Hemmings Muscle Machines April 2020

Someone asked me recently how we can produce a magazine on the same topic every month and still make it interesting. It seemed particularly pertinent, given that we were about to crest 200 issues of HMM, but the answer is the same as it’s been for the duration of this title: We like to tell stories, and there’s no shortage of stories to tell. Back when HMM was conceived, the idea had been to create something that was more than just the same core cars over and over, with transcriptions of technical specifications making up the meat of the copy in the feature articles. A high level of detail and accuracy was always part of the plan, but not at the expense of conveying the unique histories of the individual…

CHEVROLET GS-IIB TO JOIN MID-ENGINE CORVETTE CLASS AT AMELIA ISLAND No story of the Chevrolet Corvette’s evolution would be complete without mention of the GS-IIb, a prototype that will make its concours debut at Amelia Island amid a special class dedicated to the mid-engine Corvette throughout the years. GM destroyed the first version of the mid-engine GS-II show car after a brief testing session, then built an updated version, the GS-IIb, which featured a riveted and bonded monocoque chassis made from aluminum. GM then sent the GS-IIb down to racer and Chaparral founder Jim Hall’s Rattlesnake Raceway in Midland, Texas, for more testing; according to author and historian Karl Ludvigsen, the 1,450-pound car hit 198 mph in its test session. “It was an excellent presentation, and they have done some…

THE FIRST 2020 GT500 A year ago, the first 2020 Shelby GT500, serial number CS0001, was sold for $1.1 million at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, with all proceeds going to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The car that appeared on stage was just a prototype; the winner would be able to pick his preferred color. The winner? None other than Craig Jackson himself. Mr. Jackson has taken delivery of his GT500, at long last. He traveled to Flat Rock, Michigan, to watch it being built. But he had a special request: Instead of choosing a color from Ford’s palatte, he wanted it to match his other Shelby — ”Green Hornet,”the EXP500 prototype that we featured back in September 2006 (HMM #36). In some ways, the new GT500 had more…

MISTAKEN IDENTITY Just received my February ’20 issue of HMM. I immediately turned to the Pure Stock Drags coverage (“Pure Stock Drags at 25,” HMM #198). At first, I was thrilled to see my green Chevelle in the lead photo, but quickly realized that the excellent car shown actually belongs to Dave Byers. I’ve included a photo of Jeff Mann and me leaving the starting line for your reference. As you can see, the Chevelles are nearly identical and easily confused. I wanted to be sure Dave received proper recognition for this great photo! I really enjoy your great magazine (subscriber since issue #2). Keep up the great work! Mark Baker Via email PRAISING THE BOSS An absolutely fabulous article by Barry Kluczyk on the Boss 429! (“Building a Better…

“I would like to express my appreciation for your great magazine, which I receive by mail every month. Ever since I was a kid, I have had a great interest in cars. My earliest memories go back to when I was five or six (I’m 46 now) and I was allowed to sit in the new cars at my grandfather’s Toyota dealership, imagining I was behind the wheel on the road. At that age, I was fascinated by most cars, but when I grew older, I developed a true passion for American muscle cars. These were rare in Denmark, where most cars came from other places in Europe or Japan, but when I attended high school, a nearby car dealership specialized in buying and selling American cars. So, every morning…

IN THE FALL OF 2003, The Matrix franchise was pulling big numbers at the box office, Nelly and P. Diddy were blowing up the airwaves, gas was around $1.60 per gallon (and falling), and a new specialty car magazine hit newsstands and mailboxes. Hemmings Muscle Machines, our first title dedicated exclusively to “American performance cars, regardless whether they were powered by four, six, eight, ten, or even 12 cylinders,” debuted with the October 2003 issue, which featured a red ’65 Chevelle SS up against a red ’64 Plymouth Fury on the cover. Though it’s hard for us to believe, the issue you now hold in your hands is our 200th. A lot has changed in the realm of the American muscle car over the past 17 years. What better way…