5,280 Feet High and Rising

As street rod events go, Goodguys' Colorado Classic is a relative newcomer. But don't let its age fool you; it's a rather precocious 6-year-old. Considering the number and caliber of cars in the Colorado area, it's a pretty grand show.

Of course, it's difficult not to have a good show; a banked oval borders the show grounds. After all, this is Pikes Peak raceway. And the fact that Racing Reality (www.1877canrace.com) buzzes the course with NASCAR Winston Cup cars and Craftsman pickups only makes it better. The din of several high-winding V-8s can only be described as glorious. It's certainly a fitting accompaniment for healthy hot rod idolatry.

For the past six years, Goodguys has scheduled the show after the rather temperate summer season--good news for this year's event since wildfires torched a good part of the Pike National Forest. This year we enjoyed days in the low 80s and rather cool nights. On Friday afternoon, we scooted on over to SO-CAL Speed Shop's Colorado Springs location.

Mike DeVriendt integrated the SO-CAL lineup in his former Colorado Hot Rods like Frank Streff did with the Phoenix location: seamlessly. DeVriendt and his crew opened doors for eats and drinks all evening and even gave us a place to keep dry once the rain started falling. You really have to spend time indoors to get a good feel for SO-CAL Colorado; early Halibrand speed parts, early race cars, and a bevy of early V-twin motorcycles cram every nook and cranny in the place. The garage even sports a dealer-fresh OHV Caddy engine, a few woodies, and even a scaled-down SO-CAL roadster--complete with mags and all.

Saturday also blessed us with a pretty nice day--it wasn't until the show cleared out that another downpour slicked the place. While the Pikes Peak Raceway infield doesn't exactly brim with cars (it is a one-mile oval that accommodates some 42,000 fans), it fills up nicely. Between aisle surfing, we even found some time to peruse the swap area. While early stuff still commands lofty prices, we did see a few deals in the mix--including a late '60s rust-free and running AMC wagon that could easily have gotten chiseled down to the $1,000 area. We even spotted some solid Model T roadster body parts selling for not much more than the price of admission.

Even though Sunday hit us hard with a cold front and ominous clouds, we'd chalk Goodguys' 6th Colorado Classic up as one of the better venues. While it has a contingency of California-style cars, it's not completely bursting with them--a definite plus after a summer of California shows. The overall landscape looks pretty much balanced between roadsters, closed cars, and pickups.

So if you're hankerin' to see the best Colorado has to offer when it isn't covered by snow, swing by the 7th Colorado Classic weekend in 2004. Take it from us, you won't regret it.

You don't see '35 Fords all too often, but they're out there. However, when was the last time you saw a '35 Ford sedan--with a delivery door? LeBaron modified the Briggs-bodied sedans with a rear door and fiberboard interior panels. Apparently, these were fleet-only special orders, so the sheer fact that Valerie Rock ended up with a nice example like this one is extremely unusual. It's got a Juliano's top, 15-inch wires, and Stewart Warner winged gauges. Very nice!

Something dark and dangerous lurks under the slippery sheetmetal of Robert Parsons' '48 Ford: a Cadillac 500/400 combo. It also sports Merc caps, radial whitewalls, and subtle metalwork.

Something about Lee Stockman's '36 coupe just called to us. Maybe it's the 50/50 spray or the chromed headlight buckets, or the RamJet power. Whatever it is, this Pueblo ride has a certain allure.

We can't pass up a bitchin' Willys--especially a tin one. Mike Nekvasil's '40 still runs the appropriate rake with a straight axle and early American wheels. The headliner is a collage of early magazine gasser photos.

Call it what you will, but we'll call John Morales' '39 Chevy coupe just plain classy. He runs a 350/350 combo, a Mustang II suspension, and blackwall radials on smooth wheels all 'round. Interior accoutrements include late-model cloth interior and a brushed aluminum dash.

Racing Reality really got the adrenaline pumping with hot laps around the mile oval. Busch-series driver Kevin Walters slung me around the track a few times. The only advice I can give: Tell 'em they can't scare you with their fancy drivin'. Then hold on!

Now here's a neat creation from the Ford parts pile. It's a '29 Ford pickup with '35 wires, juice brakes, and--hold on--a V8-60! This fine example of old-timey goodness sat outside the Texaco booth. We'd imagine Skeeter's proud!

Word has it Kris Gordon dusted off this stock '62 Stude wagon, bolted on American Salt Flat wheels, dumped it to the ground, and drove the whitewalls off of it. We can really dig the basecoat/flake/matte clear finish, too. Best of all, it's got a manual trans.

