Strength. Speed. Stealth. Nature’s deadliest creatures are typically positioned high on the food chain because they possess the characteristics of a cold-blooded killer. A mere glance is often all it takes to send shivers of fear straight through the spine of another hapless victim. That’s a pretty fair comparison for Jack Stone’s killer 1969 Chevelle. […]
‘My first pass down the track was a blistering 14.85 @90 mph,” said Scarborough, Ontario’s Chris Damovski with a hearty laugh. And fast it wasn’t. But a start, it was. And we all gotta start somewhere, right? Damovski acquired the car as a hand-me-down from his uncle while working in his grandfather’s shop at the […]
For almost as long as man has done battle in the air, aircraft have been adorned with cool artwork. Growing significantly in popularity during World War II, nose art in particular grew both more common and more elaborate. Sometimes intended to intimidate like ferocious shark teeth and other times intended to unify ground and air […]
For Buffalo New York’s Dan Marvin, it’s not about glitz, glitter or how much dough you dropped on making your car look good in the pits. And as far as car shows go, nothing could be further from his mind. For Dan, it’s simple—beat the other guy and have fun doing it! Call it a […]
Robert Patrick’s name has been synonymous with ultra-fast Mustangs for years, winning championships, setting national records and becoming a household name while piloting various forms of the wildly popular Ford body style with his mother and father’s 40+ years Purvis Ford (Fredericksburg, VA) dealership name prominently displayed on the side of each and every one […]
Face the facts: if a man knows enough about anything to write a book about it, he’s probably an expert (or darn close). The hours upon hours of research, writing, revising, and writing some more builds a familiarity that simply cannot be forged any other way. For BTR Performance’s Bill Trovato of Rochester, New York, […]
I’m one of those guys who grew up loving drag racing.” That simple statement is how Dennis Chillik would describe himself. Nothing overly spectacular about that statement, right? Unless of course you know what a love like that can mean! Dennis served in the U.S. Air Force, and in November of 1967 while stationed at […]
It took quite some time for Dean Branham to get his 1969 Barracuda to this stage in its existence, but all the hard work, trials and tribulations have been more than worth it. “My dad bought this car in 1998, and it was a clapped-out, rusted mess with a 318 and bald tires. But it […]
Hindsight can be a tricky thing. Most of us can reflect back and wonder how our lives might be different had we taken that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, asked out that cute brunette, or tried out for that exclusive team or club. And when we get right down to it, most car guys and gals can usually […]
It’s been said that variety is the spice of life. And try as we might to mix things up here at RPM, the truth is that for all our car guy and gal chest thumping for being different, unique, and individualistic, we sure tend to do things a lot more alike than different. We all […]
Growing up in the Southern California introduced Brian Greenberg to all sorts of car cultures, but he recalls being hooked on cars in general from the age of 16. “I have been a fan of drag racing forever,” said Greenberg. “I hit a few car shows now and then, drive out to Malibu on a […]
Speaking from experience here, it’s funny what we remember from our childhood as we age. For some, it’s a familiar smell of grandma’s kitchen. For others, it is just a few notes from a beloved song. But for the car guys and gals among us, it is fairly common that some of our best and […]
Severn, Ontario’s Ron Fountain was tired of the hassle. Fed up with the fight. Weary of the war. With a 9-second capable but non-caged 1970 Nova that he had street raced for years, every time he went to the track he’d get scolded for having a car that lacked the necessary safety equipment for its […]
If you have a high performance street machine or drag car, chances are that sooner or later you are going to have to haul it somewhere. In fact, having a fully-equipped tow rig is—for many enthusiasts, at least—one of the key steps in being ready for the race or show season and not. If you […]
Born in Indianapolis in 1946, Bruce McConnell has always been fascinated with anything mechanical. “I was one of those kids who always needed to take everything apart to see how it worked,” tells Bruce. “When I was about 8 years old, I began attending the Indianapolis 500 and knew right then that I had the […]
