It’s rare we see a car truly capable of nailing a modern look while maintaining the classic profile of those early customs. Luckily, the ultra-smooth ’49 Ford you see here does just that.

We feel this car stands as one of the best-possible examples of how cool a vintage American car can be when left in near-stock shape, save for stance and wheel/tire upgrades.

While NSMC Member and retired airline pilot Jim Duffle of Mt. Juliet, TN, didn’t exactly find this 1940 Ford pickup sinking in a field amongst thick underbrush or wasting away in a leaky barn, he did find it parked along side a road patiently waiting for a new garage to call home.

When NSMC and Chicago, IL, resident Alex Oppice turned loose on his 2001 Pontiac Trans 2001 Pontiac Trans Am ws6, his specific goal was to create a legitimate street car equipped with enough power to excel at the drag strip.

The legendary Chevy 409-inch V-8 made a huge splash upon its introduction, and then disappeared almost as quickly as it had arrived. Considering it was only truly available from mid 1961 through mid 1965, it only had three full model years (’62-’64) to be offered.

The young man pressed open the pole barn door and slid his way in, carefully making his way to the back corner of the building where the object of his dreams rested. He crawled in and perched himself behind the wheel of the 1964 Cheverolet Chevelle convertable that spent it's last years as a weekend warrior at the local drag strip.

Greg Mann of Denver, CO, was raised around ’55-’57 Chevrolets. The timeless lines and reliable engineering of these landmark cars were embraced by his father, and left an undeniable impression throughout his childhood.

They say real cars have three pedals – at least performance cars, anyway – and anyone who has ever driven a manual transmission-equipped street machine knows how much fun they can be.

What is it with James Dean? He only made a few movies and wasn't a real competitive racer, yet there seems to be some sort of mystique surrounding him. I think it's because he represented all things cool. What started me on this train of thought was the Hot Rod Cinematic that I wrote about in the January/February 2008 issue of Street Thunder. While the show was fun, the treat for me was seeing the movie "Rebel Without a Cause."

In 1970, Dallas, TX, drag racer Harry M. Schmidt broke away from former partner “Big Mike” Burkhart and fielded his own Don Hardy-chassis 1970 Mustang funny car, powered by a direct drive, 426ci, Ramchargers blown fuel Hemi.