Liz Miles may portray the proverbial “Holy Grail” of the hot girl in a hot car that we all want, but we just don’t think we can keep up. In this interview and feature on powerTV we take a look at the unique Liz Miles: welder, fabricator, driver of a 68 Camaro, and now newly minuted staff writer for Popular Hot Rodding Magazine.

Most people search their whole lives to find that special someone who can understand and relate to him or herself on a higher level. Whether it be camping, sailing, a passion for the arts, or similar; many couples share a love for something that connects them. We can declare that there is no need for us to pursue that crusade any longer. We can finally put down my sword and unpack my mule. We have found the Holy Grail in the form of 22 year old, Liz Miles. And she has ever has own website – MilesSpeed.com

She practices Krav Maga (the ‘hurt you’ martial art), can weld and fabricate, paint (cars!), whip around corners in her 1968 Camaro, and can get absolutely parallel with the pavement on her Suzuki GSX-R 600. To top it off, the palm of her hand is tattooed with the mirror image of a 4 speed gear shift pattern as to align with the shift knob on her Camaro. She is our absolute counterpart. Unfortunately, as every deal with the devil has a certain catch or fine print; she is also absolutely better than us at everything.

Her cars are faster than ours, she can paint (well), fabricate, weld, and if you glued a washer on her knee puck, we’re sure she could light up the canyon and start the next forest fire. She’s even funny. To put it simply, us men are far too arrogant and proud to be in a relationship where we are so easily outclassed in everything that we do. We were actually entertaining the idea of picking up cooking as a hobby, but from what we hear, she had prepared an extravagant December meal for the boys and girls at OCMoto which even included dessert. Sorry, Liz, but we don’t think it is going to work between us. You can tell the devil that we want a refund on our soul.

The question is: what drives a teenage girl to purchase a 68 Camaro as a first car? She answers, “It moved me.” While searching through the abundance of 3rd Generation Camaro F-bodies as transportation on the notion that they were “cool,” she found a 1st Generation Camaro and decided, “That’s what I had to have.” After deciding that the 68 was her favorite year due to it being “the most pure with the fewest body line interruptions,” the only question left to be answered was: manual or automatic?

She had realized that she had made the right choice after-the-fact with her Orange 4-speed 68 Camaro. This was the only thing aside from her mom and dog that mattered. “Really, my car stuff was my only monetary obligation. The car, gas, and insurance.” She adds, “I drove it spiritedly the first week I owned it.”

As many of us had done back-in-the-day, Liz found her inexperienced self behind the wheel of a monster tearing up the local neighborhood streets. Luckily, having that conservative female attitude that our hormones did not allow us men to have, Miles kept the car on all four tires and avoided the all-powerful telephone pole that many of us have had a heart-to-heart confrontation with.

From our own personal experience, those poles are rooted deep in to the ground and testing the sturdiness of that structure will not benefit you. To top it off, she also started making a name for herself as “the girl with the Camaro.” “I rarely raced, but when I did, I did very well. It was a nice touch to the rep,” says Miles. “Not losing was good.”

Like some of us have done as we evolved from the street racer persona in to something with opposable thumbs, Liz decided to take the drag car legend to a track with twists. “When I realized that cars could turn too, I was all about it. Haven’t looked back.” From aggressive street driving and drag, she progressed in to track day events such as AutoX and Road Racing.

When she realized the major shortcomings with her car, she started to aggressively change out components she felt were inefficient for her car’s newfound application – turning. “I went to the track as many times as I could and it was always a sea of imports, but that’s how I liked it.” After testing and tuning her vehicle to the desired specifications and feel, she soon found herself surpassing her usual run group. “The last time I went to the track I got BF Goodrich R1 tires and found that my usual group was mostly traffic.”

How does one take a monstrous behemoth that was made almost four decades ago as Chevy’s response to the mustang around a track with turns, you ask? According to Miles – easily. The car weighs in at 2800lbs; about the same weight, if not lighter than your four-banger grocery getter. Being that this car is moderately modified to perform in a way many of us are not used to, it is a sight to see. Suspension and chassis work coupled with the addition of those sticky BF Goodrich R1s, this particular ride carves the turns, out fashioning imports and exotics alike leaving an ear-to-ear smile on the young face of Liz Miles.

As a girl who is as down-to-earth as anyone else, or even more so, she admits that being a girl in the automotive world has both its benefits and downfalls. As many of you readers have observed, sponsorships and corporate funding always seem to fall in to the laps of the minority demographic [read: girls], in … well everything. Its obvious that depending on the type of racing being performed, the welcome is different across the board. The reality is that the aforementioned demographic outclasses you in physical appearance and smells better.

In Miles’ case, she can probably outclass most on the track as well. “To be honest, I think its lame that we get more credit for less. I am a good driver all around, but fantastic since I’m a girl? I’ll take good over fantastic for a girl,” states Miles humbly. She adds, “It is very difficult to be taken seriously as a girl from the track to just buying stuff. You have to spit a ton of tech for them to be like ‘ok, you know what you are talking about.”

