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Street Legal TV is out here in Las Vegas pounding the pavement to bring you the hot, new and unique from the 2014 SEMA Show. All week long, we’ll be bringing you our Top 5 cars from within the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center as well as the Top 5 cars gracing the exterior grounds of the show, so stay tuned as we bring you one amazing car from the outside displays at SEMA per day!
Lenie Hamm’s 1968 Firebird “Foulplay”
Parked right along side the Meguiar’s Car Crazy stage are some of the most well-built, amazingly gorgeous vehicles you’ve ever seen; this ’68 Firebird being one of them. Owned and built by Lenie Hamm of Port Orchard, Washington (and some friends along the way), this prime Pontiac took 8 years to build in Hamm’s personal garage.
She may be “home-built”, but this Firebird is custom from front clip to rear taillights. Up front you’ll find a Wayne Due front clip followed by smoothed body panels with the door handles and most emblems shaved. Topping the car is a generous helping of deep black paint. All the paint and body work were done by Mark Naglich of Lakeside Rod & Custom.
Powering the beast is a correct 400ci Pontiac block that’s been bored out to 461ci and topped off with a Demon Race 750cfm carburetor among many things, giving the car 600hp and 600 lb-ft of torque. Backing the powerful engine is a Richmond 5-speed transmission, which pushes the Pontiac’s power through a 3-inch aluminum driveshaft to a custom 9-inch rearend.
Supporting the car is a full C4 Corvette suspension complete with subframe connectors, panhard bars and a rear 4-link. Three-piece 18×9-inch (front) and 19×12-inch (rear) Forgeline wheels act as a base for the Nitto tires under the car’s mini tubs.
Complete with a custom Italian leather interior, which Hamm’s 83-year-old father-in-law helped him create, this F-body is certainly deserving of our first top car slot of the 2014 SEMA Show.
1964 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt
Now because there’s only four official days of SEMA, we decided to start everything off with a bang and bring you two killer rides right from the beginning. So, next on our list is this fine ’64 Fairlane Thunderbolt.
Part of the “Ford Out Front” display, this Thunderbolt brings the best of both worlds with classic styling and modern performance thanks to DST (Dearborn Steel Tubing) Industries, Inc, who built it as a tribute to the first Thunderbolt ever built by the company for Ford in 1964.
As you may know, the original Thunderbolts were commissioned for racing purposes and went on to pay off for a number of dedicated Thunderbolt race teams. As a Fairlane with Ford’s new 427ci engine in it, the Thunderbolt also brought more popularity to the Fairlane model as well as increased sales numbers. Though not an original Thunderbolt, this tribute car built by DST Industries is quite the amazing vehicle.
To convert a ’64 Fairlane into the tribute Thunderbolt, DST Industries had to put in some serious work. As far as custom paint and bodywork go, DST went all out for the car’s smoothed-over look by replacing a number of body panels, gapping and flattening body panels and adding components like custom tow bar tow hooks and a light-weight aluminum front bumper, as well as a custom aluminum mesh grille and custom brake duct assemblies. The body was then topped off with a vintage Burgundy paint job.
At the base of the car is a Calvert Racing suspension system with a CalTracs setup in the rear and strut rods and other Calvert suspension components in the front. Rounding out the build is a simple yet polished interior, featuring ’64 Ford Econoline van bucket seats that were reupholstered by DST Industries, as well as a more traditional radio delete.
In 2015, the Tribute Thunderbolt will be auctioned off at a Barrett-Jackson event with all of the proceeds going to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), which is dedicated to finding a cure for type 1 diabetes.
Truly two amazing vehicles in a sea of show cars to choose from, these two cars represent the caliber we’re going for with our Top 5 picks. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our next top pick!
Randy LaMarr’s ’68 Camaro
Now that we’ve hit both Pontiac and Buick in our quest of featuring some of the best cars from outside the SEMA Show 2014, it’s about time we hit Chevrolet, and what better way to do so than with this awesome ’68 Camaro? Owned by Randy LaMarr, there’s no better way to represent the Chevy bowtie than with a refined beauty like this one.
Covered in a gorgeous Deep Red and BASF R-M Onyx H-D Waterborne paint scheme, this Camaro may look like just another classic F-body, but from the widened rear quarters stretched two inches on either side to the tucked and shaved bumpers, it’s much more than initially meets the eye.
Giving the car its unique look are its revised exterior, which also features an all-steel 4-inch stinger style hood and Eddie Motorsports billet, and its luxurious interior. Inside the car, you’ll find a one-piece molded center console, featuring a Kenwood navigation system, color-matched to the custom Katzkin leather upholstery. Modern amenities include climate control thanks to Vintage Air, and a discretely mounted backup camera. You’ll also find a Lokar shifter and pedal assembly gracing the interior.
