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A buggy surfs along them at speed, the suspension compressing so much on landing that the tires can be seen over the hood. THE WELL DESERT Vehicle: Baja Challenge Buggy THE DESERT WANTS you to die. Off-road tires Baja Challenge Buggies use rugged BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM3 tires. Descendants of the original Volkswagen-based Meyers Manx dune buggy built by the late Bruce Meyers, most modern desert buggies, like those used by adventure-travel outfit Wide Open Baja, now feature purpose-built tube frames and long-travel suspensions. [Extracted from the article]

A dealer in southeastern Ohio advertises 750-hp Mustangs for almost $30,000 less than the Shelby GT500. Hitting 60 mph in 4.0 seconds and clearing the quarter-mile in 12.3, the BFP car was two-tenths slower to 60 and three-tenths slower in the quarter-mile than a stock Mustang GT with the automatic. A Roush pit crew also swung by to bolt on a different set of 20-inch wheels and Continental ExtremeContact Sport tires, a combination that comes with Roush's Stage 3 car and which BFP sells separately for $3022. [Extracted from the article]

- Brett Berk MINIVAN, MAXIMIZED Chrysler designer Michael Santoro sketched several minivan-based concepts, including a convertible and a lowered performance van. In the late 1980s, fresh out of the industrial-design program at Pratt Institute, Michael Santoro took a job at Chrysler. We don't need a minivan Wrangler', " Santoro says. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers information on the Roy Brizio Street Rods automobile body shop in San Francisco, California, owned by Roy Brizio and the hot-rod automobiles that the shop builds. Topics discussed include the changes that Brizio does to the wheelbases and radiators of the automobiles; and the Ford steel bodies used by Brizio for his builds. Also mentioned are Cadillac automobile builds by him.

THE LIFE TO LAY A GOOD STRIPE of 1-shot enamel paint takes a quiet mind and a steady hand. So how the hell did Kenny Howard - the wild, rowdy, drunken, obscene, hateful man known as Von Dutch - become synonymous with the meticulous art of pinstriping? Von Dutch grew up in Los Angeles at the same time hot-rods and custom motorcycles began appearing in the dreams of American teenagers and the nightmares of their parents. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on the need to upgrade the brake system of the automobile while hotroding engines, and upgrading tires and suspension for a better performance. An overview of the upgrade of a 1960 Dodge Dart brake system from four wheel drum to drum brakes is provided. It is claimed that original equipment manufacturer brake pads are no longer what they used to be. The merit of using the Dart System is explored. It also provides suggestions to avoid potential pitfalls in the conversion.

Focuses on the business of Craig Naff in building street rods and custom cars in Virginia. Awards received by Naff for his aluminum-bodied '32 Ford roadster; Interest of Naff in building street rods; Description of the creations of Naff.

Focuses on the setting of the highest hot rod speed record in the United States. Role of Don and Rick Vesco in designing the Turbinator vehicle; Process of achieving a world record in speed racing; Average speed of the Turbinator. INSET: The Salt Saver..

Features the street rod automobiles and its growing popularity. History of street rods; List of shops that build these automobiles.

Discusses the state of the hot rod market as of August 1996. The 23rd Annual National Street Rod Association (NSRA) Street Rod Nationals East, held at the York Fairgrounds in Pennsylvania; The demographics of the membership of the NSRA; What hot rod customers are looking for; Boyds Wheels, one of two Coddington companies; The painstaking process of building hot rods at Hot Rods by Boyd; The growth in aftermarket suppliers and hot-rod builders.

Reports on the test drive conducted by `Car & Driver' magazine on a Nissan/Steve Millen Sportsparts 200SX SE-R hot rod at the 1996 Longest Day of Nelson Ledges, a 24-hour road race. How the car performed; Its interior appointments; Evaluation of the car.

Compares a souped-up, 64-year-old 1932 Ford roadster with an interpretation of a 1933 Ford coupe. How fiberglass interpretations of classic cars are built; Vehicle types; Engine types; Estimated price as tested for each; Wheelbase; Curb weight; Other details.

Evaluates a Mercedes-Benz E320 automobile converted into a street rod called the RENNTech E7.4RS by RENNTech Performance Tuning. Value of the car; Vehicle type; Price and option breakdown; Engine; Drivetrain; Dimensions and capacities; Chassis/body; Interior; Suspension; Steering.

Opinion. Provides a look into the hot rod era of American history which began in the 1930s. Speed records met and broken by drivers of hot rods; Details of the Pierson Brothers' Coupe built by Dick and Bob Pierson; Description of the Pierson Brothers' Coupe; Best speed record of 227.33 mph reached by the coupe in 1991.

Narrates the author's experiences on hot rods. Tournaments at the Mojave Desert in California; Equipment purchased; Routine for a lake meet; Return from World War II; Competition; Awards; Performances; Factors to a car's success.

