Swaddled under two tarps for nearly 18 years in a forgotten farm field in Tennessee was this 1970 Chevelle SS454. Enough foresight existed in the former owner's mind to put the Chevelle up on blocks. That simple move may have saved this SS from sinking into the earth and rusting away.

After an 18-month fabrication including countless greenbacks, body panels, paint colors, and interiors, Vinny Esposito finally finished his wonderful '56 Nomad. This flawless piece of artwork exemplifies the best that a restified Tri-Five could be. Perfectly straight, not a bubble in a sight, no waves to be found, and not a trim piece out of the place, this wagon belongs in a museum next to the Mona Lisa. Usually, though, you'll find it at a Super Chevy Show.

The second-generation Chevy IIs have become pretty respectable in recent years. Oh, sure, the L79 combo that Bill Jenkins almost won the 1966 NHRA title with has always been sort of a superstar, but most Deuces were overlooked as Camaros and Chevelles took the limelight. With those two breeds now priced in the stratosphere, the Chevy II is no longer the little Rodney Dangerfield of the '60s-era Bow Tie brigade.

Define "show-stopper." Ed LaGuardia has perhaps the best answer. Make a trip to the "Run Out East" exotic car show and walk away with the coveted People's Choice First Place prize in a 39-year-old American hot rod. Pardon me, Enzo Ferrari, move over Ferruccio Lamborghini, make way for the cleanest big-block 1st generation Camaro in the Hamptons. Stick that in your designer driving shoes and smoke it, Mr. Auto Snob! Excuse the enthusiasm, but when one of our own goes to an event packed with the filthy rich, the best Europe has to offer, and cleans house, all the Bow Tie faithful should be proud.

How far would you go to obtain the car you've always wanted? Jim Ayach, owner of this sleek yellow and white Camaro, knew exactly what he wanted-a '69 SS Camaro-and he knew just how to get it. Jim and his wife Sandra decided to sell their built '59 Cadillac Coupe Deville and liquidate some of their other assets and holdings. Once that was done, the hunt for their dream F-body began.

At one point in your life, you probably housed a collection of toy cars that was undoubtedly going to be worth millions when you got older. You cradled Hot Wheels Redline Editions like a small child, until one day you gave up on the dream of owning the nicest 1/64-scale garage and smashed them all together in a mock recreation of "the big one" at Talladega. Worst part is, those Redlines in mint condition are worth a nice chunk of frog skins nowadays.

It was full-size muscle or bust in the early 1960s, with the Impala, Biscayne, and Bel Air leaving the competition in a trail of tire smoke. These cars were muscle before the midsize and ponycar days and embraced 409, 396, and 427 cubic inch big-block horsepower.

Yep, this car is a genuine piece of lawn art. Most days it proudly sits on the manicured grass in front of the Danchuk showroom in Santa Ana, California. But unlike a lawn jockey or yard gnome, this yard art roars to life and can pretty much tear you a new one.

The build of this car, Project American Heroes 2, is all about the gratitude the hot rodding industry has for the servicemen and women of the United States. Building this muscular, but highly streetable 1969 Camaro is our attempt to do a small part to assist our American Heroes in their times of need.

Out of all the dealerships famous for its monster musclecars during the swingin' '60s, the only Chevy dealership still open for business is Berger Chevrolet in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Try and remember what was shakin' in the Chevy world back in 1970 to 1972, and while you're at it, you might want to recall what evolved with the various Chevy V-8 engines since 1955.

Over the last few months, Long Island has been more than generous to SUPER CHEVY magazine, puking out a wide assortment of 1,000-point hot rods-no two the same, but all equally deserving of attention.

The future of the car hobby, or any hobby for that matter, rests in the hands of the up-and-coming generation. I'm referring, of course, to the kid across the street who always seems to wander over when you have your hot rod out, or the teenager who can't seem to locate the beams while taking that first pass down the quarter-mile.

