Text & Rendering by Tavis Highlander

ixing old cars with new tech is always a big challenge. We are all used to how a Corvette should look, but as car enthusiasts we love to modify things and make it our own. Crown Concepts in Tucson, Arizona, is attempting to strike that correct balance with this ’63 Vette. It’s got all the go-fast and modernization items you could want, plus a little bit of something extra visually.

Underneath the fiberglass body is a Roadster Shop chassis with C7 geometry. An LS 427 Super Street Series engine provides plenty of go. HRE 309M wheels will be polished up to match the other bits of shiny trim around the car.

Inside the cockpit, modern functionality is being introduced while maintaining some of the major original elements. A new center console allows for new controls and audio, but it still has the Corvette design language applied to it. The door panels have a custom shape that borrows from C3 Corvettes just a bit. In the end it should all come together and be a cohesive package for the owner.

lot of us got our introduction into the world of custom car culture through the patriarchs of our families, whether it was our fathers or grandfathers. Each of our particular inspirations are as different and unique as the men we looked up to for them. Watching these very vehicles come together made such a lasting impression on our collective outlook and approach to building one-off cars of our own.

While in the trenches of car shows and coffee meetups, our eyes are always open to spot that next muscle car to feature and to learn the story of how it came to be. Upon first glance, this cool blue ’68 Camaro RS made its presence known with its classic, performance-centric styling. It has a stance that commands attention, and with one peek under the hood, it’s apparent that this car can certainly back up its bark. So where did this Camaro Rally Sport come from? To find the answers we were looking for, we struck up a quick chat with its owner, Mike Harada, to help fill in the blanks.

elson Banuelos came from a car background that began about the time he started his first job. But his automotive roots weren’t planted in the muscle car world as much as they were in the lowrider scene. His first restoration was an ’85 Oldsmobile Cutlass that was built as a lowrider. A few cars and trucks followed in that same vein. Years later he attended The Darryl Starbird Classic Rods & Custom Car Show and was exposed to the Pro Touring build style for the first time. It was a first-gen Camaro that made a huge impression on Nelson, so much so that he instantly fell in love with the look, the style, the power, and everything about that car. To him it was new, it was fresh, and he had to build one.

He put up a flare among his car buddies to let them know he was on the prowl for a ’69 Camaro he could turn into a car just like what he saw at the Starbird show. “A good friend knew I was looking for a ’69 but came across this ’67 back in 2016,” Nelson reveals. It was in good, restored condition, and it wasn’t too far away.”

here are some of us who can remember the one that got away. Damn, that one hurts, right? It happens so commonly it’s a cliché. A buddy might pat you on the back and tell you that everything happens for a reason. It’s time to suck it up, buddy, because hell, for some of us, there are other fish in the sea.

Yeah, yeah, there’s nothing worse than a perfect match at the wrong time—you’ve heard it before. But in the case of Mike Jorgensen’s crisp new ’71 Camaro build, he’s found the perfect sort of second marriage–a kindred spirit.

That’s because back in high school Mike used to drive a ’72 RS Camaro. It was maroon, it had a 350, and he knew how to have fun with it. He bought the car as a punk kid in 1981, and by 1984 she was a goner. He’d have to tell you the whole story. The important part is that Mike didn’t let the memory die.

When the kids were finally old enough, he had more time, along with the extra funds to pick up another second-gen, but this time he found a ’71 RS. It was a survivor. Well, kind of. It was a roller for about $3,500. It needed a full makeover, and it was worth it to him. That was 10 years ago.

he younger generation commonly refers to those who were around to witness the muscle car era of the ’60s and ’70s as “boomers,” slang for baby boomers, which comes from the high birth rate after World War II. Now, the term “boomer” is commonly used as a derogatory term coming from a typical Gen Z’er referring to one who is older or past his or her prime in life. Well, those young whippersnappers can learn a thing or two from a boomer, especially when it comes to vintage cars, as there is plenty of history to uncover and appreciate.

BY Shawn Brereton  Photography by The Author

or most of us in the automotive hobby, a car becomes a personified family member. We give them names and talk about them as living, breathing entities. And why shouldn’t we? When you spend that much effort, money, and time on something, it takes on a life of its own. For Jed Gage of Wills Point, Texas, his lifelong love affair with cars started with “Ol’ Betsy,” his ’57 Chevrolet two-door hardtop Bel Air.