The article reports that at the Kustom Kills & Hot Rod Thrills car show, sponsored by the local Rumblers Car Club, more than 200 vintage, customized cars are on display. Most of the cars here are perpetual works in progress, with every part bolted, welded or hammered together by the owners-not by professionals in high-dollar shops.

Evaluates the performance of the Duffy Livingstone Eliminator vintage road-racing hot rod. Design and construction of the Eliminator Special; Structural design and dimension; Suspension development; Powertrain operation.

The article offers information on George Poteet of Mantachie, Mississippi including the projects commissioned, his Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop in New York, and explicit goal to foster the next generation of hotrod builders.

The article provides information on three movies related to automobiles. According to the author, the film "Hot Rod Girl" opens with period of racing footage from the San Fernando Drag Strip. The "T-Bird Gang" is a crime movie with a 1956 model of a Thunderbird automobile. Almost all of the cars used in the movie "The Choppers" seem to be a 1959 and 1960 Buicks.

Features the Hartge H50 hot rod which was developed by Racing Dynamics owner Herbert Hartge using the V-8 engine of the BMW M5 automobile. Engine specifications; Drivetrain; Dimensions and capacities; Chassis/body; Interior; Suspension; Steering; Brakes; Wheels and tires.

Features notable products shown at the SEMA/NOPI International Auto Salon, the car show dedicated to four-cylinder and hot rods, held in Long Beach, California. Comptech's supercharger kits; All Pimp's car pedals; Honda's double-bubble hardtops.

Features the Caroselli Rodster hot rod vehicle. Design concept from Henry Caroselli; Interior sign, dimensions and features; Use of a 12 valve pushrod V-6 engine; Packaging options and fuel efficiency of the vehicle; Performance capabilities and vehicle speed; Rating and price of the Caroselli Rodster.

Features the Jaxports Streetster hot rod vehicle. Replica of the 1950 hot rod; Design concept from Jack Van Dykee; Dimensions and capacities; Use of a Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 V-2 engine; Transmission and steering features of the roadster; Performance capabilities and vehicle speed; Rating and price of the Jaxport Streetster.

Describes the Lexus Street Rod, a modern-day version of a classic American hot rod. Chassis and suspension; Engine; Drivetrain; Acceleration; Performance.

Evaluates the QuadraDeuce street hot rod. Vehicle type; Estimated price as tested; Engine type; Displacement; Transmission; Wheelbase; Braking; Other details; Contact point.

Features hot rod racers who ran at the Mojave Desert in California in the 1940s with Dean Batchelor, former editorial director of `Road & Track' magazine. Vic Edelbrock; Bob Meeks; Fred Carrillo; Stu Hilborn; Mickey Thompson; Akton Miller; Wally Parks.

The article evaluates the G8 GXP automobile from Pontiac. INSETS: The Rules;NOT A BAD IDEA: LIGHT CARS WITH LITTLE MOTORS.

The article reports on the availability of parts for converting a Mustang into a Ford Shelby GT from U.S.-based Ford Racing Performance Parts. The parts cost around $2,656 plus shipping. Installation will cost extra and it will still be cheaper that the Shelby GT. The do-it-yourself made car will not have the factory warranty for a Mustang GT.

Comments on the availability of reading materials related to automobile racing in the U.S. Accounts on the production of quality cars of performance and style; Importance of understanding the American hot-rod phenomenon; Price of the books.

This article reports that Harley-Davidson Inc. created the VRSGR Street Rod from the VRSGA V-Rod, and a new front end allows the 617-pound Street Rod to handle much more nimbly than its parent. The new bike also has a shorter wheelbase and quicker turn-in. The low-rise handlebars arch farther forward, ground clearance is up by over 1 inch and the lower-restriction exhaust with straight mufflers makes room for the Street Rod's new footpegs, which means an easy 40° of lean. After 8 hours in the saddle north of San Diego and over Palomar Mountain, we're still dumbfounded that there's V-Rod DNA in the Street Rod, because this is a completely different, all-purpose motorcycle.

Discusses the author's fondness for Duffy Livingston. Livingston's career with hot rod cars; His design of the hybrid known as the Eliminator; History of the Eliminator; The author's purchase of an Eliminator; The assertion that hot rods are making a comeback in the United States.

Features two flamethrowing hot rods whose photos were taken at the New England Summer-nationals in July 1992 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Origins of `flamethrowing'; Different technologies used to create the flamethrowing technique; The '56 Merc with a US Army flamethrower backpack in the trunk owned by Mark `Pyro' Cole; Bill `Fireball' Ross' '58 Chevy pickup which uses compressed nitrogen and aviation gas to create a `Pro Fire'; More.