Hemmings Muscle Machines February 2018

“ Our maniacal laughter continued as he kicked the clutch and bashed third gear without lifting off the throttle” In preparing to assemble the second part of the two-part Restoration Profile covering a ’67 Camaro for this issue, Hemmings Motor News Editor Mike McNessor and I got to spend some time with that car, and its owner, Keith Vogel. After discovering that the Camaro he’d bought sight-unseen online was much worse than advertised, Keith had dug in and used the rotted carcass to create his vision of the perfect street machine: the big-block Camaro. Both Mike and I have owned first-generation Camaros and can really appreciate Keith’s efforts, and the final result. Even in factory form, the big-block first-generation Camaro exercised a concept that’s about as simple as a stone…

KING OF THE HILL, REDUX The 2019 Corvette ZR1: 755 hp, 210+ mph, and a shaker hood — coming this spring For decades, Chevy has affixed the ZR1 prefix to its ultimate small-block Corvette. A handful of hot, high-revving, LT-1-equipped Corvettes from 1970-’72 wore the alphanumeric first; they featured upgraded suspension, cooling, and brakes, and were initially not available with luxury options like power steering or a radio. Then came the “King of the Hill” version’s 32-valve, all-aluminum mill that sent heads rolling when it arrived in 1990. This engine, dubbed LT5, disappeared with the end of the C4-generation Corvette, retiring before most of the rest of the world could catch up. Chevy revived the ZR1 in 2009, for a screaming-hot version of the C6, with a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8…

NORTH AMERICAN EAGLE SELECTS DIAMOND VALLEY FOR LAND-SPEED-RECORD ATTEMPTS Not much exists on the alkali flats of the Diamond Valley in central Nevada. The northern end contains a few sage grouse and miles of uninterrupted flat and dry lake bed. And that’s just what Ed Shadle wants for his run to 800 mph and the world land-speed record. Shadle’s team has considered four different sites for its attempt to take the world LSR (currently 763.035 mph, set by Andy Green at Black Rock Desert in Nevada in 1997): Diamond Valley, Black Rock, Bonneville, and the Alvord Desert in Oregon. They ruled out Black Rock due to its popularity with outdoor enthusiasts and Bonneville due to the rough surface and lack of sufficient room to run at their target speeds. Alvord,…

THE ART OF MOPAR By Tom Glatch, photography by Tom Loeser • Motorbooks www.quartoknows.com • 800-328-0590 • $50, plus s&h Few would argue the unique aesthetic merits of Chrysler’s high-performance products, as these Dodges and Plymouths enjoyed bold, original styling, bright colors, and eye-catching, youthful graphics. It’s not often that this automaker is celebrated in print, which makes this beautiful coffee-table book even more exciting. Photographer Tom Loeser has captured the essence of 25 performance Pentastars, ranging from a 426-powered 1963 Plymouth Sport Fury Super Stock to a 2016 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, and has done so with incredible studio lighting. Tom Glatch authored the historical text, taking care to include statistics and road-test information, and this is a fine accompaniment to the photography, which is comprised of numerous…

Some of us develop our allegiances to specific brands over time. Others can recall the exact moment that they became loyal to one make for life. Randy Diethrick of Seward, Pennsylvania, is in the latter category. “In the Fall of 1967, my dad and I were tossing the football around in the front yard,” Randy recalls. “Hearing a rumble from down the street, we both turned to see a brand-new 1968 Dodge Charger R/T drive by. At the same time, we said, ‘Wow, what was that car?’ We were both hooked.” The result of that fateful encounter was the arrival soon thereafter of a new, but more practical, Dart GT in the Diethricks’ driveway. Green with a black vinyl top, the Dodge also featured a green bucket-seat interior with a…

Convertibles are a remarkably polarizing body style. At one time, only an open car could be taken seriously as any kind of performer. Preferably a two-seat roadster, although the right close-coupled touring car could do the job. Roll-up windows somewhat diminished the panache of the muscular drop-top, taking them closer to the softness of coupes and sedans. As bodywork increasingly became a structural element, the missing roof also became a reason for additional weight, as convertibles required increased stiffening in body and frame — negating the mass-reduction benefits of early open bodies. Nevertheless, throughout the 1950s and ’60s, convertibles were still a desirable vehicle to many—even as muscle cars. What ultimately may have done in the mainstream ragtop was the increasing affordability of air conditioning. With on-demand cold air on…