It's often said that the greatest innovations happen despite significant adversity, and this is certainly true of one of General Motors' crowning achievements, the Corvette Z06. This three-letter Regular Production Option (RPO) code is still immediately recognizable to car enthusiasts worldwide, even today, more than 60 years after it was created. The Z06 was offered as an obscure checkbox on the order form for a specially-optioned 1963 Corvette, and it carried a steep price tag, so only 199 of these legendary cars were ever produced.

"No electricity, no hybrid. You're not eating wheat grass and kale chips in this thing," said Jay Leno. "This is a man's truck!" On a new episode of Jay Leno's Garage, Leno pays homage to one of the most famous heavy-duty classic trucks of its era, a 1991 Dodge W250. Many would argue that the best part of this truck is its engine, the famous 5.9L Cummins turbodiesel, which some journalists have referred to as "the engine that saved Dodge trucks." This particular truck was restored and upgraded by Tim Stevenson of the YouTube channel Decent Garage.

For those who aren't familiar with off-road racing, the term "prerunner" might not ring a bell, but it's a category of vehicle that has had a lot of influence on truck modifications over the last 60+ years. Prerunners are vehicles used by race teams to pre-run courses before an event starts, taking notes on terrain and getting a feel for obstacles. As a result, they need to be rugged and capable without being as extreme or high-maintenance as a full-blown race truck. This 1969 Ford F-100 was inspired by prerunner builds from the early 1970s, and it's loaded with old-school off-road style.

The term "restomod" can be interpreted a number of different ways. To many enthusiasts, a restomod is simply a restored car with a few off-the-shelf aftermarket upgrades installed. However, Revology sees their 1969 Boss 429 Mustang as a vehicle that pushes the limits of this term. Tom Scarpello, founder and CEO of Revology, explains, "Technically it's a restomod, but in reality, it's not... it's so far from just a collection of parts bolted to an existing car." Revology's vision for a modernized Boss 429 resulted in a car with some impressive engineering under its classic 1960s-era surface.

In nature, a hawk is a bird of prey that often hunts smaller birds. In the automotive world, the name Firehawk holds a similarly menacing reputation. The SLP Firehawk was originally released in 1992 as a high-performance package for the Pontiac Firebird Formula, and was available directly through Pontiac dealers under RPO code B4U. Over the next decade, the Firehawk package would continue to be available for the fourth-generation Firebird and Trans Am under RPO codes R6V (1993-97) and WU6 (1999-02). The following video from MotorWeek takes a look back at a pre-production prototype of the 1998 Firehawk, complete with an LS1 V8 and unique fixed headlamps.

Ever wish you could go back in time and buy all your favorite classic cars when they were brand new? Yeah, we do too. But for a few lucky individuals, it's still possible to obtain perfectly-preserved "survivor" examples that have stood the test of time. Comedian Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias recently met with Jay Leno to show off his all-original 1989 Camaro IROC-Z, which has only 400 miles on the odometer. Iglesias says he's going to enjoy driving it, and is not planning to keep the mileage extremely low or hide it away under a car cover — "I'm not the guy who's just going to let it sit. I drive my cars!"

What do you get when you mix a 1987 Buick Grand National, a supercharged LT1 V8 from a Camaro Z28, a custom-fabricated chassis, and independent suspension parts from Nissan drift cars? For purists, that might sound horrifying, but Stevie Martin from SS Motorsports wanted to try something completely outside the box. His "Drift National" is certainly a polarizing build, but he told Autotopia LA that it still gets a lot of positive attention. "I wanted to build it so even the G-Body guys could respect it. Right off the top, they're going to be upset... but as soon as they see it or hear it, they fall in love with it."

Every year at the SEMA Show, we make a point of checking out the newest restomod build from Ringbrothers, and even after 20 years, we have yet to be disappointed. These brothers from Wisconsin consistently produce some of the coolest resto-modded classic cars in the industry, and their project for 2025 was no exception. This 1969 Mustang Mach 1, known as Kingpin, features a stretched and widened body, independent suspension, tons of custom one-of-a-kind parts, and an 800hp Coyote V8.

For most people, a vehicle is simply a tool for getting from Point A to Point B. But as enthusiasts, our vehicles are much more than that — they're an extension of our personality. Modifying and accessorizing our cars and trucks lets us express ourselves and stand out from the crowd. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, General Motors leaned into this idea with a wide variety of special edition packages for Chevy and GMC "Square Body" trucks. In this article, we'll take a look back at a handful of the most interesting Square Body special editions.

The Ford Falcon was a practical and affordable compact car, and certainly remains a timeless classic to this day. But for Serge Anderson, it's more than that. Anderson saw potential for a fast and agile track weapon, so he began modifying this '63 Falcon to unlock that potential. The result is a very cool build with some subtle but significant changes, including a 550hp V8 under the hood.