It's not everyday that you get the chance to watch an extremely talented artist do his thing, and it's even more rare to see one do it live at a car show! Recently, we discovered Darrel "Doctor D " Roberts laying down some hot licks in real-time on several cars at the Somernites Cruise in Somerset, KY. We asked him what it's like to stripe in public!
Kelle spied this cool 1935 Ford pickup hot rod at the 2010 Somernites Power Cruise in Somerset, Kentucky. It's an all-steel tub with a '32 Ford grill shell, a Chevy 350 with 3 deuces, and it packs a 5-speed T5 manual trans. American Racing wheels, BFG tires, and a custom frame give this rod it's killer stance.
Year One has always been heavily involved with the muscle car scene, and here, Kevin King brings us up to speed on a new event happening in September 2010 where participants can "Drive It Home" to YearOne from Columbus, Ohio in a cool charity cruise. Check http://www.YearOne.com for more info! Shot at the 2010 Hot Rod Power Tour stop in DuQuoin, IL.
We caught up with renowned blues rock guitar shredder and gearhead Kenny Wayne Shepherd at the Year One display at the 2010 Hot Rod Power Tour stop in DuQuoin, IL. We chatted about Tour, Kenny's 408-powered 1970 Plymouth Duster, and what it's like to Rock in concert and roll on the Tour at the same time!
Collector car auctions are extremely popular and the Mecum auction is one of the premier muscle car auctions in the world, so we decided to head out to the Mecum Spring Classic Auction in Indianapolis to get a behind-the-scenes look of this enormous event.
Charley Lillard and Mark Stielow teamed up to build one of the most outstanding 1969 Camaros to date. Ride along in "Jackass," a 1969 Camaro powered by a 2009 Corvette ZR1 supercharged V8, stopped by ZR1 carbon ceramic brakes, and riding on the best suspension goodies from Detroit Speed, Art Morrison Engineering, Currie Enterprises, and more. Hang on tightly! Video from the 2009 Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational DVD .
The 2010 Chicago World Of Wheels provided show-goers with a full weekend of cars to check out. This year, the event also included the Chevy Vettefest along with the wide variety of World Of Wheels displays all under one roof at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. Here's a few pics to give you an overview!
Response has been great on the 2009 Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational DVD - Here's what others are saying:
"Great video, the in-car video is terrific! Lots of interesting things were caught by the camera crew in this one, Bills UCA snapping, Larry's off course, etc. Great work guys! Two thumbs up! - David Pozzi"
"I got my copy today. Great coverage of the event. It covers the good, the bad and even in my case, the ugly. Great work Kevin and Kelly, as always, top notch stuff guys. Even if you saw the Speed show on the event, I recommend this one to everyone. Great interviews and some insider stuff that you just did not see on the show. Since Kevin is a car guy, he covered the event with a bit of a car guy twist." - Bill Howell
"I just watched and it really turned out great. Thanks to everyone at V8TV for the awesome DVD and the really cool coverage of Motiv8r as well. Well worth the money." - Larry Callahan
"I just got the DVD, thank you very much, you and your crew did an
outstanding job on the DVD. It really depicted the event and how
things unfolded and gave a more detailed account of the preparation and
effort that went into developing the cars." - Bruce Cambern
GM Performance Parts recently unveiled the first C.A.R.B. certified, EPA Emissions legal late-model engine swap for hot rods and muscle cars. We talked with Bill Martens about what the E-ROD kit consists of, and how GM was able to make this 430 HP LS3-based engine package be cool with Johnny Law. The key is the completeness of the kit, which comes with everything from the engine to the catalytic converters, vapor canister, and a special calibration in the ECM. That's right, over 20 mpg, catalytic converters for clean air, and 430 legal horsepower.
High performance braking systems are always evolving, and in this video, Todd Gartshore of Baer Brakes brings us up to speed on their latest caliper designs from the 2009 SEMA show in Las Vegas, NV. Gartshore also takes some time to explain the importance of rigid caliper design and shows us how their high-tech calipers are machined.
BeCool Radiators brought out a full display of cooling systems for muscle cars and racing applications. Here, Mitch Drouillard takes us through the '55 - '57 cooling module consisting of a new aluminum core support, radiator, A/C condenser, overfill tanks, fans and more. We also liked the direct-fit Muscle Car replacement radiators... they're aluminum, but can be had in a black finish to appear original to the car. BeCool also showed us their new Be Coolant, a pre-mixed, high performance coolant designed to last for 7 years or 300,000 miles!
Mike Jonas showed us some trick new lightweight calipers from Stainless Steel Brakes. They are not only light weight, but they fit inside 14 inch wheels! The SSBC crew also has some new c-clip eliminators designed to keep rear axles in place and prevent leaks. Learn more by watching the video!
I think we all agree that the new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is an awesome car, with its supercharged LS9 engine and race-car suspension and brakes. However, the team at Lingenfelter Performance Engineering knows how to free up additional performance, and they were able to make a new ZR1 run a 10.02 second quarter mile without modifying the stock LS9! Ken Lingenfelter and engineer tech Graham Behan show us the car.
The crew at Lingenfelter Performance Engineering weren't happy that GM did not bring back the Firebird along with the 2010 Camaro, so they built their own version of a TA! This one is based on the 1970 SD original, featuring the white and blue color scheme, shaker hood, honeycomb wheels, and yes... a 455 cubic-inch engine. But this engine is not a big Pontiac.. it's a new RHS-block based GM GEN IV V8 making over 600 HP! Ken Lingenfelter and engineer tech Graham Behan show us the car.
Ensuring your engine fasteners car properly torqued is a tough thing to do, especially since most lubricants can make for inconsistant torque readings. ARP launched their new Ultra Torque assembly lubricant to help engine builders obtain the correct desired clamping force levels quickly and with repeatability. Chris Raschke explains.
Holley showed a line of new EFI systems ranging from the easy install Avenger system with self-tuning capabilities, the HP series with 4 external input / outputs, and the over-the-top Dominator series that offers massive expandability and can control popular electronic transmissions internally!
Comp Cams is listening to their customers, and responding with some new parts and applications to satisfy their needs. New this year at SEMA are an expanded lineup of Thumper cams, their Engine Break-in Oil, and a very cool set of solid roller lifters...they claim the best you can buy!
Fuel Air Spark Technologies (FAST) is always looking for new ways to make power, and this year they brought out their new Dual-Quad upgrade for the EZ-EFI system as well as some new LSX-R intake manifolds for us to check out.
Ed Justice Jr. of Justice Brothers is always a great guy to hang with, and this time, we chatted about the disappearance of ZDDP from engine oil and how Justice Brothers have a solution. Oh, and we talked about racing... you always talk about racing with Ed.
Currie Enterprises brings us up to speed on their new F9 fabricated rear axle housing, new control arms featuring Johnny Joints for improved handling, and other insight into making your muscle car handle well on the street and the track.
Mike and Jim Ring built yet another amazing show stopping car - a 1964 Ford Fairlane called "Afterburner." We found their latest creation in the BASF booth showcasing the car's incredible body modifications, fit, finish, and color scheme. Mike Ring takes us around the car to see all the details of the latest Ring Brothers machine!
Magnaflow turned things upside-down at SEMA... including all the cars in their booth! Here, we get a look at the new 2010 Camaro complete exhaust system that won't be seen anywhere else!
Ken Lingenfelter gives us the first look at the Lingenfelter Performance Engineering L28 Camaro they brought to SEMA 2009. Featuring a custom body kit, Hotchkis suspension upgrades, and a Lingenfelter built supercharged V8, it makes tons of power with an aggressive look.
Events / Racing 
