Back in 1983, it is hard to imagine that the founders of the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association could have envisioned what their organization would look like today. They are instantly recognizable as the purveyors of classic car shows and nostalgia drag racing events across the country. With over 70,000 active members, they are pretty much everywhere, and winning one of their prestigious awards is the achievement of a lifetime for many people.
Goodguys handed out a plethora of awards last week, including Muscle Machine, Truck, Kustom, and Custom Rod of the year, making quite a few owners quite proud and happy.
We’ll start with the cars our crowd is sure to appreciate, the muscle cars. The 2010 Hemmings Muscle Car of the Year award went to Ken Mosier’s 1970 Dodge Challenger HEMI R/T. Mosier was after this particular car for 17 years, and then restored it to factory condition in his own shop. The Detroit Speed & Engineering Muscle Machine of the Year award, meanwhile, went to a 1970 Mustang owned by Dennis DeCamp. Powered by a 427 ROUSH engine making almost 550 horsepower, it has Baer brakes, an upgraded suspension, and superior fit and finish all across the car.
Moving on from muscle cars, there were plenty of other customized vehicles that won prestigious awards. George Poteet’s Indy-inspired ’32 Ford pickup is covered in louvers and powered by a rather unconventional 201 cubic inch Donavan four-cylinder engine backed by a T-5 five-speed transmission. The Custom Rod of the Year winner was Kenneth Davis’s ’55 Chevy Nomad with a 454 Chevy big block under the hood.
Then there was the 2010 Kustom Rod of the Year winner “Bugs,” who runs a Hollywood tattoo shop. This ’35 coupe is motivated by a Chevy 350 small block and has a 4-link suspension with Ridetech goodies all around. Finally, there is the Truck of the Year Late-model category, which was won by Barry Blomquist’s 1956 F-100. With subtle exterior modifications and a 509 Merlin engine making 560 horsepower under the hood this badass pickup, like the rest of the winners, certainly earned its award.
We’d like to send out our congratulations to all the winners, and we’re sure we will see some even better cars and winners come next year.