts that passion into his work as the owner of Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, a leading automotive performance engineering brand with a worldwide reputation for creating performance-tuned GM vehicles, engines and aftermarket components.

Velocity Channel

As usual check your Velocity cable listings for dates and times in your location. Let us know what you think and if you set up the DVR!

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Car show, Uncategorized

Contenders for America’s Most Beautiful Roadster

February 12, 2015 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

We already showed you the winner of this year’s America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) award at the Grand National Roadster Show. There were eighteen contenders and many of them were great builds and worthy of serious contention. Figured this would be a good time to spotlight the others, who perhaps put as much time, sweat and effort into their builds.

32 Ford

This is an interesting build with twin turbos sticking out above the headlights. The owner wanted to compete so much for the AMBR award that he crafted two sets of doors, the ones shown have no windows and the other set have roll up windows (which would disqualify it for the AMBR).

1932 Ford Pickup

This truck qualified as a roadster and uses a 350 short block with a 700R4 transmission. It’s always neat to see pickups as a contender for America’s Most Beautiful Roadster.

28/29 Ford

Hats off to a guy who built it himself except for the paint and interior. Front end is reminiscent of a sprint car.

1932 Ford Roadster

This owner is from Norway but Hollywood Hot Rods built it here in the good old USA.

34 Ford

Again an owner/builder wrenched on this car and amazingly it is powered with a Nissan engine. Perhaps because the builder worked for Nissan? A Speed Star body doesn’t generally scream to me as a traditional roadster but…

32 Ford

It comes with a Hemi engine and the Hilborn injection is retrofitted for electronic fuel injection. Mike Curtis built the wheels (he did last year’s winners wheels too).

33 Chevy

Finally a bow tie was in the mix! A LS 6 engine provides the power with fuel injection and a Jaguar rear end.

31 Ford pickup

The owner has had this truck for over fifty years and did some custom aluminum casting for some of the parts.

32 Ford

Now this sure seems to be what comes to mind for a traditional roadster. If nothing else the display should win an award!

34 Ford

Lots of body work and part swapping went into this build. LS 7 powers this baby with a blower for extra force. Kugel independent front and rear suspension too.

36 Ford

Lincoln engine with a supercharger is under this louvered hood.

32 Ford

The top is interesting on this roadster with power from a Ford 351. Not sure about the wheels though?

Grass Hopper

Galpin Ford built this baby as a tribute to the “Grass Hopper” from the early 6o’s. Some of you might have built the model kit from years ago. An Olds engine is here with a blower (notice a trend?) with a Hallibrand quick change rear end.

26 Track car

This came from Charly’s Garage in Arizona who we profiled before. We loved the Buick finned drum brakes.

26 Hiboy

Another owner built car so we have to love it too. Stock body with a custom frame. Personally this looks period correct and could have been time warped from the 50’s easily.

30 Ford Roadster

30 Roadster with a hand built body and a big 540 ci Hemi with a Viper speed. The owner comes from Sweden.

26 Roadster

Father and son team worked on this car with a small block Chevy and 700R4 transmission.

So there you have the other contenders from the Grand National Roadster Show. Which is your favorite?

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Auctions, Uncategorized

Two Lane Blacktop Builder

February 5, 2015 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

Two Lane Blacktop

Here is a link to a recent article that we did for eBay Motors on the original builder of the 55 Chevy’s for the cult classic movie Two Lane Blacktop.

Barrett-Jackson

The 55 Chevy recently sold at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale for $159,500. The builder has some great stories and we think it a shame he never provided more awesome cars for Hollywood.

What do you think of his build?

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Auctions, Car show, Uncategorized

Gas Monkey Garage at Barrett-Jackson Results

January 30, 2015 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

Gas Monkey Garage came out in force at the Barrett-Jackson Car Auction this year. Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman, the stars of Discovery Channel’s Fast N’ Loud, brought out seven vehicles that they have been part of at their Dallas, TX garage, in some way.

We have been fans of their antics since the first season and profiled one of their cars that was sold at Barrett-Jackson before their garage became so well known.

Spoiler alert

One of the cars is so new it has not even been seen on the show yet. So proceed only if you want to see all of Gas Monkey’s vehicles that sold at auction.

Prices

The prices listed include a 10% buyer’s commission. So if the winning bid was for $35,000 the buyer actually shells out $38,500 to Barrett-Jackson, which is what we list. And Barrett-Jackson typically takes a similar cut from the seller, so from a winning bid of $35,000 the seller would net $31,500.

66 Volkswagen “Shorty”

This bus must have been left outside in the Texas rain and shrunk. Interesting twist on the usual VW bus and hard to miss. Richard bought it for $2K and intended on putting $7,500 more into it. Sue charged him $3K to install the kit alone, so suspect he invested way more than $7,500. This was the only Gas Monkey garage vehicle sold on Wednesday. It sold for $38,500.

69 Ford Truck

The shop truck with a definite tinge of patina sold solo on Thursday. This has definitely seen some wear and there are even some minor holes in the bed so we know it has been put to work. It sold for $42,900.