There seem to be two schools of thought in what it takes to build a dual-purpose street/strip car. One group would suggest taking an all-out drag car, doing just enough to make it street legal, and trailering it anywhere and everywhere to demonstrate its stellar—and frankly predictable—on-track performance. However, to the other bunch of street/strip […]
If you’ve been in the high performance drag racing and street machine scene long enough, you’ve probably experienced it. In the nearly-constant search for better, faster, and cooler, you made a deal that you later regretted. Sometimes you lament the ride you gave up. Other times, you realize that maybe you aren’t as crazy about […]
George Reidnauer was introduced to drag racing by his father in the mid-’70s. His dad, who used to deliver bread for a living, would rush home to pick young George up as soon as he got off work early Sunday mornings and the duo would drive over to Maple Grove Raceway for the day. Of […]
Dan Bosco, just like the name of his Outlaw Limited Street “Maverick” suggests, isn’t scared to cross the line of conformity. No stranger to cars growing up, Bosco’s dad always had something that would turn heads in the driveway. For Dan though, there was nothing like the thought of going fast in a drag car, […]
At RPM we’re firm believers that the history of performance and muscle cars must be kept alive and documented for generations to come. And occasionally, we stumble across something so incredibly rare that we have to pass it on to our readers, and this Malibu Super Sport is no exception. With only 230 produced for […]
PROJECTS – HOME GROWN COPO – Powered, Wired & Shifted
It’s been six long months since we last checked in with Project Homegrown COPO, an RPM MAG-influenced tribute to the factory modified racecar offering from Chevrolet, and we’ve made some decent progress. It might not seem like much if you are a fan of TV shows that pack a year’s worth of work into a […]
PROJECTS/BUILDS – 4 LUG THUG – Nitrous Express Water Injection
For eons we have become accustomed to water methanol injection on both diesel and gasoline engines. It has been used in boosted racing and street performance primarily, but in the last few years water injection has become increasingly popular for nitrous engines, as well. Although it may seem like someone just recently discovered the advantages […]
INSTALL – 4 LUG THUG – RaceCraft Part 2 – Suspension Upgrade
Last month, we started our RaceCraft rear suspension upgrade in the RPM Magazine THUG mule Mustang with the install of a much-needed upper control arm doubler kit. RaceCraft’s stock upper torque box upgrade not only reinforced the control arm bolt holes but gives us another set of bolt holes above the stock location for more […]
INSTALL – 4 LUG THUG – RaceCraft Part 1 – Upper Torque Box Doubler Install
We decided while rebuilding the rear section of project 4 Lug Thug over the winter that we should upgrade our cheap second-hand upper and lower control arms while its jacked up and stripped down. While the car as originally going to be a mild street/strip ride, it has slowly morphed into more than we thought […]
TECH – Cover Your Butt – Engine Diaper Install
If there is one thing I’ve learned in my first 14 months of fatherhood, it is the vital importance of diapers. I never gave them much thought for the first 38 years of my life, but now I realize how fast things get out of hand without one. Even 10 minutes with a miniwild man […]
Full Assault – Mark Robert – 1966 C10 Pickup
There was little doubt that Waterdown, Ontario Canada’s Mark Robert would be wheeling some sort of fast car on the street—and eventually the dragstrip—as soon as he was old enough to drive. “I can remember my dad bringing a transmission into our apartment living room to rebuild it, and he was repairing and rebuilding cars […]
FEATURED – THE REAL THING Tony Karamitsos 1969 Z28
South Bend, Indiana’s Tony Karamitsos has one heck of a cool job. The Die-Cast Brand Manager and Designer for Johnny Lightning, Auto World, American Muscle, and Racing Champions is instrumental in turning cool real-life rides into small scale replicas for collectors and enthusiasts. But he doesn’t just build the small stuff. He builds the real […]
FEATURED – KNOW THE RULES Pierre Luc Mallet 1991 Mustang Coupe
Grudge no-time drag racing has grown from the roots of both street racing and organized street car style class drag racing. Add in the component of not having time clocks telling everybody what a car is capable of (that’s why it’s called “NO TIME”) and you just managed to level the playing field to almost […]
In every race community, there are groups that form and come to light. The Pro Stock and Pro Mod scene in the ’80s grew into Pro Street, while the current radial tire craze that started with the NSCA and NMCA has spawned multiple new classes of drag racing like no prep and the drag n’ […]
