America’s Most Beautiful Roadster—Twice
Few cars have won the coveted America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) trophy twice, but Bob Reisner’s wild custom, called the Invader, did just that 50—and 49—years ago.
SEMA Heritage
Bolt-On Horsepower, 1967 Style
John Thawley, writing in the September 1967 issue of Hot Rod magazine, perfectly described that ever-elusive Holy Grail of car mods: bolt-on horsepower. Ford lent the magazine a brand-new (1,300-mile) ’67 Mustang with a two-barrel-carbed 289, a C4 automatic transmission and 3.50 gears. Thawley used the chassis dyno at Ak Miller’s Garage to measure the V8’s output and a number of Southern California dragstrips to put his mods to the test.
Open for Business!
It’s 1978, and then-SEMA President Leo Kagan is driving an antique car onto the floor of the SEMA Show in just its second year at the Las Vegas Convention Center. In the back seat of the car are Robert and Margie Petersen, who were instrumental in producing the very first SEMA Show back in 1967.
Making Drag-Racing History
In late September of 1955, the NHRA staged its first-ever National Championship Drag Races in Great Bend, Kansas. The first car to make a pass at this historic event was Art Chrisman’s Hemi-powered no. 25 dragster. That’s Art in the cockpit as dignitaries (including NHRA founder Wally Parks, at right) perform the event’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Performance Legacy
Most of us would probably consider ourselves fortunate to be remembered for doing one thing really well. As we look back on the life and achievements of performance pioneer Louis Senter, who passed away in May at age 95, the circumstance is different. Senter did so many things so well that it’s difficult to single out one accomplishment as the cornerstone of his legacy.
Triple-Threat Coupe
Before he became the first man to set land-speed records above 500 and 600 mph in the mid ’60s, Craig Breedlove was a hot rodder, like many other young Southern Californians in the ’50s and early ’60s. He raced at dragstrips, on the dry lakes and at the Bonneville Salt Flats, where he would later make history in the Spirit of America and Sonic I jet cars. Photos of him with various cars showed up in Hot Rod magazines of the era, including a three-page feature on this “triple-threat” ’34 Ford coupe that was photographed by Petersen lensman Eric Rickman for the magazine’s September 1960 issue.
That’s the Spirit
In January 1965, Petersen Publishing photographer Pat Brollier set up his camera to get as much depth of field as possible to capture the goings-on at the Winternationals Custom Auto Fair in the cavernous Pan Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles. That small aperture resulted in a long exposure, blurring many of the visitors as they passed by what had to be one of the most dramatic exhibits in the show.
Glue-On Glamour
Dot-O-Wols were considered “the latest in tire glamorizing” when Al Paloczy photographed them in the September 1959 issue of Car Craft magazine.
Predicting the Future, Circa 1966
We recently came upon a fascinating article in the September 1966 issue of Hot Rod Industry News, Petersen Publishing Company’s aftermarket trade magazine. In it, Bob McVay questioned several “leaders in the field of high performance and custom equipment” about what lay ahead in the aftermarket.
Crystal Ball Gazing, Circa 1966
“What will the future hold?” That was the question Bob McVay put to several “leaders in the field of high-performance and custom equipment” for an article he wrote in the September 1966 issue of Hot Rod Industry News, Petersen Publishing Company’s aftermarket trade magazine.
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