By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

There were some truly amazing and unique rides at Viva Las Vegas this year, but at the end of the day, this clean-and-understated 1953 Studebaker daily driver was still my favorite car at the show. But hey, it's not like you have to take my word for it—go get your own favorite! CarDomain's got over 500 photos of rods, kustoms, classics, and hardcore jalopies from this year's show—that oughtta keep occupied for awhile. Also, don't forget to check out our collected Viva footage at CarDomain Video. Enjoy!

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Just like high-dollar winos like to carry on about specific vintages, a lot of gearheads are partial to the cars of particular years. While I love cars from all over the map chronologically, I find there are certain years that just produced a disproportionate number of awesome rides, and for me one of those years is 1958. '58 was the peak year for that gaudy, quad-headlighted, over-chromed late-50's excess that so many people find god-awful. But I love it, and was stoked to see a number of these massive '58 hulks at the Shifters show. Check out my walkaround video of this Buick, and get a load of the crazy custom-built removable vinyl fastback on this Chevy. And you sure wouldn't want to run into this colossal Olds if you were driving a modern car. How about you—do you have a specific favorite year for cars?

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Help me out here: I realize the whole Iron Cross thing is kind of trendy right now, thanks in part to the various chopper shows, but to be so committed to WWI-era German military imagery as to build a whole car replete with proto-fascist trappings—is that sketchy at all? And doesn't a giant silver helmet tend to ruin the look of some cars? Sure, it's got a great straight-8 with a row of six Stromberg carbs, and—hell, yeah—any excuse to mount a machine gun on your ride is generally commendable. The cops sure seemed to be into it, and I guess it's cool in a grotesque sort of way, and obviously meant to be tongue-in-cheek as well as a full-sized replica of the "Red Baron" dragster model kit that Tom Daniel created for Monogram in 1968 (thanks, Adam). But the spectacle kind of reminded me of that kid who built the 1/2-scale Panzer tank—all I remember thinking is, thank God he did that instead of shooting up a school. See the full freakshow after the jump!

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Here's a very quick video of the car that belongs to those tube-steel speaker covers that you guys were digging on Sunday. It's an air-bagged '54 Chevy running a 350 small-block with a tri-power intake. For the color on the roof, the owner took the stock, almost navy blue that you can see on the dash, then layered metal flake and translucent candy over it to get the irridescent blue you see in the video. More pics after the jump.

By the way, some of you were wondering if those speaker covers were hand-fabbed or catalog-bought—well, I spotted identical ones on this gorgeous Cadillac by Lonely Knights Kustoms in Colorado Springs. So unless these two owners had them made by the same fabricator, you can probably score a pair of your own somewhere.

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Ernest McIntyre of Gasser Magazine was one of the celeb appearances slated for this year's Viva, and the supercharged Willys he brought with him was a thoroughly badass example of the solid-axle, jacked-in-front gasser style that was the hot set-up for drag racing in the early 60's. Ernest also shoots and produces the annual Viva Las Vegas DVD—last year's can be had here. Watch for my CarDomain shout-out in the upcoming VLV 11 DVD, and get a better look at the Willys' incredible powerplant after the jump!

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

The owner cut pieces of square tube-steel on an angle to make a toothy rictus for his GMC pickup. The result is something you sure wouldn't want jumping out at you from a dark alley at night. Don't get too close, you might lose an arm!

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

It's the tri-five Chevies (1955-1957) that always get all the attention, but I have to admit I love the massive look of the '58. This nice example belongs to Mark Kindig, who's updated it with disc brakes and drop spindles. It's got a 283 with the tri-power setup: three 2-barrel Rochesters. Mark hopes someday to swap in a 348, Chevy's first production big-block, which made its debut the same year this car rolled off the line. But it's going to have to be "run what you brung" until he can locate an affordable candidate. What he brung ain't bad—see close-ups after the jump!

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

It's been a long time since I've seen a car at a show with bullet holes that aren't the silly stick-on kind. This battle-scarred Ford farm truck is the real thing: owner Rich rescued it from a ranch near Carson City, NV. Though it started life as a four-banger, it's now running this droolworthy flathead. Enjoy!