FEATURES – THE INSTIGATOR – Jeff VanNorden – 70 Challenger
To hear Clifton Park, New York’s Jeff VanNorden tell it, he didn’t have a choice. On the streets in his hometown, there is an order. There’s an ethos. There’s a way you establish yourself. And to fail to abide by those unwritten rules is… well…unforgivable. “A buddy of mine was riding his Hyabusa and he […]
PAST FEATURE – NO OVERNIGHT SUCCESS – Craig Watsons 73 Nova
With 21 years of racing under his belt, Craig Watson and his small tire 1973 Chevrolet Nova have many tales and memories together. The duo began evolving from the time Watson hit the ripe age of 17, and the team spun many a story together in the years that followed. The Chevy, which has been […]
GOING GREEN – Glen Bolz 1966 Chevy II
Phoenix resident and auto dealership Corporate Director Glen Bolz had had enough. A veteran of the sometimes stuffy and most of the time sleepy street rod crowd, Bolz was tired of the show-only scene. He was ready for some action. “I got really bored of the ‘Lawn Chair Nationals’ thing—just sitting around and polishing and […]
Full Assault – Mark Robert – 1966 C10 Pickup
There was little doubt that Waterdown, Ontario Canada’s Mark Robert would be wheeling some sort of fast car on the street—and eventually the dragstrip—as soon as he was old enough to drive. “I can remember my dad bringing a transmission into our apartment living room to rebuild it, and he was repairing and rebuilding cars […]
Strength. Speed. Stealth. Nature’s deadliest creatures are typically positioned high on the food chain because they possess the characteristics of a cold-blooded killer. A mere glance is often all it takes to send shivers of fear straight through the spine of another hapless victim. That’s a pretty fair comparison for Jack Stone’s killer 1969 Chevelle. […]
As we hit Virginia during what we like to call our 2014 RPM Magazine Search For Horsepower Tour, we kept hearing about this jet black, Shafiroff big block powered, nitroused ’57 Chevy pickup. Apparently this thing was feared on the streets, on the track and even on the Christmas parade route, (we’ll get to that […]
We’ve all heard the old saying that there is always somebody bigger and badder. The stories about how the meanest guy in town met his match in an unknown stranger, or the fastest gun in the west getting taken out by someone even faster. Well when it comes to the baddest small blocks in the […]
FEATURED – THE REAL THING Tony Karamitsos 1969 Z28
South Bend, Indiana’s Tony Karamitsos has one heck of a cool job. The Die-Cast Brand Manager and Designer for Johnny Lightning, Auto World, American Muscle, and Racing Champions is instrumental in turning cool real-life rides into small scale replicas for collectors and enthusiasts. But he doesn’t just build the small stuff. He builds the real […]
FEATURED – KNOW THE RULES Pierre Luc Mallet 1991 Mustang Coupe
Grudge no-time drag racing has grown from the roots of both street racing and organized street car style class drag racing. Add in the component of not having time clocks telling everybody what a car is capable of (that’s why it’s called “NO TIME”) and you just managed to level the playing field to almost […]
FEATURE – Howlin’ Hauler – Alan Williamson
To car enthusiasts in the United Kingdom, the United States is well known as “the land of milk and honey”. First, because of the relatively low cost of building a hot rod, but even more so because of the availability of the donor cars and trucks themselves. What we sometimes take for granted, others can […]
FEATURE – Second Chance – Edward Wilson
Any type of racing can be dangerous, as even in a controlled environment something can go wrong that results in damage, injury, and sometimes loss of life. Motorsports as a whole will use an accident as a learning experience. Safety equipment manufacturers and governing bodies will look at improvements in driver safety both in-car and […]
PAST FEATURE – NO OVERNIGHT SUCCESS – Craig Watsons 73 Nova
With 21 years of racing under his belt, Craig Watson and his small tire 1973 Chevrolet Nova have many tales and memories together. The duo began evolving from the time Watson hit the ripe age of 17, and the team spun many a story together in the years that followed. The Chevy, which has been […]
Mickey Thompson ET Drag Tires Included on the 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak
New ‘Leader of the Pak’ is the quickest, fastest and most powerful Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak yet. The 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak will power down the strip on Mickey Thompson ET Drag® Pro Drag Radial tires. The new Drag Pak is built ready for competition and offers a turnkey package for Sportsman […]
NEWS – PENNSYLVANIA MOTORSPORTS ORGANIZES UNDER NEW COUNCIL
