Dan Svegliato, of Long Beach, California, is a die-hard classic car guy. When he pulled into our Retail Showroom parking lot in the stunning 1968 Pontiac Firebird seen here, we started talking, and Dan began rattling off his previous project cars. Among them were a '67 Firebird, a '70 429 Cobra Jet Ranchero, and a Texas Highway Patrol Mustang designed for high-speed pursuits.

The '57 Chevy Bel Air is a timeless piece of Americana. It's one of the few vehicles that's identifiable to even those who wouldn't consider themselves automotive enthusiasts. It has been featured in countless songs, TV shows, and movies. Even if you're not a die-hard classic car fan, the '57 Chevy is simply cool.

This 57 Bel Air convertible belongs to Steven Miller, of Hawthorne, California. Steven tells us he's part of the Rollerz Only car club, and picked up the Chevy as a restoration project after finding it for sale in Texas. Rather than gradually replacing bits and pieces, he dove in headfirst, and completed a full frame-off restoration of this classic convertible.

Here at Classic Industries, we often get to see our customers' completed restoration projects in the parking lot of our Retail Showroom. It always brings a smile to our faces, and we do our best to document each vehicle and share it here on the Classic Industries blog. However, on certain occasions, we get a glimpse into these vehicles' origins, and have the opportunity to see how far they've come. These cases are especially interesting, since we get to see a "before and after" transformation take place as restoration occurs.

Every journey into classic car restoration has to start somewhere, whether that's diving in head-first with a basket-case wreck from a junkyard, or starting gradually by putting a few finishing touches on a partially-completed project. For Gilbert Villegas, of Anaheim, California, this 1968 Barracuda Formula S represented the beginning of a love for working on classic cars.

One of the many reasons we love classic cars is that each one tends to have a fascinating story behind it. Some cars are preserved untouched in garages for decades, without leaving the town where they were originally sold. Others were driven every day and abandoned in a scrap yard, only to be lovingly restored by a new owner many years later. These stories add character to every machine.

Each November, many of the world's finest classic and custom cars gather at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the SEMA Show, and this year continued the tradition. Since the SEMA Show is industry-only and not open to the general public, we walked the halls and snapped photos of the incredible vehicles we found inside. For those of you who weren't able to make it to this year's show, we'll be posting some of the most interesting cars we spotted.

Breaking News: at the SEMA Show this week in Las Vegas, Mopar announced its official restoration partnership with Classic Industries. This announcement comes as part of the unveiling of Mopar.com/restoration — a new online resource for owners and restorers of classic Dodge and Plymouth vehicles.

Back in the late '50s and early '60s, cars didn't necessarily have "generational" styling like they do today. These days, designers often create a model that stays cosmetically the same for 3 to 5 years, and eventually release small tweaks, or refresh the design with new lights, bumpers, and wheels. Back in the 1950s and '60s, there were many cases where every model year was unique, with huge stylistic changes every 12 months.

The first-generation Plymouth Road Runner was one of the quintessential muscle cars of the late '60s, and remains an icon of the era to this day. The long-nosed body, quad headlamps, and sweeping C-pillars offer a distinctive and memorable look.

The metallic green 1969 Road Runner seen here belongs to Joe Bahash, of Huntington Beach, California.

Like many auto enthusiasts, Leo Logacho's love for classic cars began at a young age. Leo's father owned a Trans Am Special Edition, painted in an eye-catching metallic gold color. He loved everything about his dad's car—the vibrant paint, the hood bird decal, the wide tires, and the deep rumble of the big V8 engine.