With such knowledge pertaining to the automotive world coupled with the pleasantness that she owns, Miles intends to apply her personality and skill to television. Her future aspiration is to have her own show of all things wheel and engine driven; from cars and bikes to go-carts. She plans on covering as many conventions, including SEMA and PRI, as possible. Amongst conventions, she plans on covering shop tours, events, races, and everything else motor related.

Miles wants to be the go-to girl for anything that goes fast, is loud, or looks awesome. Being such a well-rounded and social personality, there is no doubt that she is headed quickly in the right direction by aspiring to live what she loves. With the vast amounts of charisma and professionalism that is Liz Miles, be sure to keep an eye out for this female gear-head as she revs her way through the automotive industry.

Questions with Liz Miles

Politics. Clinton or Obama?
I don’t really care. I don’t make enough money to be screwed by anybody.

Has has your life been affected by this hobby?
I haven’t had any real relationships. I’ve had so much on my plate with writing, racing, and showing my car that a relationship isn’t really the best thing for me. I choose just not to go there.

How did you get started in racing?
I started working on my car. It went from repairs to upgrades. I wanted to see what the upgrades did so I started drag racing. Once I realized that these cars could turn, I was all about it.

What are your family’s thoughts on you racing?
My mom was just happy that I had something I was passionate about because she didn’t have something like that when she was growing up in her 20s and 30s. She doesn’t really care as long as I’m happy. I don’t know how my parents let me get a 68 Camaro when I just turned 16. I demonstrated responsibility before, which helped, and hadn’t really done anything stupid since. On a bike, though….

Friends’ thoughts?
I had a pretty good mix of friends my first two years of HS, but they weren’t the best people to be around; know what I mean? When I got in to racing, I left all of my friends and got new ones. Generally, when you get in to cars, you don’t have any money to buy drugs or other bad things. I don’t know where I would have gone without the cars, but I’m sure it changed my direction.

Past jobs?
In high school, I worked at a speed shop selling parts people needed. I did get a lot of the “can I talk to the other guy” kind of thing when people didn’t know me, which I totally expected because when I call Kragen for something and a girl picks up, I know I’m going to have to repeat my whole schpeel to someone else. I usually just say, “Hey, give me a shot.”

Weaknesses?
I have a control problem. When I’m introduced to a new project, whether it is another person’s car or dinner party or anything, I find myself taking the reigns on it. It makes me happy to be in control. Its also another point on my stress barometer. I’m also a perfectionist, I think. It puts more points on my barometer and causes me to take more time on things.

Most proud accomplishment?
It seems that everything at the moment feels like the most important. Getting the championship in the Miata was cool. Last time going out in the Camaro on the R1 tires, I was passing almost everybody and smiling the whole way down the track. Then going to the drivers’ meeting after, and hearing “did you see that old Camaro? It just flew by me.” They see me smiling and ask me, “Do you know who’s car that is?” That’s me.

What inspired you to get on two wheels instead of four?
I didn’t really care much for bikes in high school. Two years ago, I started seeing them more, and I think it was an influence of road racing. I knew my mom hated the idea of motorcycles in the family….hated it. I went behind her back and took the MSF course in the beginning of ’06 and got my license. That was the only time I had ever ridden my bike. I had bought an EX500 for $200 and never rode it. I told my mom it was a friend’s and thought about riding it while she was at work. I told her the bike in the garage was mine, and she told me that if I wanted to keep it, I’d have to find another place to live. After I got a job, I got another EX500 and painted it.

What about the transition from the EX500 to the GSX-R?
I rode the EX for about 3-4 weeks and got really bored of it. I’d take it to red line every gear all the time, and the soft suspension made me feel limited. It didn’t surprise me with the acceleration. I got a water pump leak and went to the dealer to get a seal and it didn’t take, so I took the seal back and saw a black and red GSX-R for sale. I asked to test drive it, and I don’t know why they let me. I bought it the next day.

What do you foresee the response will be to a girl at a Motorcycle track day?
Well, I’m confident enough with my riding that I would think that I would get some props. I’m not worried about getting too much credit for being a girl, because I think I’m not just good for a girl, but I’m all around okay. I’ve only been riding for 6 months.

Word to other female racers?
I think that its great that more girls are getting in to it, but I don’t think its fair that we are given a handicap. We get way too much credit for it. I can’t drift…I can get the car sideways and around the cones sometimes, but I get way more attention than I think I deserve. I’ve gotten sponsored for the parts of my car. The story that sells those sponsors is based on being girl. I’m not saying I don’t deserve it, because I am out there and I am testing my car, but it definitely made it a lot easier to get sponsors. I hate to say it, but if you’re overweight or unattractive, its not going to get you anywhere.

Words for aspiring females trying to get in to racing?
I’d say that don’t do anything that makes you rely on being a girl to get you there. Its not right. When I talk to car insurance companies or car warranty companies, you can tell instantly when I pick up the phone that they feel that they can screw me out of anything. Don’t let that stuff discourage you. Make sure you know what you’re talking about going in to any situation. Get some reading done in magazines or forums. Say you’re going to call Edelbrock about intake manifolds, go on a forum and make a post and get a bunch of information. When you call Edelbrock, you’ll have the answers to their follow-up questions rather than saying, “hold on, let me call my boyfriend.”