Hot Rods, Cold Weather... Now We're Talkin'!   John Wells definitely lives a life of danger. Putting together a first-time indoor hot rod show in the midst of a Midwest winter is bordering on madness, but watching Wells work, you know there's just a bit of madness lurking in that fast moving director of organized mayhem.   Retro Rewind 2014 is now in the history books, an event only Wells could conceive, plan and implement as a sibling event to his already successful TorqueFest and Iron Invasion gatherings. Retro Rewind brought together an amazing collection of traditional hot rods, custom cars, vintage bikes and go karts, classic guitars, pinstripers, pinups, hot rod films, high jammin' rock and roll, food, art... hey, you could even get yourself a super cool haircut by a real barber! Wells thought of everything and the packed event center in Dubuque, Iowa was diggin' it.     Of course it was the cars that headlined the event and there was enough diversity that anyone with a pulse of any kind could appreciate the mix of good old school, flat out cool hot rods and custom...

1954 COE with 450HP Cummins at 2013 SEMA Show   This is the 6th installment of Best of SEMA Show 2013... Why not something totally unexpected?     First of all, what the heck is this? Well, if you're not familiar with Welderup, then this custom 1954 GMC COE (stands for cab over engine) might come as a bit of a shock. Then again, if this is shocking to you... you probably haven't ever been to SEMA!   Trucks like this... Yes TRUCKS... hammered on the ground rocking engines with grunt-enough to to rip your neighbor's Dodge a brand-new-one... That's really what SEMA showcases most! Filthy as the VIP salon of "Glitter's" in Las Vegas, over-the-top power and excess. Yep. WE LOVE THAT!     Plus, COE's are just cool. My buddy Rob built a long bed COE shown here in a keyless ignition how-to. I rode in Rob's COE. It cruises low and comfortable on air, A/C on, with plenty of power from a gutsy small block Chevy. Rob's COE turns heads like this one does, even without the bright green Cummins diesel out back!     Here it is... a...

I seriously hope this is the newest trend!   Saw this picture on Facebook and fell out of my chair. Had to share it. Cause I care. To be fair. Stop there.   Searched around and found some more pictures and the source of the article. It's on a website called "The Amazo Effect". Here' s a link to the story called: Saab 92H & 92HK - The Caravans Of Love   I'm a wagon fan, and a fan of the generally wacky. These fit right in! Like...

Meet Uncle Jed: A Robert Killian creation aimed to run 200-plus mph Story by Ben Mozart Photographs by our friends at Moore Good Ink Now here's something you don't see every day! You've seen mash-ups of a pro-touring Mercury Comet, but this one's the ultimate combination of hot rod style and pro-style motivation. Robert Killian, you out did yourself! Robert Killian hails from Canton, Georgia. He’s been building hot rods for most his adult life, and he has always indulged himself in the unorthodox.   But when contemplating Uncle Jed he told his chassis builder, “Let’s have one last adventure into the unknown. I’m reaching a point in my life (58) when I don’t anticipate foolin’ with 200mph cars much longer.” So this was how he approached his latest creation: a 1,900hp big-inch Pro Stock-powered road-legal Rat Rod. “Mind you,” said Killian, “I’m hesitant about calling Uncle Jed a Rat Rod because some Rat Rodders take offense. They’re adamant that it’s not low-buck enough, but obviously there’s not enough gleaming paint on it to call it a hotrod.” So its genre is uncertain.   What is certain, however, is...

2013 Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Car Show Another pinup model and Pabst packed Viva Las Vegas car show is in the books. In some unscheduled laziness and a fit of working too much on MyRideisMe.com... I didn't go. Luckily, my good friend and photographer Mark Jacobs covered for me. So here's just a couple of his favorite rides from the 2013 Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender. Want to see all the pictures? Here's Mark's 2013 Viva Las Vegas Car Show Gallery I think this slick custom is a Pontiac based on the door trim? It's hard to tell sometimes. All I know? I agree with Mark, this is tough! It's great to see someone else's take on Viva. What cars caught their eye and then how'd they shoot them? Watching other photographers, I try to up my game too. Mark's the second photographer to shoot this trick custom: Someone help with info on this beauty! One last picture, then you can scoot over to the Mark's picture gallery:  2013 Viva Las Vegas Car Show Favorites Mark's a wagon guy too! This Squire wagon surf machine is right up my...

