Every year around Halloween thousands of classic car enthusiasts flock to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the annual Goodguys Southeastern Nationals. 2012 proved to be a banner year for the annual event as great weather helped draw over 2,500 cars to the 19th annual event in the heart of NASCAR country.

But while we were there we couldn’t help but wonder, what if we could bring you the Top Ten rides from the Southeastern Nationals? Could anyone really do it? Could we actually narrow 2,500 down to ten?

The answer is – probably not… but that’s not going to keep us from trying! It was no easy task, but we compiled a list (in no particular order) of the Top Ten rides from the Goodguys Southeastern Nationals. As any true car enthusiast will admit there is no wrong way to customize a classic. Each ride that was showcased over the weekend was amazing in their own right. To choose just ten rides from the annual event was no easy task, but we all have our job to do.

So without any more introductions, let’s get into the top ten rides from this year’s 19th annual Southeastern Nationals.

Jeff Braen’s “Wikd” ’34 Chevy Coupe

Making the long drive down from Little Falls, New Jersey, Jeff Braen’s 1934 Chevy Coupe is absolutely one mean machine. The award winning street rod features a blown 400 cubic inch small-block Chevy that generates over 650 horsepower, a turbo 400 tranny, and a 9-inch Ford rearend with 3.73 gears.

Complementing all the chromed-out horsepower is a custom Outlaw Performance body that is covered with House of Kolor’s Kandy Pearl Limetime Green paint. While the huge blower and lime green paint job caught our eye at first, the pearl interior and 2-tone ostrich skinned seats and steering wheel took the whole ride to the next level.

Don Smith’s ’63 Corvette Stingray

Everyone loves a good looking Sting Ray, and Don Smith’s custom ’63 Corvette Ray is no exception. Smith’s ride turned plenty of heads at the annual show and was even given the Cool Corvette Goodguys award on Sunday.

Smith explained to us that this was actually the 2nd time he has owned this vehicle, “I actually had this car when I was young but it was just used as a track car,” Smith shared. “About 20 years ago, I started looking for it again and when I was able to trace the car down I found the body lying in three different parts.”

It took nearly 20 years of work at his shop near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina but Smith told us he drives this immaculate stingray to work everyday. The Sting ray is a brilliant showcase of what an enthusiast can accomplish with some sweat equity and time. Gone is the original stock 327 that was replaced by a LS1 to pep things up a bit and add modern day performance and reliability.

Larry Debevec’s 1951 Mercury

When we came across Larry Debevec’s 1951 Mercury we knew we had to include it in our top ten right off. This pristine mercury is powered by a 383 Stroker with a 700R4 Transmission. Featuring white wall tires and beautiful custom paint job, Debevec explained to us that he nicknamed his ride, “The Mother of all Lead Sleds.”

One of our favorites from the show, and easily one of the classiest Mercs on hand at the Southeastern Nats. Debevec’s beauty is as clean on the inside as it is on the out, and is one of the few top end rides that we saw for sale over the weekend. Debevec is asking a cool $65,000 for the Merc.

Danny Auman’s 1966 Chevy C10

If you are looking for one bad ass truck, it doesn’t get much better than Danny Auman’s ’66 Chevy C-10. Hailing from High Point, North Carolina, Auman originally purchased this truck for his daily driver and for his family.

After years of service, Auman decided it was time to restore the truck. So he ripped out the worn 327, replaced it with a Chevy Performance ZZ502, added a narrowed Ford 9-inch and to finish off the drivetrain slapped in a Turbo 400. The frame and body was already rust free, so Auman explained that it was more about just adding his touches to the body and interior. 

After Auman updated both the front and rear suspension, he painted the truck PPG’s Torch Red which definitely is an attention grabber. The result of all his hard work is a phenomenal truck that received the Chevy Truck Pick award for the weekend. 

Tom Coleman’s 1967 427 Chevelle

The winning Collection (TWC) is at it again! Last year their corvette–project “A-bomb”–was a huge hit at the show and made our 2011 top ten. This year Tom Coleman, Vice President of TWC, arrived with customer Bruce Grassie’s 1967 Chevelle named Blue Ice.

The project name was derived from the paint job that includes Daytona Blue, Nighthawk Black and Argent Silver. The 1967 Chevelle SS started out in pretty good shape before receiving the immaculate customization. The 427 that once resided underneath the hood has been replaced by a Katech LS7 that cranks out 606 HP and 585 lb/ft of torque on pump gas.