The Motorsports Council of Pennsylvania (MCP) has been organized to advance all forms of racing across the state. The Motorsports Council will serve as the voice for racing in Pennsylvania. With an emphasis on grassroots racing, MCP will support racing with advocacy, education, and promotion. An initial priority of the MCP is to highlight the […]
AVON LAKE, OHIO (Sept. 2, 2020) -Protect your wires, lines and cables from the damaging effects of high temperatures with new Black Titanium Protect-A-Sleeve line sleeves from Design Engineering, Inc. Capable of withstanding temperatures of up to 1,800° F direct heat and 2,500° F radiant heat, the line sleeves are offered in 1/2″ and 1″ […]
September 4, 2020 Mentor, OH – Race Winning Brands, Inc., (“Race Winning Brands”, “RWB”, or the “Company”) a portfolio company of Kinderhook Industries, LLC (“Kinderhook”) is pleased to announce that they have completed the relocation of their MGP Connecting Rods business to Lakewood, New Jersey – home of Manley Performance, another RWB company. RWB has relocated […]
[Bowling Green, Kentucky September 3rd]: Holley is excited to announce its involvement in the 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak program and its ongoing support of NHRA Sportsman racers and classes. “We’ve been fortunate to work with Mopar and Dodge//SRT for several years in the Drag Pak program,” said Robin Lawrence, Holley Director of Motorsports. […]
Nitro drag racing returns to Santa Pod next weekend
Back at last! Nitro drag racing returns to Santa Pod next weekend. NOT The European Finals _presented by STP_Santa Pod Raceway Fri.11 – Sun.13 September 2020 The crackle and bark of blown fuel drag racing ricochets once more around Santa Pod Raceway next weekend. Fans starved of nitro’s sensory spectator experience will have their patience […]
FEATURE – BIG SHOT – Tony Harlin – 1968 Dodge Dart
Sloatsburg, New York resident Tony Harlin is no stranger to world-class performance. The former competitive track & field athlete was a highly decorated shot putter, finishing fifth in the 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials by launching a 16-pound steel shot over 66 feet. Such results require lots of hard work, flawless execution, and plenty of muscle. […]
NEWS – SUMMIT® Racing Now Stocking Total Seal® Gas Ported Piston Rings
Total Seal gas ported piston rings feature strategically sized and placed horizontal slots in the ring. This allows combustion gases to enter through the groove and behind the ring to gas-load the ring—providing greatly improved ring sealing. No matter which type of racing your engine is designed for, it will benefit from the […]
SEPTEMBER ISSUE RELEASED….CHECK IT OUT HERE!
The September issue of RPM Magazine has been released. Check it out here! If you aren’t reading it in RPM, you are missing it. All exclusive articles and tech. Here’s what’s happening NOW in RPM! Who’s In This Issue of RPM Magazine – September 2020 THE TEACHER…Auto Mechanics teacher Martin Girard holds lessons outside the […]
TRUCK QUICK TECH – Hit The Brakes
Like most of readers, we use our vehicles for everything Imaginable, and honestly, we are not what you would call “easy” on them. And contrary to popular belief, we don’t cruise around in a fleet of brand new stuff. Instead, just like you, we have to make our old rigs last. Oh sure, we take […]
TRUCKS – Trick Out Your Truck – Lighting & Style F250
With new diesel F-250 pickups running into the upper $60,000 range, we decided it would be worth the upgrades to freshen our 15 year-old reliable Powerstroke instead. The newer trucks actually still have very similar overall body styling but our lights and grille really show how dated our old truck really is. Our 2000 F-250 […]
TRICK OUT YOUR TRUCK – TOW TECH – Safety, Style, Function
If you have a high performance street machine or drag car, chances are that sooner or later you are going to have to haul it somewhere. In fact, having a fully-equipped tow rig is—for many enthusiasts, at least—one of the key steps in being ready for the race or show season and not. If you […]
TECH – TOW TECH – Need a Lift – Air Bag Install
Yes, I am guilty of it. If you consider yourself a gearhead then you are probably guilty of it as well. What am I accusing you of? Gearheads like having toys and usually don’t have enough money to buy something new or something that is the “best” in its class—mostly because we can fix them […]
TRUCKS – TRICK OUT YOUR TRUCK – Flares
Trick Out Your Truck – A Flare for New Shoes My wife has a flair for new shoes and so does our vintage RPM F-250 hauler. Four flares to be exact, but only one set of new shoes. If you have been following the Trick Out Your Truck tech in RPM over the last several […]
TRUCKS – TRICK OUT YOUR TRUCK – In a Day!
