For the serious rodder, nothing quite compares to a weekend of getting together with a few 100,000 of your "closest" friends and checking out over 6,000 rides of all makes, shapes, and sizes. The Goodguys' event in Columbus, Ohio, is the place where all this action takes place every year, and the latest shindig had all the bells and whistles.
While your own personal tastes may lean heavily toward traditional rods (of which you will see your fair share), you cannot deny the jaw-dropping affect of the killer mega-horsepower street machines that are a big part of the wild weekend. And street machines aren't the only diversion you will find; there are also the best examples of pickups, musclecars, one-offs, and restored beauties you won't find anywhere.
After spending our time on the road on Tom's Fun Run making our way to the event, we ate up the smorgasbord of rides like nobody's business. The hardest part, besides picking what to have for lunch, was picking our favorites to be our Top Ten from the thousands of great rides. Not a bad dilemma to have--and we wouldn't want it any other way! If you haven't been a part of it yet, definitely make plans for the Goodguys' Columbus event in 2006--we already have all our reservations made.
Gary Brigham recently had...
Gary Brigham recently had TNT Customs (Hollysprings, GA) give his old, reliable '29 Ford roadster pickup a total makeover and the ol' girl looks like a fresh starlet. Under the hood is one very serious 600hp 502ci Chevy that should make for some very interesting stoplight action.
Doug Pack put together this...
Doug Pack put together this '32 Ford roadster for himself as the latest in a string of well-built hot rods. The perfect finishing touch is the distressed leather interior.
Greg Giampapa started with...
Greg Giampapa started with a nice original '47 Ford woodie and turned it into the ultimate street rod SUV. All the latest creature comforts are contained inside the original 1947 timber.
Dave Reinhold had Gary Brown...
Dave Reinhold had Gary Brown and the crew at Brown's Metal Mods put an incredible amount of metalwork into what he calls his "top hat" '29 Ford pickup. The top of the doors barely hit you above the knees.
Johnny Morris kept his '29...
Johnny Morris kept his '29 Ford pickup totally simple and that's why we totally fell for it. The lil' A uses mostly original sheetmetal with minimal bodywork, and Johnny is proud to point out the few original bumps and bruises the truck has found in the last 76 years.
A greater character than Charlie...
A greater character than Charlie Edwards would be hard to find; a mild custom sweeter than his owner-built '54 Mercury convertible would be even more difficult.
As a tribute to the car he...
As a tribute to the car he drove on his honeymoon, Jim Sheldon built this '56 Oldsmobile as the latest in his long line of Olds rides. The love of the brand also extends to daughter Denise, who has her own '47 Olds convertible.
"Long winters" is what Steve...
"Long winters" is what Steve Grimes says drives him to build his unusual rides, like his latest rear-engined '27 Model T modified. The fully functional Flathead turns a series of chaindriven sprockets and is indeed an engineering masterpiece.
Rich Spanovich has been waiting...
Rich Spanovich has been waiting over 30 years to get his '51 Mercury on the road, and the wait was well worth it for the stunning results he and son Rick achieved with the period-perfect mild custom.
Bill Kilkeary started with...
Bill Kilkeary started with a super low-mileage '57 Buick before slicing the top and making one killer custom. The perfect interior and sweet running Nailhead are still 100-percent original.
Tom Meredeth has the rarest...
Tom Meredeth has the rarest ride in our Top Ten with his '40 Plymouth delivery. With only a handful originally produced, you won't be bumping into two of these in the same place anytime soon.
Steve and Debbie Hellas put...
Steve and Debbie Hellas put together this spectacular '59 Bel Air that looks even longer when it's sitting down on the deck...
...Under the hood is a fully...
...Under the hood is a fully dressed 348 ready to propel the winged '59 during takeoff.
John Hall has an ace up his...
John Hall has an ace up his sleeve with every Flathead fan's favorite engine: an Ardun overhead converted Flattie somewhat under the hood of his '32 Fordor.
This '33 Ford coupe's owner...
This '33 Ford coupe's owner didn't put his info in the window so we will just have to let him know here that we love the stance of this killer trad ride.
Tom Carter runs a 429/C6 combo...
Tom Carter runs a 429/C6 combo in his rare and cool '37 Lincoln Zephyr coupe.
Jason Graham has a '53 Chevy...
Jason Graham has a '53 Chevy almost identical to the ride R&C staffer Tim recently described as his ultimate dream car.
Ricky Pike stopped us dead...
Ricky Pike stopped us dead in our tracks with his chopped '32 Ford sedan with a delivery door added to the back.
With a little work and a fist...
With a little work and a fist full of dollars, this Deuce sedan could be back next year looking good and turning heads.
Eddie Johnson was lucky enough...
Eddie Johnson was lucky enough to start with a very solid '30 Chevy coupe before switching direction on the restoration and turning the Bow Tie into a super-fine hot rod. Made up of a completely wood inner structure with the exterior tin attached to it, most of the examples from this era did not survive the elements and time.
Larry and Madge Ahle get around...
Larry and Madge Ahle get around in luxury style in their '52 Oldsmobile 98 convertible, and keep up with traffic with a '93 Vette mill providing the power.
This bad-to-the-bone '55 Chevy...
This bad-to-the-bone '55 Chevy gasser had all of our troops stirred up for the entire weekend. Once nearly extinct, nose-up street machines have made a huge comeback.
Looking like a predator waiting...
Looking like a predator waiting to strike, this '58 Buick "more-door" has a right-on stance and clocks in very high on the cool meter.
Jim Burker owns this '29 Model...
Jim Burker owns this '29 Model A highboy we instantly fell in love with. With a chrome '29 radiator shell up front and a fully dressed Flathead for power, this sweet ride is very reminiscent of Bud Bryan's ol' R&C project car.
Roger and Jackie Murphy swing...
Roger and Jackie Murphy swing low in their ground-hugging '47 Ford coupe.
Jevan Morse proves with his...
Jevan Morse proves with his '32 Ford pickup that when asked "how low can you go?" it can be pretty darned low.
Here's proof that hardly anything...
Here's proof that hardly anything beats a nice "Pair of Deuces."