From the stainless coated exhaust to the HRE custom built wheels, many one-of-a-kind features can be found throughout this gorgeous Chevelle. By the end of the weekend the ride had taken home the Street Rod Headquarters Class Act award.

Ryan Smith’s 69 Camaro 502

By now, Camaro owners are use to hearing their chosen rides being dubbed a bellybutton car. It can be a slap in the face to the owners, but then for people like Bryan Smith it gives them even more motivation to make their ride different from every other Camaro out there, which is exactly what Bryan accomplished with his gorgeous 1969 Camaro.

To make his Camaro stand out he added plenty of one-off custom features including a custom Sherwin Williams paint mix, many body modification, and custom one-off rims. However, the most impressive feature to us was the Paul Atkins custom interior that is a great blend of modern and old school touches.

Powering the hybrid TCI and Detroit Speed chassis is a 500 horsepower Chevy Performance ZZ502 with a custom air filter and valve covers – if the paint doesn’t get your attention, the rumble of the big-block just might.

Dennis Quinn’s 1967 Chevy Nova

If you are looking for displacement then look no further than Dennis Quinn’s 1967 Chevy Nova. The standard 350 has been yanked and replaced with a 540 cubic inch Merlin block. This easily makes it the largest engine that made it on our list. 

Quinn who is a retired aerospace engineer once had a Chevy II back in 1969 and had always regretted letting it go. However, in 2004 he had the opportunity to purchase his current ride, and knew he wanted to do something special with it. For help with the engine, Quinn went to legendary drag racing engine builder Scott Shafiroff to assemble the Merlin. “It’s always fun to see people stop and just stare at the engine,” Quinn shared with us.

We don’t mean to spend so much time on the engine, but it is the true hero of this ride. The engine that creates just over 600 horsepower barely had room for its Chassiswork headers, and is fed by an 800CFM Holley Carburetor. The car also features a 700 R4 transmission, a 10-bolt rearend housing, and to finish it all off a gorgeous one-off mean and green custom paint job do the trick quite nicely.

Tony Lioy’s 1932 Ford Roadster Pickup 

When fans attend the Goodguys Southeastern Nationals they are guaranteed to see some very unique rides and power plants, and with Tony Lioy’s ’32 Ford Roadster Pickup we get to see both. This pickup took nine and a half years to get to where it is now and Lioy admitted to us that he didn’t think it would ever be “finished.”

Powered by a 1949 Flathead Ford V8 that has been bored 30 over, the engine itself is unique. However, the Elko dual spark plug cylinder heads had everyone stopping in their tracks to see 2 spark plugs per cylinder. The rest of the engine features a Wieand Blower, Holly 550 Carburetor, Hunter Vertex Distributor, Ross racing pistons, Isky Racing Cam, and Billet City Air Cleaner.

A four-speed Ford manual transmission transfers all that power to the ground through a custom quick-change rearend. This roadster features a custom touch with a remote controlled hood and pickup bed, Dayton wire wheels, a 4-inch drop front axle and custom body work.

George Difibo’s 1940 Ford Pickup

Trucks were plentiful during the 2012 Goodguys Southeastern Nationals, and our third truck to make our top ten was George Difibo’s 1940 Ford Pickup. The PPG Silver and Charcoal painted pickup drew large crowds around it the entire weekend, so much so that it was tough to get decent photos of it.

Receiving the Hot Hauler award, this ride packs a serious punch! Under the hood is a stout 421 cubic inch small-bock with a 6-71 supercharger. The body was chopped three inches and has amazing custom touches all throughout. Custom 18- front  and 20-inch rear Budnick rims that have been wrapped in Mickey Thompson rubber is responsible for putting all the power to the ground.

Dickie Steven’s 1956 Chevy

Tri-five Chevys were plenty during the weekend, many of which could have made this list. The one we chose to include was one of the nicest Chevys we saw all weekend, not to mention it also had some serious horsepower. 

While Dickie Stevens 1956 Chevy convertible features many impressive mods like a custom interior and a Art Morrison Chassis, what caught everyone’s attention was the 406 small-block Chevy that is found under the hood that features 32 valve Hemi heads and Weber carbs. The engine that was built by legendary Joe Lunati produces an unbelievable 900 HP.

With massive amounts of horsepower and a slick interior, it’s no wonder Stevens’ Chevy Received the Street Rodder Top 100 award and rounds out our Top 10 picks for the Goodguys Southeastern Nats.