FROM MILD MANNERED TO MENACING….IN A DAY! We’ll be honest, we got sick and tired of being made fun of for our mundane 2015 F150 shop truck. We just heard one too many “hey look at the magazine guys driving around in a stock pickup,” comments and decided to do something about it. First, we […]
TRUCKS – Tow Tech – Gettin’ Hitched
If you’ve towed your race car or street machine before, you know that depending on the quality of your tow setup, it can either feel like a stress-induced worryfest where your rig seems to constantly teeter on the brink of disaster or pretty much like any other drive. The less heavy duty your equipment, the […]
FEATURES – ENTROPY – Kevin Amar – 1955 GMC 3100 Pickup
ENTROPHY – Kevin Amar 1955 GMC 3100 Pickup Lack of order or predictability. Gradual decline into disorder.” Entropy isn’t a suggestion. It isn’t a probability. It is a scientific law. In short, it is the natural order of things to decline, decay, and become less organized—unless energy is added to the system. Take Kevin Amar’s […]
WELCOME TO THE NEW RPM MAGAZINE ALL DIGITAL VERSION
Well, it’s finally here….the very first ALL DIGITAL RPM MAGAZINE! Here is just a little Teaser of the June issue. If you were a subscriber, you would already have this in your email inbox today. Subscribe by June 1st and you will receive this issue in your email just as the thousands of other RPM […]
NEWS – DiabloSport Tuning Now Supporting 2020 Ford F150 2.7L Ecoboost & 5.0L V8
Tuning for 2020 Ford F-150 2.7L Ecoboost & 5.0L V8 DiabloSport tuning is now available for 2020 Ford F-150 2.7L Ecoboost and 5.0L V8 motors. Adding power to the already impressive Ford F-150 was no small task. DiabloSport’s calibration team spent the time to develop awesome tunes that enhance thnee driving experience for any F-150 […]
NEWS – Automakers seek new revenue streams from wireless services, upgrades
By Nick Gibbs, ANE The dashboard, once the place where drivers checked their speed or changed the radio station, is fast becoming the car’s most valuable real estate, as automakers seek to generate new revenue through wirelessly delivered services, features and upgrades. The upgrades can include everything from in-dash apps up to software […]
NEWS – Fiat Chrysler confirms talks for $6.8B state-backed loan to weather virus crisis
MILAN — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles confirmed that it is in talks to obtain an Italian state-backed credit line of as much as 6.3 billion euros ($6.8 billion) to buttress the automaker’s finances after the coronavirus caused a steep downturn. In a statement on Saturday, the company said talks were ongoing with lender Intesa Sanpaolo for a three-year […]
AUTO MANUFACTURER NEWS – People Bought More Trucks Than Passenger Cars In The U.S. Last Month
As passenger car sales plummet, trucks overtake them temporarily. Passenger cars have always outsold pickup trucks in the U.S. In some years, as many as 600,000 vehicles separated the two classes. But with the novel Coronavirus affecting all new car purchases in the U.S. in April, pickup trucks stole the sales crown. At least, temporarily. New data […]
Brands push forward with new-EV rollouts
Article by Stephanie Wallcraft COVID-19 has automakers pumping the brakes on r&d spending, but most are still planning — at least for now — the launch of key electric vehicles in the coming months. Matt Girgis, managing director of Volvo Car Canada, said the XC40 P8 Recharge crossover is still scheduled to arrive in Canada […]
Automakers want Ontario showrooms opened to deal with expiring leases
Facing an onslaught of customers returning leased vehicles, some automakers are calling on Ontario to reconsider rules forcing the closure of dealership showrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our dealers are now dealing with record numbers of lease returns at our peak season and they are unable to process them,” Hyundai Canada CEO Don Romano wrote […]
U.S. self-driving startup settles trade secrets lawsuit with Tesla
U.S. self-driving car startup Zoox said on Tuesday it had settled a lawsuit with Tesla after admitting that some new hires from the electric car maker were in possession of certain Tesla documents when they joined Zoox. Tesla lawyers filed a lawsuit in March last year against four former employees and Zoox, alleging the employees […]
ROUSH YATES COLLABORATES WITH BIOMEDINNOVATIONS FOR VENTILATORS
Roush Yates Engines was formed in 2003 by Robert Yates, Jack Roush, and Doug Yates with the leadership of Ford Motor Company to create a world-class race engine company that would compete at the highest levels of the Motorsports Industry. Out of the passion for power and performance excellence, Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions was formed. […]
FCA Canada implements temperature taking protocol for workers
As automakers eye a return to production, FCA Canada says it is taking steps to keep its factory employees safe on the shop floor. Some employees are currently working at the automaker’s Ontario assembly plants in Windsor and Brampton. They’re deep cleaning the facilities and tweaking job stations to make room for social distancing. But those that arrive […]
Jaguar Land Rover aims to make 5,000 protective visors
LONDON — Jaguar Land Rover said it is using its prototype building operations to make a target of 5,000 visors a week for health service workers, as manufacturers repurpose facilities to fight against coronavirus. The British government is trying to boost the amount of personal protective equipment for doctors and nurses and ventilators for patients. […]
Daimler CEO, top executives take pay cut in response to crisis
Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius and members of the automaker’s management board will reduce their fixed compensation by 20 percent until the end of the year in response to the effects of the coronavirus crisis. Other senior executives will see their pay drop by 10 percent for the next three months, Daimler said in a statement […]