By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

There are not too many cars you can name from the West Coast that are famous for street racing, but here is one of them. It is the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona that is one of three that were supposedly given by Chrysler to Big Willie Robinson and his wife Tomiko to help them promote the Brotherhood of Street Racers in Los Angeles, which was actually an organization designed to keep kids away from other crime. Big Willie also opened the legendary Terminal Island drag strip under the Brotherhood name.

We found this car listed on eBay with information that states it is a factory 440-powered car that was at one time raced with a Hemi and a Clutchflite. The hood scoop has ties to the movie Two Lane Blacktop that featured another Daytona with this same hood. Big Willie was famous for a magazine ad for American Racing Wheels, but the car in that ad photo is not the same one as this.

We also found a story from the guy who bought this Daytona directly from Big Willie’s back yard several years ago. Click here to see that story on the DodgeCharger.com site.

If you can afford $250,000 for some 1970s street racing history, go to the eBay link!

Source — eBay Motors – Big Willie’s Dodge Charger

By Dan Strohl

Hemmings

While we have a special class for Corvairs at this year’s New England Concours d’Elegance, I don’t think this one will get an invite.

Barry Wolk, he of the shorty Corvair experiment, recently sent along this photo of an El Corvairo that he thought was kinda neat. Looks well-done, too. Except for the Garfield.

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

One look at the picture below and you can instantly imagine the rumbling of all that Detroit metal. Each of the three cars give you a completely different sort badassery. The green Plymouth Valiant is classically sophisticated, the yellow Dodge Challenger is a rugged badass, and the Viper is just pure, raw, gut wrenching power. The guys at Hotchkis Suspension held a track day at Willow Springs International Raceway and invited Speedhunters to come and drive their various selection of tuned muscle cars. Continue reading at Speedhunters

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Nice mix of white and black smoke…

Cummins Burnout

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

As gearheads, we’ve always got our eye on our next project. You’ve got a ton of stuff bookmarked on Craigslist, and your eBay Motors notifications are dialed, right? Still, it can be easy to slip into a rut this way. Do you ever feel as if you’re doomed to keep buying up variants on the same car until you die? Maybe you’re stuck trying to re-create a ride you regret selling, or your backyard has become a sort of animal shelter for a certain make and model. Whatever it is you’re into, sometimes it can be tempting to break into a completely different automotive era, to shake your inertia and bust out of your comfort zone by making your next ride a total departure from what you’re used to working on. Read more…

Continue reading "What Decade Are You Tackling Next?" »

By Mike Musto

RideLust.com

Automobile design is a very subjective thing. To the designer, that carefully crafted shape may be their crowning achievement. But the public might just see it as terrible. Some designs are inviting, they bring on carefree feelings and let the world know that you are always in a good mood. Others look downright angry and pissed off and exude attitude and presence. These are my favorites. I spent a few moments digging through the internet to bring you some seriously wicked looking automobiles. Cars that look as though they’d not only beat up your car on a whim, but afterward they’d go back to your house, beat up your Dad and kick his Oldsmobile in the grill. They’re mean and nasty looking with an “FU” attitude… In short, they’re awesome.

1. 1959 Buick LeSabre

Just look at those headlights, the swooping brow and sculpted hood line. This car makes most people quiver in fear and most cars run for the garage. Hell, even painted pink it would probably still kick the shit out of you. It would just do it in a tutu.

Read the rest over at Ridelust.com

By Michael Berenis

Tampa Sports Car Examiner

Corbin Smith has got talent! Using road lines to prove he has a crazy vertical, this young athlete from Verrado High School in Buckeye, AZ actually jumped over a Chevrolet C5 Corvette traveling at 60 mph. Think it’s real? Read more about the amazing footage at Tampa Sports Car Examiner.

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Now park the DeLorean at home and go drink some green beer. Thanks to Michelle for the pics!

Continue reading "By The Way, Happy St. Paddy’s…" »

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Today’s photo of the day is an awesome shot of all the first-gen Camaros on the 2004 Hot Rod Power Tour. You’re looking at 12 ’67s, 14 ’68s and 22 ’69s all lined up at Gateway International Speedway. The photo was supposed to be used for a poster for Hot Rod Magazine, but it never happened, and then the photo got lost for a few years. Luckily, it resurfaced in a recent office move, and now you can download the full size wallpaper image at HotRod.com.

Keep those photo of the day PMs and e-mails coming!

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

There’s a whole pile of confiscated cars and bikes that are going to be auctioned off in Utah at the beginning of next month, with nearly 300 of them reportedly having been seized from a single white-collar criminal. Jeffrey Mowen, failed ponzi scheme mastermind, had the vehicles stashed all over the State, and the feds rounded them up for the auction once his federal conviction was secured. According to BringATrailer, the auction was to have been run in January, but was postponed to April 1st, a short-notice switch that could work out well for bidders seeking cheap deals. Check out the gallery of individual ride for sale here, and check out the TV news spot on the originally-scheduled auction here.