Video Highlights! Goodguys Street Rod, Street Machine of the Year
Goodguys Street Rod and Street Machine of the Year winners were crowned at the recent Goodguys 21st PPG Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. The pinnacle of automotive achievement in the world of Goodguys, this year’s big winners offer a real-time glimpse of what is trending in the hi-performance realm of street rods and street machines.
Goodguys 2018 PPG Street Machine of the Year – Stuart Adams, 1969 Camaro
TUX is the product of a ten year build. Nearly every panel on the pony car has been tweaked and modified but only the most astute Camaro person could even tell. “There are hundreds of modifications to this Camaro” builder Kyle Tucker said.
While the body is as smooth as Samuel L Jackson and the one-off Forgeline Wheels are plated to perfection, TUX blends concours-level styling yet with a sledge hammer approach under the hood. Dressed in hugger orange, the supercharged LS7 is good for 700 rwhp, making stoplight stomps a thunderous affair. As you can see in the video, it also can smoke the rear tires hundreds of feet while sounding like a pissed off T-Rex.
Goodguys 2018 Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year
While TUX reimagines a classic muscle car, the Rad Rides by Troy-built ’29 Ford Model A Tudor sedan of the Mariani Brothers is a game changer in terms of early Ford street rods. Nearly 100% hand formed (maybe a slight portion of the stock cowl remains), Troy Treapiner and his teammate Adam Banks put in years of metal shaping and refinements with this Model A. It’s kind of nuts but that is how the Mariani’s roll. They’re Northern California nut farmers by trade.
This street rod is unique in that it plays to multiple genres of pre-war Ford enthusiasts. The refined build quality is up there with the finest in the world while the low lid, taller wheels, and vintage-style elements appeal to traditional hot rodders and even rat rod fans. Lastly, the Halibrand quick-change and hi-revving 500hp all aluminum V8 appeals to old school dirt track fans.
Coated in a custom-mixed metallic olive green hue, the fit and finish on this rod is the best we’ve seen. The custom visor is attached with perfectly clocked bolts, the leather strap-secured hood and handmade wheels add so much soul and depth this build. The full torsion bar suspension is also something we have never seen on a Model A street rod. The engineering hours alone in that trick setup boggle the mind.
