Goodguys Hemi Powered Hot Rod of the Year
Photos by Mike Harrington and Steven Bunker
Fourty-two hot rods. One winner. That is how it went down this past weekend at the Goodguys 12th Nashville Nationals in Music City USA. Heard round the country, the rallying cry for real, genuine, hell-raisin’ hot rods went out in January when the award was officially announced as part of the Goodguys 2017 Top 12 Awards program.These hemi powered classics are sure to leave their mark on the show
When the chips were pushed to the middle of the table Ralph and Linda Miller’s candy-colored, supercharged Hemi powered Model A Tudor sedan cashed in by winning the Goodguys 2017 Tank’s Hot Rod of the Year award. It marked the second time in the last five years an “Angry A” from the Hilton Hot Rods team of builders Bobby Hilton and Tony Lombardi won this award. The two also brought it home in 2014.
We simply don’t recall a more bitchin’ hot rod sedan than the Miller’s Hemi hauler. The pearl teal blue fades and layered panels scream Larry Watson. The polished baby Moon’s take us back to Dean Moon’s 60s identity. The blown Hemi by Lombardi’s Ross Racing Engines wakes the dead. Together with its propensity for high-speed highway jousts, thunderous burnouts, and rambunctious attitude – it embodies everything a hot rod is.
If you have been following the Hilton and Lombardi builds, every car they produce has bad-to-the-bone hot rod characteristics. Playing to that credo, the Wilson’s Tudor is chopped, has a perfect rake, dropped axle, deuce rails, plentiful polish, driveshaft headers, skinny wheels and bias ply tires, and a leather trimmed interior along with serious attitude. The fit and finish is on par with rodding’s elite but make no mistake – this is no car show queen. With just 30 miles on the clock, the Hilton Angry A crew saddled up and drove 3,000-miles round trip to the Lone Star Roundup in April. This group of hot rod rebels consider it an annual carbon-blowing right of spring to boogie south.
About that Hemi. Lombardi assembled it with his usual bullet-proof bottom end, added a 4-71 huffer, dual 94-series carbs and a retro Vertex mag. It looks like mechanical jewelry sitting in front of the stamped, pearl blue firewall.
Goodguys will have a full feature on the Hot Rod of the Year in their September Goodguys Gazette. Congratulations to the gang on their supercharged Nashville coup!
