The Goodguys Nationals In Columbus - Coming Of Age

Tri-Five Chevys get most of the glory when it comes to '50s GM iron, but we'll argue that the Buicks were the pinnacle of styling, and none looked better than the '56 Buick Special. This one is owned by a pilot from Atlantic Beach, Florida, named David Marco. Goodies on Marco's Buick include a 520hp 502 big-block Chevy and a Tremec TKO five-speed trans.

This sweet '66 Sport coupe Chevelle is owned by Tom Farrington of Mooresville, Indiana. Farrington built it at home using components from DSE, Global West, ATS, Currie, Edelbrock, Hotchkis, Eaton, Moser, and Baer. After an eight-year build, Farrington took it straight to the Motorstate Challenge, where he promptly got rear-ended, then spun a rod bearing on the road course. Sometimes that's the way the cookie crumbles!

We leave you this month with a special treat: Blair Browning (19; Somerset, Ohio), Emily Devol (22; Logan, Ohio), and Kate Thomson (18; Logan, Ohio). The three are first cousins, and they were actually on the clock working for Wild Bill's Old Fashioned Soda. The three young ladies explained to us that for $15 we could drink free root beer all week long, and we'd get a commemorative stainless steel mug too. They must've been excellent salespeople, because we took the deal, hook, line, and sinker!

Detroit Speed & Engineering has outdone themselves with their new bolt-on '62-67 Chevy II front suspension clip. Starting with OEM-quality stamped crossmembers, DSE added tubular upper and lower control arms, C6 uprights, power rack-and-pinion steering, coilover shocks and springs, a splined sway bar, and custom stamped inner fenders that can handle up to a 9-inch-wide tire. The system handles both standard small-block Chevy or LS-style engines. The Chevy II clip made its debut at Columbus, and the display was mobbed all week long.

We cajoled Faith Sondles to pose with Woody Carrell's Glacier Blue '55 Chevy 150 Utility Sedan. Faith is the wife of Chris, one of the moving forces behind Woody's Hot Rodz, the builder of Carrell's '55.

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