"When you think of muscle cars, if there's a Holy Grail, it probably has to be this: the 1970 Hemi 'Cuda," said Jay Leno. On a recent episode of Jay Leno's Garage, Leno met with Craig Jackson, the Chairman and CEO of the famous Barrett-Jackson Auction company. Jackson is the owner of this stunning, all-original Hemi 'Cuda, and he explained to Leno how he came to own this very special car. Despite its rarity and multi-million-dollar value, Jackson still drives and enjoys it.

When it comes time to purchase a project car, restorers always hope that everything is as it seems and that there are no expensive surprises awaiting. However, Murphy's Law still applies, and sometimes you get more than what you bargained for. Such was the case for Justin Brown, the owner of this '66 Nova SS that was recently featured on the AutotopiaLA YouTube channel. He did his homework and spoke to the previous owner, but after taking delivery of the car, things started to go wrong. Thankfully, he was ready to make lemonade from the lemons life had given him.

"This isn't just a replica, it's a reproduction — it has the DNA of the original Mustang, but it's evolved with modern technology," explained Tom Scarpello, founder and CEO of Revology. On a recent episode of Jay Leno's Garage, Scarpello showed Leno around one of the roughly 200 made-to-order Mustangs his company has built at its Orlando, Florida factory. Each car starts with a bare unibody and moves through a 26-stage assembly line, finishing as a complete classic Mustang that has been fully updated to drive, perform, and feel like a modern, high-end sports car.

The perfect color scheme can make a huge difference for any classic car restoration or restomod project. Case in point, take a look at this stunning 1948 Chevy Thriftmaster built by the talented team at ICON. It's powered by an LS3 V8 and rides on an updated Art Morrison chassis, but the coolest part of the build might just be its combination of colors: champagne metallic paint, cream accents, and a chocolate suede leather interior.

When it comes to restoring a classic car, there are different schools of thought. Some restorers prefer to keep as much original sheetmetal as possible, which usually requires repair and patching of rusty or damaged areas. Others prefer buying original-style reproduction panels, which greatly reduces labor and ensures every seam and contour is where it should be. The good news is that Classic Industries caters to both — we have patch panels for original sheetmetal and a huge selection of reproduction body panels, too. A recent article from our friends at Modern Rodding shows both options in action on their 1955 Chevy restoration project.

When you're building a custom classic car from the ground up, there's a strong temptation to go big and bold. While we certainly appreciate flashy, show-stopping builds with bright paint and aggressive bodywork, there's also something to be said for keeping it simple. For Steve, the owner of this 1970 Camaro Z28, an understated custom was exactly what he wanted from day one. The result took 10 years to achieve, and was recently featured by the YouTube channel AutotopiaLA.

Back in the late 1950s, automakers were trying wild and wonderful things. Fins, sweeping body lines, elaborate chrome trim, and aircraft-inspired styling cues were plentiful. So, it's no surprise that this was also the time when General Motors greenlit a now-legendary blend of family car and pickup truck: the Chevrolet El Camino. The 1960 El Camino seen here is an elaborate yet tasteful build from the restomod wizards at Roadster Shop in Illinois.

"Go out and buy yourself a Fox Body before they get too expensive, because these cars are a hoot. They're just a hoot. One hundred percent drivable, super comfortable... the Fox is a perfect first V8 muscle car," remarked Mike Musto as he closed out the final episode in Hemmings' six-part "Fox Body Rehab" video series. This project used some tasteful, period-correct mods to build a 1991 Ford Mustang into "cassette-era perfection," including a Procharger supercharger, a cowl hood from Classic Industries, and track-ready wheel and tire setup.

"It was never supposed to be this full build... One thing led to another, and it just kept going and going. And eventually I said 'you know what, let's just go all-in like we're in Vegas at the tables,'" said James Harris, the owner of this '66 Nova. The car was recently featured in a video by YouTube channel AutotopiaLA that gives us a closer look at some of its intricate details. It's powered by a 454ci LSX engine that's currently making about 800 horsepower at the crank.

"It's not perfect, and that's great. That's the whole point! You can slide this around in gravel, you can park it at Walmart and get dings, you can go enjoy some backroads. The kids can eat ice cream in it," said Derek Bieri of Vice Grip Garage. We can appreciate this sentiment, since keeping a classic car in flawless showroom condition is always a challenge, and accepting a car's small imperfections can make the day-to-day driving experience more relaxing. In a recent series of videos, Bieri shows how he saved this 1973 Duster from rusting away in a field, and rebuilt it with some parts from Classic Industries.