68 Chevy Impala

This is brand new to the TV viewers, since it hasn’t been aired yet. It did not even meet the print deadline to be in the humongous Barrett-Jackson catalog! Green with a black vinyl top. Equipped with a crate ZZ5 engine and a two speed Powerglide transmission. Ride Tech suspension and Wilwood brakes with nice Intro wheels. Rumor has it the winning bidder can return to Dallas and be in the show, since he bid $50,600.

68 Shelby Mustang Convertible.

This baby even came with an AM radio/eight track player. But Rawlings’ crew couldn’t locate an eight track to test it out. It’s been repainted Lime Gold and uses a 302 V8 and a three speed. Ironically the catalog fails to mention any connection to Gas Monkey Garage but it still sold for $106,700.

86 Porsche 930 Renspeed

This baby is Rawlings’ friend Dennis Collins’ sale and is one of twelve built. The red color looks nice and there is only 9,000 miles on this baby. Nearly 30 years old and only 9,000 miles – go figure. It sold new for $168,000 and was last serviced in 2011. Dennis sold it for $165,000

64 Corvette

Another late entry that missed the catalog deadline. It is fuel injection with a 327 and a four speed and is a numbers matching car. It sports original Kelsey Hayes knock offs for a nice authentic look. The price went up to $77,000.

1971 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon

This was used to help promote “Ugly Kid”. It has a crate 454 engine and a 400 automatic with a supercharger (hence the hood alteration). On the show Richard sold it for $42,000 but later took it back from Ugly Kid. Love the Cragars wheels and the “wood” trim but honestly it is showing some age but still sold for $36,300.

Finally we saved the best for last

76 Chevy C-10

This truck was donated to a local Dallas charity and Dennis Collins stepped up to the plate on TV and bought it for $85,000. Now he flipped it at Barrett-Jackson and sold it for only $45,100. It uses a LS7 engine for power and has a 4L85E automatic .

Many folks on Rawlings’ “interweb” question the build but it looks solid; but Dennis should have had somebody tweak the hood better. The alignment is terrible.Driver’s Side Hood Alignment

Passenger Side Hood Alignment

Now I’d be guessing that Richard didn’t have to pay the full 10% seller’s commission, but that’s between him and Craig Jackson. So do you think Richard flipped out okay on these cars?

Enjoy all the pictures of the cars and trucks from Gas Monkey Garage

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Auctions, Uncategorized

1961 Corvette from Barrett-Jackson

January 28, 2015 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

Here’s our recent story for eBay Motors on this nice resto-mod 1961 Corvette that was sold at Barrett-Jackson last week in Scottsdale, AZ. Two years ago we covered the sale of his Scooby Doo themed Mystery Van.

1961 Corvette

The builder started out with somebody else’s 1961 Corvette convertible and after removing the body ended up with this sweetie.

The resto-mod utilized a new LS3 engine from GM along with a new 4L70E four speed transmission. Nicely and tastefully done, this convertible screamed fun and power.

1961 Corvette Results

So with this rest-mod you end up with the classic styling of a 61 Corvette with all the modern touches and upgrades that make this fun to drive. The builder even installs power studs under the passenger wheel well to allow for a trickle charger to be discretely in place, if needed. The Corvette just screams that it is ready for whatever the road brings on.

What do you think?

Auctions, Car show, Uncategorized

Gas Monkey Garage at Barrett-Jackson

January 12, 2015 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

Gas Monkey Garage is out in force at the Barrett-Jackson Car Auction this year. Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman, the stars of Discovery Channel’s Fast N’ Loud, have brought out seven vehicles that they have been part of at their Dallas, TX garage.

We have been fans of their antics since the first season and profiled one of their cars that was sold at Barrett-Jackson before their garage became so well known. Their vehicles start selling on Wednesday so stay tuned and we can see how good a flipper they are.

Spoiler alert

One of the cars is so new it has not even been seen on the show yet. So proceed only if you want to see all of Gas Monkey’s vehicles that are up for auction. Remember most cars at Barrett-Jackson are sold at no reserve, meaning the highest bid price is the sold price!

66 Volkswagen “Shorty”

This bus must have been left outside in the Texas rain and shrunk. Interesting twist on the usual VW bus and hard to miss. This is the only Gas Monkey garage vehicle selling on Wednesday. Good luck Richard!

69 Ford Truck

The shop truck with a definite tinge of patina is selling solo on Thursday. This has definitely seen some wear and there are even some minor holes in the bed so we know it has been put to work.

68 Chevy Impala

This is new to the TV viewers, since it hasn’t been aired yet. It did not even meet the print deadline to be in the humongous Barrett-Jackson catalog! Green with a black vinyl top. Equipped with a crate ZZ5 engine and a two speed Powerglide transmission. Ride Tech suspension and Wilwood brakes with nice Intro wheels. Rumor has it the winning bidder can return to Dallas and be in the show.