Before I die I will own a car with a blown big-block," said Mike Nicholls to wife Michelle one night. "You want it? You're gonna regret it," came her reply before they both dozed off.

Willie Perkins, Augusta, GeorgiaBack in the day, W.H. (Willie) Perkins had it made. Well, sort of. His father was a salesman at the Harrison-Guller Chevrolet dealership. Willie's first meaningful Chevy was a hot '58. He often won his class at the drags, but had to race under an assumed name, Jim Stark. This was the character name legendary actor James Dean made famous in "Rebel Without A Cause."

While at the International Motor Press Association's annual test days in Pennsylvania a couple of weeks ago, I ran into fellow CSK Publishing alumnus Jim Koscs. For those not familiar with CSK, it was a small company based in north Jersey that was one of the first niche car magazine publishers. Among it stable of periodicals was MuscleCars, High Performance Pontiac, High Performance Mopar and Vette.

Recently, Super Chevy Editor Jim Campisano and contributor Chris Werner had the opportunity to do the four-day Grand Prix racing class at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving outside of Phoenix. The first three days were spent in brand-new Corvette Z51s, while the last was in Formula Bondurant open wheel cars. You can read all about their tiring-frying adventures in the December 2008 issue, but while they were there they had a chance to sit down and interview one of America's greatest road racers, the proprietor of the school, Bob Bondurant.

Story by Jim Campisano

Photos by Kevin Kolvenbach/Pine Bush, New York (courtesy of General Motors)

The art of deception is one of the many tools racers have in their bag of tricks when face to face with hard-nosed competition. Some may call it lying, others call it cheating, but at the end of the day, the victor is the one who crosses the finish line first.

The Summer of Love, 1967. Vietnam, Super Bowl I, the first Apollo missions, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Detroit and Newark riots, Jim Morrison and the Doors, and of course, the birth of the greatest accomplishment on four wheels: the Camaro.

Beelzebub and the minions of the netherworld may stoke their endless brimstone fires and, with fury, flap their leathery wings in a futile attempt to match the power residing under the hood of this '64 Impala. A claimed 1,200 iron-clad horses arrayed in brilliant chrome and polished aluminum stand ready to spring into action should the driver decide to flex his foot muscle and depress the accelerator.

There is no one you will ever find with a bigger smile on his face when he is at the racetrack or cruising around town than Harold Caron. A man who calls Central Islip, New York, home, Harold sculpted this IROC from a stock '80s GM ponycar to high-powered street/strip warhead. His reason for purchasing the Camaro was quite simple. "In 1985, when NHRA Pro Stock introduced the IROC, I thought Lee Shepherd had the baddest hot rod ever! I instantly fell in love with it."

I've always wanted a 7-second street car, but I'm not saying I have one until it goes down the track." So said the owner of this '69 Nova, Denny Durbin, whose name has been on the pink slip of this particular car for 30 years.

NHRA sportsman drag racing is one of the last places to see musclecars from the heyday dueling it out on 9-inch tires. Over the years, rules have changed for various reasons, but the motivation is the same as it was when Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins and Ronnie Sox battled it out in the 1960s: a battle of wits to decide which of the fleet is faster than the rest. Even today, you see 396 Camaros, 428 'Stangs, and 426 Hemis across the country carrying the front wheels, making 9-second passes at more than 135 mph.

At Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, OH, Saboury laid down an UNBELIEVEABLE pass in his Moran Racing Engines powered twin-turbo 1963 Corvette. At the hit of the throttle, the front wheels went airborn and carried past the 60 foot mark. All systems were go past the 330-mark as Rod planned on getting out of the throttle at the 1/8 mile. Somewhere during the run, that plan went out the window. As Rod pulled forth gear, the rear tires chattered ending what could have been the first 6-second pass in a True Street hot rod. But wait...wheeling like the true champion that he is, Rod backed out of the throttle just slightly and to his crew chief bitter distaste, decided that it was all or nothing, and let her rip through the top end. The result? The quickest pass for a True Street car. 6.95 seconds at over 210 mph.