Joe Reeves launches into orbit...
Joe Reeves launches into orbit with his '55 Chevy. We liked it so much he now has a plaque hanging on his wall that reads "Editor's Choice."
Bow Tie Ironclads Massed In
Thunder Valley in September, shaking the very foundation of the ancient Blue Ridge Mountains. Iron and aluminum blocks struggled to contain the apocalyptic fire-breathing horses packed within their metal cylinders. The fuse was lit, and, once ignited, these American ironclads battled their way down the freshly cured blacktop of Thunder Valley Raceway. One pilot stated his vehicle has never experienced better launching conditions.
When it's Super Chevy time, spectator, racer and show attendee all agree that September in Bristol is the place to be. On Saturday and Sunday legions of finely calibrated Chevrolets gathered as if the Judgment Day bugle had sounded. And in a sense it was a day of judgment. Spit-and-shine show cars of all GM makes and models rolled into the display area, all the while being judged by peer and show officials alike. The quality vehicles that show up in Bristol have always been impressive to the Bow Tie eye of this editor. What do they put in the Appalachian water out here? Why are the cars so cool in Bristol? Why do zebras have stripes? Who knows. Nonetheless, this was a fantastic event.
 Yes, this is the same car...  Yes, this is the same car we see pulling the wheels up in the opening shot. Reeves and his crew took home and Editor's Choice Drag Car award |  Randy and Wendy Murray were...  Randy and Wendy Murray were displaying their 1970 Monte Carlo, and we must say that this Monte has to be one of the sleekest firstgeneration Montes we've seen. Everything about it is beautiful. |  Now dig this: Robert Cannon...  Now dig this: Robert Cannon of Concord, North Carolina, sauntered up in this yellow and white '55. Now, there may be some out there who would quickly dismiss this as another grocery gettin' Tri-Five-until they take a look-see under the hood. A twin turbo small-block is ready to prove that its bite is worse than its bark. Now, something that cool can't go unrewarded. Robert and his '55 took home an Editor's Choice Award. |
 Whatever you want to say about...  Whatever you want to say about the Grays, they've got the Ka-Pow! factor that knocks you between the eyes with this twin-towering double-huffer '65 Chevy truck. It's reminiscent of the Hot Wheel toys we all played with as kids, except it's the real deal. |  Overkill? Over-blown? Regardless...  Overkill? Over-blown? Regardless of the final verdict, this insanely built '69 Camaro is like a chained pitbull. It scares you just sitting there. As we'll soon see, Bradley and Marie Gray are about as subtle as a couple of sledge hammers. |  Of all the radical rides at...  Of all the radical rides at the Bristol show, personally speaking, this plain-Jane '54 Chevy was so bad, it should be in detention! George Simoneau installed a Fat Man's front clip, 9-inch rearend and topped it of with a Corvette LS2. The rest of the car looks like an Ozzie & Harriet cruiser: stock-looking interior and stock-looking exterior. And that's just the way George planned it. He told us he didn't care about building a nice show car-he wanted a car he can drive anywhere at anytime. |
 Holy oxidation! $10,500 for...  Holy oxidation! $10,500 for this '71 Chevelle? This thing has more rust and rot on it than the remains of the Titanic. Wow, I knew Chevelles were highly sought after, but didn't think the prices were this high. |  Now this is more like it....  Now this is more like it. The asking price on this '70 RS Camaro was $2,500 OBO. I offered the owner a ham sandwich and soda pop, but I think he wanted a bit more for the trade. So I upped the ante with a pack of beef jerky. Still not enough. Amazingly, this Camaro was in far better shape than the rusty Chevelle and yet no one made the owner any serious offers ...hmm. |  C'mon and admit it, who doesn't...  C'mon and admit it, who doesn't like to roam swap meets. I know I do. You never know what you might find. Take these intakes for example. The mystery 427 intake is something that was supposedly cast by Smokey or Edelbrock (the details of the story escape my mind), but if you believed the story, it could be yours for a grand. While roaming the swap meet I ran into Fred Brinson who works for Stricker Auto Parts in Batavia, Ohio. Fred and I got to talking about a Nova cowl vent, how they don't re-pop those and how I happened to be looking for one. Sure enough I get a package from Stricker Auto Parts (they had some lying around) with my '70 Nova cowl vent in the box. Thanks Fred. |
 OK, we've got to admit that...  OK, we've got to admit that Larry Strickland's '65 Vette had one of the more unusually cool paint jobs on it. Of course we gave him an award-it would have been rude not to after eye humping his ride for so long. |  Tommy Hall takes it all in...  Tommy Hall takes it all in the Bracket 1 shootout with his '68 Camaro, his final winning run was 6.038 at 113.78 mph. Killing the competition in the Bracket 2 brawl was Cody Speers in his '65 Nova. Cody's winning run was 8.882 at 77.61 mph, proving you don't need to go fast to kick butt. Both these guys are Tennessee natives and no doubt are still bragging to their friends. |  Bigger is better. Wes Egan...  Bigger is better. Wes Egan took home an Editor's Choice Award with this blown Impala. What's not to like about the looks of this full-sized vehicle? |
 Dick Valentine is no stranger...  Dick Valentine is no stranger to racing at the Super Chevy shows. Here he is launching his '63 Vette (aka "Tin Man") down the Thunder Valley strip. |  Now here's something that'll...  Now here's something that'll flip your wig. John Plott has less than $1,000 invested in this '57 Chevy. He told us the car was going to be scrapped because it was such a heap, so he got it for free. John dropped a small-block in and races it. And what's more, he made it a few rounds in the Bracket 2 competition. Not bad for a $995 entry. |  Now take a gander at this...  Now take a gander at this odd rod. How often do you see a straight-axle '64 Corvair Monza with a 355 small-block in the front? |
 This mystery machine you see...  This mystery machine you see here belongs to Tom Booths from Tonawanda, New York. It's a severely chopped and channeled 1946 Chevy truck. He ran a 5.97 at 115.02 mph in the Bracket 1 clash (eighth-mile), but, alas, didn't make it to the finals. That's OK-we still gave him an Editor's Choice Award for having a cool truck. |  Wesley Cox (Pulaski, Virginia)...  Wesley Cox (Pulaski, Virginia) drove his Banks twin-turbo 383 to the track and made it to the fourth round in the DOT class. Unfortunately he red lighted. We enthusiastically gave him an Editor's Choice Drag Race Award. |  Mitch Allen came all the way...  Mitch Allen came all the way down from Connecticut in his freshly built big-block '69 Camaro. A Yankee in Tennessee! We had to give him an award just for that. |