Over at SO-CAL Colorado, Mike DeVriendt showed off the latest ride: the scaled-down Deuce. From left to right is Blake Galliford, DeVriendt, and Blake's dad Ralph Galliford. The Gallifords use a PoliForm body, but cast, mold, and machine the parts for these cars. Call Outback Roadster in Castle Rock, CO, at (303) OUTBACK for more details.

Okay, photo editor Eric Geisert's UPS van ain't got nothin' on Jason Hensel's '63 Willys postal van. Its Hurricane F-head must buckle pavement with its romping 72 hp. He gave its coils a good whack, its steelies new red paint and radials, and its slabby body a judicious shot of flat black. Hensel secured himself a spot in heaven: he saved the poor beast from the crusher.

Speaking of esoteric and extremely cool, check out Rick Rivera's '34 Dodge pickup. As if its Mopar nameplate doesn't set it enough apart, this one runs a turbocharged slant six. Other goodies include a Vertex mag with a vacuum advance (or is it boost retard?), water injection, and a Holley four-barrel. We'd love to test it!

Check out Dave DeGeer's Diamond-T-bodied hauler. It's on a later commercial chassis with 19.5-inch wheels, a Cummins turbodiesel, an Allison trans, and a Brownie auxiliary transmission. DeGeer was asking some pretty serious cash for the hauler, but it could haul some serious cargo.

There's much to like about Mike Specht's '39 Chevy, starting with the 327-inch mill. The sedan looks plenty comfy with the contoured seats, 15-inch Budniks with plenty of rubber, and useful sealed-beam headlights in stock buckets. Apparently he thinks it's comfy too; the stone rash on the nose is a testimonial to how well Specht loves to drive it.

There probably wasn't a rarer or finer cruiser on the lot than Gene and Willa Pacheco's '41 Mercury cabriolet. It sports a 351 Ford, plenty of leather hides inside, and a tilt assembly with a Lecarra wheel. With the A/C and other amenities, we'd love to take this sweetheart for a drive!

You gotta love Carl Glitzke's rendition of Zipper's lakes modified car. It's his first rod and he used Cruzer wheels, a quick-change IRS, and a real set of E&J headlights (although he said he's ditchin' 'em for a set of Zipper's scaled-down models). The handmade nerf bars look like they came straight off a sprinter.

Marty and Irene Valdez assembled a very intriguing combination. It started as a '34 PE-series Plymouth sedan that they'd had for eons. This time 'round, though, it sports a Mustang II-based IFS, a 360/727 combo with Momar port injection, and a matching travel trailer. The car exhibits exceptional attention to detail and numerous hand-crafted items.

Okay, so we jumped the gun and ran the feature on Mike Welch's '40 DeLuxe in the Jan. '04 issue. But who could blame us? It's got a Desoto Hemi against a Torque Flight, a period tuck 'n' roll in black and white, and a dee-lish flame job.

Here's a roadster with heritage--even if it's brand-new. Wendy Spencer, the legendary Doane Spencer's daughter, commissioned Custom Auto's Dave Crouse to capture her dad's car's essence with a new Brookville steel body. While Doane, a die-hard Ford fan, might look askance at the Chevy mill, we bet he's still beaming proud. It runs a Richmond four-speed and a California-style roll and pleat trim.

Okay, you're one observant cuss if you recognized Jeff and Jen Bendsen's '31 Desoto coupe (even though he calls it a Plymouth). He pulled the body from a flood control canal and built the car from literal scrap. It runs a 392 Chrysler against a GM TH350 trans, Sanderson Lime Fires, and real slicks.

Gary and Kathy Moore's '29 pickup sure makes the mouth water. They picked up the otherwise restored pickup after a firefighter disassembled and abandoned the project. This time 'round it runs a 302/AOD combo, a Chassis Engineering frame, and radial whitewalls.

If you can think of a better way to outfit a '41 Chevy convertible, then you've got one on us, Jack. A.C. Lasher did a magnificent job with his drop-top. It runs an LT-1/TH400 combo, Billet Specialties wheels, Classic Instruments, and Vintage Air. Cosseted inside the dash and maroon leather-wrapped console is a set of Classic Instrument dials.

We see plenty of '29 roadster bodies on '32 frames, but how often does a '30-31 body on Deuce rails turn up? This one's Linda Nealy's and Jim Burns' jitney, and it looks like a real gas. It sports old-timey speed parts like a stretched axle, '35 wires on juice brakes, Houdaille shocks, and a 59A Flathead against an overdrive trans.

Eddie Hopper originally built Gary Upton's '40 Ford pickup--a pickup whose cab once served as a Texas ranch duck blind! It now boasts a Merc-cranked flathead against a C4, a new Mac's bed, IFS, and big-inch American Racing wheels. Excuse us for the pun, but it's just ducky!