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Heat In The Street - Goodguys Nationals & Street Machine of the YearPHR Heads To Columbus, Ohio For The Goodguys PPG Nationals And The Street Machine Of The Year From the February, 2009 issue of Popular Hot Rodding By Steven Rupp Photography by Johnny Hunkins, Steven Rupp
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There are car shows and then there are car events so huge that they dwarf all others. The Goodguys Nationals is such an event. Once a year, over 6,000 street machines, rods, g-Machines, and everything in between descend on Columbus, Ohio, for the mack daddy of all car shows. This is also where some of the best cars around vie for not only the title of Street Rod of the Year, but also for the coveted Street Machine of the Year award. Cars that would normally clean house at any normal show are lucky to get in the Pro's Pick area in Columbus. The competition is harder than a forged crank, which is why getting the title is such an accomplishment. Because we like a beautiful car almost as much as one going around a road course, PHR decided to brave the crowds and the heat for a chance to check out some of the coolest cars around. Winning Street Machine of the Year is quite a feat. First, the herd of 6,000-plus cars is culled down to a hundred or so Pro's Picks. Then, the best of the best slug it out to be in the top five. From that handful of cars, the top dog is crowned the winner.This massive car show is about more that just the Street Machine of the Year, though. Outside the area reserved for the high-dollar stuff we saw quite a few homebuilt rides that budget-conscious builders were showing off with deserved pride. We also cruised the vendor booths and spied some of the cool new products that are about to hit the market. It was also good to see that many of these products catered to the g-Machine and pro-touring segments. If you ever get the chance to attend this event, you won't be disappointed.  Hail to the king! Or in this...  Hail to the king! Or in this case, to Roy Pigford from the great state of Texas, whose '66 Nova was crowned Street Machine of the Year. Roy's Nova is a work of art and was featured in the September 2004 issue of PHR. Even a full feature can't show the enormous amount of detail in this ride. Best of all is that Roy did almost all the work himself. Congrats, Roy!  Lots of people were checking...  Lots of people were checking out Chuck Hamly's '70 supercharged GTO. It looked familiar to us, and then we remembered giving it a Top Ten award at the Hershey, PA, show. Nice to see it gets around.  Here we found couple of g-Machines...  Here we found couple of g-Machines parked together. Mark Turner's '69 LS1-powered Camaro and Danny Griffin's '66 flamed Nova with a 540-inch big-block were just too good to pass up without snapping a picture.  This bright-blue '63 Ford...  This bright-blue '63 Ford Galaxy really caught our eyes. It had all the right g-Machine stuff, and it was nice to see something different.  People wonder why we feature...  People wonder why we feature so many '69 Camaros. Well, it's because there are so many top-notch ones out there. This one belongs to Elmer Cole, Jr. and features a 434-inch motor and enough electronics to make NASA dizzy. This '69 stood out among the others enough to get it a PHR Top Ten award.  If you like the '67 fastback...  If you like the '67 fastback built by the Ring Brothers of Wisconsin, then you are not alone. Not only did it make the top five for Street Machine of the Year, but it was one of PHR's Top Ten picks, too. With a fuel-injected stroked-out 392 engine, this Mustang really got noticed due to its attention to detail and just plain badass looks.  We can't do justice to this...  We can't do justice to this beautiful '64 Pontiac GTO with just one picture. Built by Steve's Auto Restorations in Portland, Oregon, it features a long list of inventive body mods and a 502 Ram Jet motor. It quickly moved to the short list of cars we want to feature in PHR.  You didn't have to have slick...  You didn't have to have slick paint and big bucks to get noticed. This 383-powered '69 Newport just screamed "cool." The side pipes and spotlights made Brad Morgan's Chrysler even more hip.  Manufacturers love the chance...  Manufacturers love the chance to press the flesh with so many car enthusiasts in one spot. Year One came out in force with a slew of cars, including Scott Whidby's red '69 Camaro, Year One's high-tech Nova and LS1-powered Innovator Camaro, and Rick Hudson's red '67 fastback (featured in this issue).  Unique Performance brought...  Unique Performance brought out a sampling of its hot cars that can be bought ready to hit the road. The GT-500E is cool, but we were really digging Unique's prototype road-race '65 fastback with an all-aluminum 427 engine. Unique also unveiled its Foose-designed '69 Camaro that will not only be next year's giveaway car, but it's also a car that you can order direct from Unique.  In the Pro's Pick area, '69...  In the Pro's Pick area, '69 Camaros were even more noticeable. Of the five cars chosen for Street Machine of the Year, two were '69 Camaros. We love the '69s as much as anyone, but it gets to the point where you are almost numb and one has to be crazy nice just to get your attention. These two fine examples are owned by Roger and Kevin Jennings.  It was nice to see familiar...  It was nice to see familiar faces and rides at the show. Here we found Michael Cooper's street fighter Nova hanging out in the "homebuilt hotrods" section. If you missed the feature on Michael's killer ride, then just find an August 2005 issue of PHR and see how he built this car for around $10k. (Photo by Joshua Stratton)  The name of this ride is NASTRUCK,...  The name of this ride is NASTRUCK, and the title fits it well. It sounds as mean as it looks, and we were happy to give Russell Tilkes and his unique NASCAR-inspired truck one of our Top Ten awards.  It is always nice to see well-done...  It is always nice to see well-done cars that are outside the box. This small-block Chevy-powered Volvo P1800 is beautifully done, and the owner can be proud that he had the nicest one at the show. Okay, it was the only one at the show, but it was still a very nice ride, and the only Volvo we've ever seen that we would put in our magazine.  A growing trend we have seen...  A growing trend we have seen is the anti-establishment segment called rat rods. The inventive use of old parts, both automotive and otherwise, makes them fun to check out, but we don't think our life insurance policies cover actually driving some of them.  The award ceremony for Street...  The award ceremony for Street Machine of the Year brought out a lot of big names. Waiting for the announcement and enjoying some brews is Art Morrison, Bobby Alloway, Alan Johnson, and Craig Morrison. Bobby's Challenger didn't win, but that doesn't diminish what an outstanding work of automotive art it is. With a dialed-in suspension, his Mopar should handle as well as it looks.  Here are the top five contenders...  Here are the top five contenders for Street Machine of the Year: Roy Pigford's '66 Nova, Scott Whidby's black '69 Camaro, Steve Cook's yellow '69 Camaro, Bobby Alloway's Hemi '70 Challenger, and the Ring Brothers' black '67 fastback. They were picked from the thousands of cars at the show, but in the end, the '66 Nova was given the nod and the title of Street Machine of the Year. Who will step up to the plate next year? Bobby Alloway and Alan Johnson both have their eyes set on the prize in 2006.
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