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

At Viva, I was stoked to see what people have been doing with their rides' interiors—infinitely customizable, dashes and passenger compartments were probably the only thing more varied than the engine bays. A lot of folks are using everything from beer-tap handles to hand grenades for shift knobs—I guess the whole 8-ball shifter thing has gotten old now that you can buy one at Wal-Mart (not so for the ubiquitous Mexican-blanket interior, which, despite also being in stock at Wal-Mart, is apparently still a ways from being played out). Novelties abounded, including these tailpipe speaker covers, which look cool but probably wreak havoc on your acoustics. There were a few fuzzy-dice holdouts left, but a variety of zombie, tiki, and shrunken-head mirror ornaments seem to be taking their place. Themed interiors showed off some serious creativity—this Falcon seemed to be going for a country-kitchen motif, with an antique glass doorknob on the shifter and gingham-tablecloth door panels. And the Virgin Mary figurine and fake-fur dash and steering column really seemed to match the personality of this pretty, white-primered Chevy. Probably the most unexpected thing I saw inside a hot rod was a Club on a steering wheel—but I guess things have gotten like that. Speaking of theft deterrence, this mean-looking Chev had a pretty straightforward system for keeping sticky fingers out of its engine: the security's far from unbreachable, but the message is pretty clear. See more interiors after the jump!

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Hot rod builder and salt-flats legend Gene Winfield has another Bonneville monster up his sleeve, having just completed work on this Brookfield-bodied 1932 Ford roadster. It's running a race-shop-fresh Ford NASCAR engine donated whole by Robert Yates Racing, and it'll be pushing over 800 horsepower. All the welding and fabrication was done by hard-partying father-son duo Charlie Webster Sr. and Jr., and the Ford is flaunting one of Winfield's signature fade paint jobs. Just standing in front of this NASCAR-powered deuce while it's taching up is more than enough to make you lose a few thousand brain cells—watch the soundwaves nearly shatter my camera lens! Can't wait to see this wicked Ford blow some doors off on the salt flats at Speed Week in August.

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

A lot of hardcore rodders like to drive their home-built rides nearly every day of the week, and I'll bet that if gas prices keep doing what they're doing, we're going to see a lot more projects with inline sixes in 'em. I have to admit that I'm partial to straight-six power since I run an AMC 258 in my Eagle, and I've been warmed up to the idea of I6 hot rods since a good friend began a swap of an identical motor into his '46 Studebaker pickup. The thing is, a lot of these stripped-down rides are so light that six cylinders are all you really need, and with outfits like Clifford Performance (their motto: 6=8), you can get aftermarket support for these motors that'll make them haul as well as your average small-block. Still and all, these mods can come at a price: as much as Justin, whose '34 Chevy roaster (pictured) is running a 235 cu. in. straight six from a '62 Nova, would love to get a 6-carb setup, it would be a major investment, which kind of defeats the purpose of the low-dollar fun that traditional rodding represents. On the other hand, standard parts for these smaller engines are often cheaper than their V8 equivalents, and with only one cylinder head to deal with, many of your expenses are automatically cut in half. All things considered, Justin admits that he's looking for a V8 for his ride, and for now, it's probably true that the most direct route to cheap power is still the junkyard 350. Nonetheless, I did see a handful of inline sixes at Viva, including Justin's roadster and the Chevy-powered Fords below the jump. Still vastly outnumbered by V8's at the show, a straight six in a stripped-down hot rod is an intriguing sight—different, and sorta cool.

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Late yesterday I caught up with Yancey, owner of the '52 Studebaker gasser that traveled to Viva from Indianapolis, IN. He says he's going to make a transcontinental trip of it, continuing on to the California coast and then heading back East until he hits the Atlantic. He's made it this far, why not? There's nothing like driving all the way across the country in your favorite ride, and from the sounds of it, the hopped-up 350 he's running should be up to the task. Have a listen for yourself!

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Jac Lindell's Model A was definitely one of the more unique rides I saw today at Viva. The tube-steel radiator cage was eye-catching to say the least, and I found that the theme continued into the interior with the beautiful hand-crafted gauge cluster that had the cockpit looking like something out of a Cold War sci fi. I eventually caught up with Jac, who explained that the grillework is much more than ornamental: the bars and tubes help catch the air and slam it through the radiator, preventing it from escaping around the sides of the car. And this hot rod needs all the cooling power it can get: the powerplant is a 331 Hemi from a '54 Imperial, bored out to 354 and massively supercharged. It makes 700 hp, runs 15 psi, and looks like a million bucks, though this 1930 Ford is almost entirely home-built, inside and out—the only things Jac has farmed out on his project are the upholstery and the machinework on the block. See all the pics after the jump!