68 Shelby Mustang Convertible.

86 Porsche 930 Renspeed

This baby is Rawlings’ friend Dennis Collins sale and is one of twelve built. The red color looks nice and there is only 9,000 miles on this baby. It sold new for $168,000 and was last serviced in 2011. Good luck Dennis with this sale.

64 Corvette

Another late entry that missed the catalog deadline. It is a fuelie (fuel injection) with a 327 and a four speed and is a numbers matching car. It sports original Kelsey Hayes knock offs for a nice authentic look. With the top down, will the price go up?

1971 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon

This was used to help promote “Ugly Kid” and now hits the auction block on Sunday. It has a crate 454 engine and a 400 automatic with a supercharger (hence the hood alteration). Love the Cragars wheels and the “wood” trim but honestly it is showing some age.

Finally we saved the best for last

76 Chevy C-10

This truck was donated to a local Dallas charity and Dennis Collins stepped up to the plate on TV and bought it for $85,000. Now he is flipping it at Barrett-Jackson. It uses a LS7 engine for power and has a 4L85E automatic .

Many folks on Rawlings’ “interweb” question the build but it looks solid; but Dennis should have had somebody tweak the hood better. The alignment is terrible.Driver’s Side Hood Alignment

Passenger Side Hood Alignment

So how many cars do you remember seeing in the show? Which was your favorite and how much will the show truck go for? Will Dennis lose his (embroidered name) shirt?

Subscribe to this site and you can see how the flippers did at Barrett-Jackson.

Enjoy all the pictures of the cars and trucks from Gas Monkey Garage

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Auctions, Car show, Uncategorized

Gas Monkey Garage 76 Chevy Truck Sells

January 8, 2015 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

Gas Monkey Garage’s 1976 Chevy C-10 truck is selling at next week’s Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. It’s green (of course) and was featured for two episodes of this season’s Fast N’ Loud “reality” TV show on Discovery Channel.

SEMA

We saw the truck in person for the first time at the 2014 SEMA Show where it was parked out front. It got lots of attention and interest from those who recognized it.

Gas Monkey Garage

It’s dropped suspension is courtesy of an Accuair Suspension. The folks at Gas Monkey Garage used a crate LS7 engine, which is the stock engine for a Corvette Z06. The used a 4L85E automatic transmission to get power to the Intro Wheels, plus a Currie 9″ rear end. It slows down with Wilwood brakes all around. Got to admit the boys at Gas Monkey Garage know the good name brand parts to throw on a truck or car.

Since it was built in Dallas, Texas it also has Vintage air conditioning.

Fast N’ Loud Episodes

You’ll remember the episodes this truck was on. They donated the truck for the high society Cattle Baron’s Ball which was held at the world famous Gilley’s bar. Rawlings figures some rich guy would pony up some serious cash for the truck, but forgot that most guys brought their wives which might have stifled the bidding. After bidding slowed down on this truck, Richard Rawlings’ friend Dennis Collins (the guy who has his name embroidered on all his shirts) bought it for $85,000.

Collins is the guy who brought out the repaired Ferrari to Barrett-Jackson last year.

Barrett-Jackson

So now it goes on sale at Barrett-Jackson. Dennis Collins snagged a good spot on Saturday at about 1:30 PM so we’ll see if he does any better on this auction sale. And you can bet that the Gas Monkey Garage name will be mentioned often during the bidding. Remember that most of the Barrett-Jackson cars sold are no reserve meaning somebody is taking it home.

What do you think the truck will sale for?

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Uncategorized

55 Chevy Shoebox Drag Racer Restored

December 25, 2014 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

It was hard to miss this car hauler and Chevy at the SEMA Show. It was sitting out front, naturally, and drew a good collection of onlookers. Between the gold paint job and some obvious patina, this combo was a natural magnet for car aficionados.

55 Chevy Drag Racer

The 55 Chevy is in drag race trim, sporting a front straight axle and a 327 with a Borg Warner four speed with 5.56 gears. Turns out it was bought by the driver, Van Heck, when he was fifteen in 1963. In 1967 it was set up for drag racing with a chrome straight axle.

The interior sports white metallic diamond pleats. Hilborn injection was used for more power and classic Hooker headers were also used. That’s a fiberglass front end to help cut the weight on the shoebox Chevy. The pictures show the extensive amount of chroming that Heck used on this racer’s rear end suspension parts.

The car raced intermittently until one fateful day in 1976. After breaking the drive shaft and done for the day, and loaded up the car on the hauler. On the way home, the hauler was involved in a crash wrecking the front end but still able to make it home. After that night the car and truck were put into storage.

Restoration

Heck died in 2006 and his estate sold the hauler and racer to a gentleman Larry Frees who has gone to great lengths to restore this combination to its glory days. It’s nice to see someone recognize the historical relevance of an “average Joe “Saturday night racer and spend the effort and time to make it right. The parts and workmanship are period correct and Frees even went to the length of having the lettering done by the same gentleman who originally did it.