Much more than just looks, the Camaro features a 6.0L LSX engine under the hood topped off with a Texas Speed Stage 2 VVT camshaft, a Spectre dual-induction air intake and Doug’s long tube ceramic headers. This powerful combination is backed by a T-56 6-speed manual transmission and Currie 9-inch rearend.
Supporting the car is a full SpeedTech Performance suspension system a Chicane coilover setup up front, full coilover rearend with torque arms, and tubular upper and lower control arms throughout. Taking care of pavement gripping power are Stout 18×8-inch front and 19×12-inch rear Forgeline Grip Equipped Schism Series wheels wrapped in 245/40 and 345/30 Nitto Invo tires respectively, while stopping power is handled by Wilwood 6-piston brakes.
Built by RMR Dream Cars in Hudson, Florida, our next Top 5 pick comes in the form of this ’69 Mustang fastback. You didn’t think we were going to leave the classic pony car model out of our top picks from outside the SEMA Show did you?
While this ’69 Mustang may look like a classic, it’s more modern than you may think. Under the hood is a 5.0L Ford Racing Aluminator forged engine topped off with a 2.8 LC polished Kenne Bell supercharger. The engine also features an AFCO custom aluminum radiator and a Flowmaster exhaust.
Backing the potent power plant combination is a Tremec 6060 6-speed transmission, which pushes the engine’s power to the rear wheels through a Ford 9-inch rearend with 4.10 gears. Supporting the car is a Heidts independent front suspension and a similarly sourced 4-link rear suspension.
Wilwood 6-piston brakes with 14-inch rotors in the front and 4-piston brakes with 13-inch rotors in the rear are called upon for the car’s stopping power, while one-off three piece billet wheels (19s in the front and 20s in the rear) act as the powerful engine’s last link to the pavement. The brakes are supported by a power brake booster hidden up under the dash.
Speaking of the interior of this Mustang, it features Katzkin leather seats and Autometer gauges, among other things. Topping the car’s look off is a sleek Impact Blue paint scheme with white stripes compliments of PPG.
Stunning in the sunlight of the outdoor exhibit at the 2014 SEMA Show, this potent Mustang must be quite the beautiful sight and sound when on the road or the track. After all, with a car as built as this, it might as well get some use, right?
We’ve had a lot of fun exploring the grounds of the 2014 SEMA Show and we can’t wait to be back next year. But we have one more top vehicle from outside the SEMA Show to share, so let’s get to it!
2008 “Freedom Isn’t Free” Mustang
Built by 281 Motorsports, this 2008 Saleen Extreme Mustang is a tribute vehicle built to honor all of those who have fought and died in battle. True to the cause, the car even features a unique exterior wrap that features names of fallen soldiers on it.
While the cause this muscle car represents is stellar, so too are its performance features. Under the hood of the car, you’ll find a Saleen aluminum block 302ci engine with a C.I.D. stroker kit, Ernie Elliot Billet Stage 2 camshafts, Ernie Elliot aluminum CNC-machined heads, a Saleen “Super Shaker” ram air system and Dynatech Racing long-tube headers with high flow catalytic converters, among other things. Backing the engine is an ACT twin-disc clutch fitted to a Tremec 6060 6-speed transmission.
Underneath, the car features CorteX Racing Xtreme-Grip coilovers, Watts link system, and rear LCA system. A BMR tubular K member, as well as A-arms and a radiator core support are also put to use on the car. Out back, you’ll find an Eaton Tru-Trac Positraction differential and 3.73 Ford Racing gears.
Helping fuel the Stang is an Aeromotive A1000 Stealth fuel pump, Aeromotive A1000 bypass and Injector Dynamics 700cc high glow injectors.
Putting the Mustang’s power to the pavement are 20×9-inch front and 20×11-inch rear HRE Performance Wheels Flow Form FF01 wheels wrapped in Toyo Proxes high performance tires. Stopping power is provided by massive Saleen ST60 6-piston calipers and 14-inch Baer Eradispeed rear rotors.
Inside the car, you’ll find a sleek interior with limited edition Saleen leather and suede seats, Schroth 6-point harnesses, a Barton billet aluminum shifter, and a thumping sound system featuring a Saleen/Rockford Fosgate subwoofer, Pioneer multimedia head unit and Realm speakers.
A great way to round out are week here at the 2014 SEMA Show. Be sure to stay tuned as we bring you more Top 5 features from the SEMA Show in the near future!
