Author Archive: Brian Lohnes
Engines Of Freedom: Photos From Inside The Packard Plant In 1943 Where The Mighty V-1650 Engines Were Built
There are a million “things that won WWII” and many of them are debated hotly. In terms of Bangshifty stuff that “won WWII” horsepower is pretty much tops. It was a fully...
The Story Of The Curta Calculator Is One Of Mechanical Genius And Triumph During The Darkest Days In Human History
(Photo credit: Andrew Kenworthy) – Thanks to BangShifter Andrew Kenworthy I learned about something pretty incredible last week and it was so good I thought it was very much worth passing it on...
The Saturday Shift: Watch This Lenco Equipped, 588ci NA Chrysler Powered, Top Sportsman Rocket Run 7s At Atco
I’ll admit it. I was in a Lenco kind of mood this week when it came to Parting Shift videos because it has been a while since we have featured a driver ripping the levers on the way down the...
Watch Nine Incredible Minutes Of The 1964 Daytona 500 TV Broadcast – Legends Everywhere
Yes, that’s a 1964 Pontiac Catalina up there and unfortunately for the car and its driver Bobby Johns it has just blown up. Despite the fact that it was mechanically crippled I wanted to use...
Great Save! Watch This Brazilian Drag Racer Steer Himself Out Of Trouble When He Lunches A Motor
Having seen a pretty decent amount of drag racing in my life I can tell you that the scenario you are about to watch does not normally end with the result you’ll see here. No, typically when...
Gearhead History: Check Out These Amazing Photos From Inside A Dodge Army Truck Plant In 1942
These are the type of photos that we could literally stare at for hours. All of the images you will see below were found in the Library of Congress digital photos archive and they were taken in 1942...
This 1969 Cadillac DeVille Station Wagon Is The Thing I Want Most In The World Right Now
Yes, it is still for sale. There is so much right with this 1969 Cadillac DeVille Station Wagon that I can hardly stand it. The ad claims that this car was one of five constructed for GM big wigs to...
American Powertrain Parting Shift: Ride In A Turbocharged, Stick-Shifted Crown Vic – 8psi and It Looks FUN!
Ok, now this looks like fun! We were looking for something cool and different for this week’s American Powertrain Parting Shift. Not that this is the first, only, or best stick shift Crown Vic...
So Plymouth Used Dune Buggies and Sand To Sell The 1970 Plymouth Fury? This Ad Is Weird and Awesome
In what has to be one of the weirdest car ads we have ever seen, this 1970 Plymouth Fury commercial places the massive car on sand dunes with dune buggies! We’re guessing that the idea here is...
This 1976 Jimmy CasaGrande Is An Amazingly Clean Survivor – We’d Cruise And Sleep In This One
(Thanks to Jay Spinella for the tip on this!) – Back in the 1970s GM hooked up with a company called Chinook to produce a factory option that was known as the Blazer Chalet on Chevrolets and...
2017 Carl Casper Car Show Coverage: Hot Rods, Baby! Our Favorites From The Event
(Words and photos by Doug Gregory) – Rods, to me = traditional definition of a ‘street rod’ which is pre-1949 vehicles. Now with the jargon defined lets delve into this array of rides...
Looking For A Job In The Hot Rod Industry? McLeod Clutches Is Hiring!
If you have been looking to ditch your current job and bust your way into the high performance aftermarket, McLeod may have the opportunity that you are looking for. The company is growing and...
Cool Video: The Story Of Moving A 123-Ton Transformer Through England In 1962 – Measured For Transport
Moving big stuff is as interesting and challenging a job today as it was more than 50 years ago when this film was made. Human beings can create some pretty massive and heavy things and lots of times...
Cool Old Press Photos: Beauty and the Beast, the 1957 Lincolns
If there were ever two cars produced by the same brand in the same year that were on complete opposite ends of the styling and beauty spectrum, the 1957 offerings from Lincoln were them. Yes, the...