Many people were puzzled by the engine in Fred Majka's '32 roadster. It's a blown 327, but the unusual valve covers from the early '70s kept 'em guessing.
If you've ever been to a famous landmark or met a celebrity--or seen a well-known historic hot rod or race car--you might know how unreal it can be to see a person or place or car that you've only previously seen on television or in photos. There was a little bit of that feeling at the Goodguys 14th Southeastern Nationals, held at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, the capital city of NASCAR country. Walking through the rows of hot rods, customs, musclecars, street machines, and classic trucks was a familiar enough experience. But looking upward at the banked oval, expansive grandstand, and multi-story suites of the historic superspeedway was a bit of sensory overload. Let's just say it's more impressive in person.
Goodguys made the most of the facility by letting participants drive their cars on the track on Saturday evening. Even at a fraction of the speeds the track is used to, a couple of mile-and-a-half counterclockwise runs is a kick in the pants. Goodguys also set up an autocross driving event for folks who actually wanted to compete in something besides the show `n' shine.
Of course the real action was down on the infield, where an estimated 3,000 cars were lined up for another three-day weekend of good times, Goodguys style .We kept plenty busy that weekend, hiking the rows of rods and customs, photographing as as we could, and selecting 10 of them for the R&C Top Tin corral held on Sunday.
If you've read our show coverage in the past, you know we tend to notice (or imagine) different trends within the hobby in different parts of the country. Here's what we saw in Charlotte: a very high number of '32 Fords in addition to a high number of black cars. It would have been easy to choose 10 excellent black Deuces as our Top Tin winners. We might just do that next year, but this time we decided to find a mix of makes, styles, and model years. Our picks are subjective, but we hope you'll agree with most of them. Of course, what we really want is to get you out to the show so you can see these cars up close. Let's just say they're more impressive in person.
There aren't many in the whole world, and there was only one in Charlotte. This '52 Nash custom convertible Landau, built and owned by Don and Melissa Fitzgerald, is customized with a 330hp GM Performance crate 350, tube chassis, leather interior, '95 Monte Carlo Seats, and a Mercedes cloth cable-driven top- and had a crowd around it all weekend. | 
Don Conley originally built this '27 T pickup in 1959. It was featured in Hot Rod in 1961. Gary Moore found it in 2002 and rebuilt it to close to it's original shape. It now runs a '49 Olds 303 with an Edmunds intake and dual Rochesters, including a '49 Olds 303, similar to Don's engine. It rides on a '37 Ford pickup frame, and the fenders are from a Model A and the fuel tank is a B-52 de-icing tank. Best of all, Gary has been in contact with Don to keep him involved with his historic hot rod. |  |
 | 
There aren't too many in the whole world, and there was only one in Charlotte. This '52 Nash custom convertible Landau, built and owned by Don and Melissa Fitzgerald, is customized with a 330hp GM Performance crate 350, tube chassis, leather interior, '95 Monte Carlo Seats, and a Mercedes cloth cable-driven top-and had a crowd around it all weekend. |  |
One of many beautiful black '32s we saw was Gene Shreffler's five-window driver. The 302 has 351 heads, and a Holman Moody intake and dress-up stuff. The coupe is full of excellent details, including some custom-fabricated motor mounts and a bunch of old water-transfer drag race decals that Gene found on e-Bay. |  | 
We kept coming back to this '50 Ford ragtop taildragger. Ron Bales had a '50 as a high school kid in 1956, but no money to build it up. Now he's doing it with this one, customized with '54 Buick trim, a '54 Pontiac grille center, '54 Chevy parking lights, and some baby Appletons. It runs a 0.030-over LT1 and rides on front and rear Air Ride bags. |
 | 
Genuine hot rodder Ed Ratliff built this '32 Ford from parts he'd been collecting for years. The tub was a Tudor sedan before the top was removed for use on another car. A pair of 409 heads disguise the '58 348 engine. The interior is filled with steel panels and a handmade dash, plus bass boat seats shot with Mar-Hyde. Pie-crust Firestones roll on '35 Ford wire rims. |  |
At it's firsts show ever, Bart Goodson's just-finished '50 Chevy won a Meguiars Magnificent Masterpiece Award and an R&C Top Tin. The low-key-looking pickup has a 502 crate engine under the hood, cooled by a NASCAR-style crossflow radiator. There's a Fat Man front end and a Corvette C5 rear, plus a knockout Paul Atkins interior in the cab. |  |  |
Nobody has more fun in a hot rod than Butch Fairchild, who drives this '31 A sedan all over. The project started as a swapmeet Deuce grille shell. The suspension includes Sprint Car style front torsion bars, and the engine is a Chevy small-block backed by a four-speed. Butch was boasting about his 14.32 second/98mph quarter-mile pass at the Blue Suede Cruise, with a passenger riding shotgun. |  | 
Speaking of drag racers, Larry and Pat Barbera's '48 Austin Dorset had a career on the dragstrip before being rebuilt for the street. It now runs a ZZ4 with a Turbo 400 automatic. The frame is handmade, suspened by front and rear coil-overs. And since so many people ask, it's all steel. |