Return to Viva - 2012 Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Car Show Editor's note: Mark's been very kind to show his behind the lens work in this story and the last story about the great Rockabilly Weekender in Las Vegas. This time, take a listen as he give his impressions of the rides, the show and most importantly, the people that make the show great. Please make him feel welcome! Going back to Viva Las Vegas again this year, can't wait to see the Grease Pit Car Club from last year. A great group of guys and gals from LA, CA that have let my wife and I hang out with them every year. As a bonus this year, sounds like we have more members from San Diego, CA that are going to join us. Thursday afternoon I arrived and couldn't wait to get to the car area. The Valet parking lot all ready has cars lined up waiting to get in. Not a lot of cars in the car show area yet but that makes for better pictures. I like the contrast red and silver (on bad ass!) Grease...

2012 Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Car Show Before you even enter the show, customs like this greet you. Grab a beer and enjoy the first photos from the 2012 Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender. Found out this is Ashley Alyson Bryce aka Miss Leggy May... Find her on FB here. If you've never been to the show. Stop now and catch up some with MyRideisMe.com stories and photos of Viva starting back in 2009. It's been a fantastic run of hot rods, all kinds of custom cars and of course what most would call rat rods. But Viva's about the people and the music as much as anything else. For example, check out the lovely lady above! Pinup? 70s go-go dancer? Why categorize? Let's just thank my man Mark Jacobs for the cool shots! You'll see the personality of the show come through in the photos, of course, but you'll also see the photographer too. I asked Mark for some of his favorites and he couldn't stop talking about this 1957 Chevy custom. He told me... " The headlights are stacked and the grille... and the, and the.." As the saying doesn't...

2011 Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Car Show Video Recap My man Josh Clason did it again! I see people walking around with hand held video cameras shooting people, cars, whatever all day long. When will you ever watch it again? Not so for Josh! With his #1 supporter, photographer... also his loving wife Becca, Josh wheels the heavy gear around Viva's car show to get the best, clean shots. Enjoy. [vimeo]http://vimeo.com/23517705[/vimeo] Josh is an independent that can shoot your hot rod shop, club event or track day with the same professionalism you see here. Get in touch at Joshclason.com. Need more? Check out Josh's first video shared with MyRideisMe.com: Bonneville Salt Flats Video The Salt "It Sings" Everything else from Viva Las Vegas Car...

2011 Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Car Show Best 7 Engines As we said in the #1 Best of Viva Car Show, at any car show, you'll have your favorites... Here's the best of hot rod engines... Are any of these engines in YOUR car? Let me know! Alot's already been said about this crazy-green-flaked hot rod pickup, but there was more to it than just the paint.  Four singles on top of a flathead Ford turned just as many heads as the paint. For you Oldsmobile nailhead fans, this little modified roadster was packin a full six pack! There's a full shot of this car in the 2011 Viva Car Show Picture Gallery. Then here's the rest of the best! [nggallery id=51] . For everything from Viva Car Show, go here: Viva Las Vegas Car Show...

2011 Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Car Show At any car show, you'll always have your favorites. Of course this is true with Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender where the car show, "officially" only runs for Saturday, but there's tons of smooth kustoms and nostalgic hot rods to see starting from Thursday. While you're there, grab a beer, say hi to just about anyone you see cause chances are they're there to have a good time and most car people like to talk about their rides. Or bring beer with you and you'll suddenly have tons of new friends! So here's an overview of the cars I like best. If you agree or not, let me know. If you're the owner and I didn't get a chance to say hi, please leave a comment and more info about your ride. If you can, say why, "My Ride is Me". Let's start with the unusual! (or you could say the coolest 1961 Plymouth Fury I've ever seen!) Through my near legendary Google'n skillz, I found out this is a 1961 Plymouth Fury hardtop coupe. The bright orange paint looked stunning in...

2011 Viva Las Vegas Car Show Pinstriping Designs If you've never been to Viva Las Vegas Car Show, you're missing out on some of the best pinstriping designs. The suede paint of the custom cars and the vintage hot rod style both fit perfectly with a few carefully placed pinstriping lines. To give you some ideas for your ride, here's a collection of pinstriping from the car show. [nggallery id=50] See all of the MyRideisMe.com coverage of Viva Las Vegas here:  Viva Las Vegas Car Show or you can go straight to more pinstriping here: Pinstriping Features and...

2011 Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Car Show To late for any more info... here's the customs I liked from Friday at Viva Las Vegas Car Show. Which one's your favorite so far? All the way from Australia. Wagons Rule! Maybe the coolest custom at the show. Suede paint Ford Thunderbird with some cool pinstriping. Was orange the theme this year? This Fury had some kick'n flake on the roof. To see what you might have missed from years gone by, here's the Viva Las Vegas Car Show pictures from the last 3 years....