We often think of our classic cars as objects we change, whether we restore them to original condition, resto-mod them to fit the modern era, or simply maintain them to keep them on the road. But this change is not one-sided. More often than not, our carsalso change us. The following short film from Petrolicious shows how Addison Lee's life was changed by his 1965 Mustang Fastback. It brought him closer to his father, taught him how to work on cars, and eventually led him to a successful career as a racecar driver.

"We’ve been sleeper fans since the concept came into being, and we still are. So, when this pristine 1968 Chevy Bel Air came into our possession recently, it wasn’t a matter of what to do with it, but merely a question of how to go about it." In the January 2022 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines, writer Chuck Hanson explained how the Hemmings team dropped a fully-built 454ci big block into their '68 Bel Air. More recently, in the upcoming March 2023 issue, Hanson showed how the team made the car even more fun to drive by preparing to swap in a manual transmission.

Every resto-mod project blends classic style with modern functionality, but some projects do it so seamlessly that they almost look like new vehicles that could appear in dealerships today. This 1971 Camaro, built by the RestoMod Store in Missouri, appears to be one such vehicle. With the smooth body lines, round headlamps, and split bumper, it's unmistakably a classic second-gen Camaro. However, elements such as aggressive wheels and tires, bulging fender flares, and custom honeycomb grille evoke the much newer sixth-gen design. And it's even powered by a fuel-injected, twin-turbocharged LS3 engine.

"I love the fact that this is exactly how it left the factory," says Jay Leno while discussing this beautiful 1979 Trans Am. "No modifications, nothing added on, so you really get the feeling of what it was like back in 1979. This was a fast car... and it's still a fast car!" We're big fans of the Jay Leno's Garage series on YouTube, and often go back to watch our favorite episodes. This particular one, featuring a mint-condition Pontiac from the Audrain Automobile Museum, is certainly worth revisiting.

The Chevrolet division of General Motors first used the name Impala for its 1956 General Motors Motorama concept car. The graceful African antelope was used as the car’s logo starting with this show car that incorporated Corvette-like design cues, especially in terms of the vehicle’s front grill. Notice the word grill is missing the ‘e’ at the end of the word. For some reason GM always left the ‘e’ off the end, ala BBQ grill, while other car companies use the more common and generally accepted spelling of grille replete with the ending ‘e’.

As time marches on, American pony and muscle cars are becoming more scarce and valuable. The expensive part is great, so long as you already have one (or many). If, however you're on the hunt for one, that's quite another matter. The price that you're likely to pay for anything that's restorable is likely to be quite dear. You might even be tempted to tap into your kids' college funds, justifying the purchase by thinking that you can share the old car hobby with them. Thankfully, there are still some less sought-after muscle machines out there that are just waiting for some smart folks to snatch 'em up. Consider if you will these three fine A-Body Mopar models from Plymouth and Dodge: the 1970-76 Plymouth Duster, the 1971-72 Dodge Demon, and the 1973-76 Dodge Dart Sport. 

Imagine that you're a designer at Chevrolet, and you have the challenge of leading the elite GM design team to create the 2nd Gen Camaro, which will debut in the 1970 model year. What an honor and certainly also a stressful opportunity you'd have in front of you. Reimagining Chevrolet's nearly perfect and much beloved 1st Gen Camaro and taking it up a notch in terms of style, comfort, performance, and increased sales...no pressure there, eh? Join us as we take a look at the styling inspiration for the 1970 2nd Gen Camaro and how the design evolved through the end of its production run in 1981.

The first-gen Camaro is an extremely popular platform for restoration and resto-modding, and it's the vehicle that got us started in the restoration industry back in 1976. With such a multitude of beautiful first-gens at car shows, cruises, and other events, it can seem difficult to build something that's truly one-of-a-kind. However, the crew at Roadster Shop did just that after high-profile client Joe Rogan asked them to build him a unique 1969 Camaro. The resulting vehicle appears subtle at first glance, but exquisitely detailed on closer inspection. Roadster Shop discussed all the details of this build in a recent video on their YouTube channel.

The Dodge division of Chrysler has produced quite a stable of rugged, fast, sleek, and innovative 1/2-ton trucks through the years. Classic Industries has also become a leading supplier of Mopar restoration and performance parts, especially for 1960-76 A, B, and E-body muscle cars. There's a constant clamoring from our customer base for Classic Industries to sell parts for Dodge trucks as well. In fact, the Dodge D Series and W Series pickups from 1961-1993 are being restored and customized in ever-increasing numbers. Accordingly, more and more components are becoming available for these pickup trucks. Read on as we take a look back at Dodge truck history from the 1920s through the 1990s.

From books to movies and other forms of media, every great story has its twists and turns. The protagonist is often presented with a challenge or conflict they must overcome, leading to the satisfying resolution of the tale. The story of racing legend Dan Gurney's 1961 Impala fits this timeline so well that if we didn't know any better, we'd assume it was scripted by a Hollywood screenwriter. A short film from the YouTube channel Petrolicious tells this story from start to finish through the words of the car's current owner and caretaker.