November 2010 Under Construction

1964 Plymouth Valiant Signet 200
Flip-Flop
As a teenager, four years is a long time to wait for something, but Eric Baxter patiently awaited his first build that would start when he was 15. A couple of friends helped him acquire a local '67 GTO that had been sitting in a front yard he passed everyday to and from school. "This car started my long love affair with classic cars and old-school big-block muscle," Eric says. He was eager to take the Pontiac racing, unfortunately the heavy right foot of the 16-year-old proved too much for the Pontiac's drivetrain. Some older kids at the track pointed him in the Mopar direction, and his interest quickly followed. The GTO was sold, and a '68 Barracuda took its place.

After graduating high school, Eric and a fellow enthusiast started a company called J&E Motorsports, where they tricked out mostly GM A-bodies long before the Pro Touring style was hot. Most of the work was bolt-on, so in order to take the business to the next level he began his schooling at the local community college to get a two-year degree in motorsports technology. He worked as a welder and fabricator in the aerospace industry, while putting himself through more school. By the time he graduated, he was making so much more money where he was than if he were to go back to motorsports, so he stayed put.

Now 25 years later, Eric wanted to get back into the scene with his new company, White Trash Speed & Engineering. This '64 Valiant is a product of two-and-a-half decades of automotive deprivation. With a healthy piggy bank from his day job, he can finally afford to do what he loves and what pays the bills: turnkey Mopar builds and aerospace engineering.