Hemmings

Craig Breedlove’s accomplishments speak for themselves. He brought the world’s land-speed record back to the United States, he advanced the world land-speed record at a tremendous rate, and perhaps more importantly he captured national attention for a sport that had previously belonged to counts and captains. “In the 120-year history of land speed racing, no name looms larger than that of Craig Breedlove,” Samuel Hawley wrote in the prologue to his 2019 biography of Breedlove, “Ultimate Speed.” Many count Breedlove as an inspiration, but could his success even be duplicated nowadays?

Breedlove, if nothing else, was persistent. Pretty much every obituary for him that appeared since he died last week at the age of 86 related his formative adventures in Ford hot rods in his teens and recounted some of the numerous setbacks throughout his racing career – such as the 1964 crash that left the Spirit of America nose down in a brine pond at the Bonneville Salt Flats – that he overcame on his way to further records. Even after declaring his retirement in the mid-2000s, he couldn’t stop thinking about land-speed racing and had even started to assemble a team to go chase the horizon yet again in recent years.

“He was a tremendous personality, especially in terms of taking rejection and trying again,” Hawley said. “He just didn’t give up, and you see that by the fact that he was still going after records in the 1990s.”

Breedlove was nothing less than a subject matter expert in land-speed vehicles. He worked as a structural engineering technician at Douglas Aircraft at one point, but he could also parse advanced aerodynamics, get decommissioned jet engines running, and probably conduct college lectures on designing a chassis for 700MPH speeds. While others were pursuing the land-speed record essentially using hunches and best guesses at what could make them go faster, Breedlove was employing cutting-edge technology and using data capture and analytics to further his understanding of vehicle dynamics at speed. “With the first Spirit of America, Craig had installed a data acquisition device out of a fighter jet to know exactly what the car was doing and when the front end was lifting,” Hawley said.

Craig Breedlove in his father’s garage with the Spirit of America streamliner

As Hawley related, when Breedlove retired and sold his Sonic Arrow to Steve Fossett, Fossett’s engineering staff asked why Breedlove didn’t include all the drawings for the car. “Craig didn’t have hundreds of drawings,” Hawley wrote. “He never did. He explained to the incredulous engineer that (a) handful of sketches and blueprints was everything he had put down on paper. It was how he worked, going all the way back to his first Spirit (of America). ‘When I’m building a car, everything I want to do is in my head. I know every nut and bolt, every little piece. I’ve designed the whole thing down to the smallest detail, every single component.'” And this for a vehicle that had just recorded a speed of 636 MPH.

Breedlove could put together incredible teams. His first trip to Bonneville with the Spirit of America in 1962 proved disastrous, Hawley said, if only because he deferred to Rod Schapel, who helped design the vehicle and conduct wind tunnel testing on it. “He put that right in 1963 when he took the lead of the team,” Hawley said. “It wasn’t in his nature to take charge like that, but he learned that he had to assert himself if this was going to work.” Nor did he determine to do it all himself, as Art Arfons did. He went on to assemble teams full of people who he recognized as more knowledgeable than himself, all the way from Walt Sheehan, who helped with the engineering of Breedlove’s vehicles, down to Bob Davids, who contributed fiberglass components to the Spirit of America.

“You know, I can’t tell you how I was able to pull all these people in,” Breedlove told Hawley. “I guess I managed to grovel enough to get them to help me.”

Hawley cited a few other keys to Breedlove’s success, including the support of his father, Norm Breedlove, a Hollywood special effects artist who helped Breedlove envision the project and see it as a professional endeavor rather than a mere hot-rodder’s fantasy. Indeed, without funding – massive funding, far beyond what any racer could hope to attain with the local garage’s name painted in shoe polish on the door – none of what Breedlove did would have been possible.

“When he was about half done building the first Spirit of America, he realized that it would take 20 years to finish the car without a sponsor,” Hawley said. “And he wasn’t a natural pitchman. He was very shy and had to work at building the skills to make those presentations.”

Craig Breedlove with the Spirit of America

Yet, unlike Arfons, who bristled under sponsorship from Firestone, Breedlove knew exactly what had to be done, and his willingness to do it paid off with support from Shell and Goodyear. “They protected him, they cosseted him,” Hawley said. “They allowed him to have that real strong team.”

Or, at least, they did to a point. After he set the record above 600 MPH in 1965, and after the competition with Arfons essentially came to an end, funding dried up. Shell and Goodyear no longer saw land-speed racing as anything more than a liability, and all of Breedlove’s plans for greater speeds had to be shelved. “He actually wanted (Gary) Gabelich to break the record because he wanted investors to keep funding his projects,” Hawley said.

Instead, facing rejection after rejection, Breedlove left the sport. He went into real estate and made a fortune there, Hawley said, simply so he could fund a return to land-speed racing briefly in the mid-Nineties.

Nor is Breedlove the only one to face almost insurmountable funding challenges in his attempt to set the world land-speed record. Mickey Thompson essentially quit land-speed racing in the Sixties because he saw no way to find sponsors for those jet- and rocket-powered vehicles. More recently, the supremely well-funded Bloodhound land-speed racing effort went into a museum because the money wasn’t there – and this was after signing big-name sponsors and a last-minute rescue by a billionaire.

“When it came to an end (for Craig), it was all because of the lack of sponsorships,” Hawley said.

Breedlove was an exceptional man, no doubt about it. He had the right mix of talent, drive, and background to do what he did. But he also had the advantage of living in an exceptional time when an average hot-rodder with a decent elevator pitch could walk into Akron and come out with the funding necessary to pilot a land-speed racing vehicle to unheard-of speeds. Nobody else – outside of, perhaps, Arfons – could have done what he did at that time. And not even Breedlove himself could have done what he did at any other time.

Have you seen an iconic rubber duck perching on a Jeep in a parking lot, or perhaps a whole flock of rubber duckies hanging out on a Jeep’s dash? That’s because the squeaky child’s bathtub toy is being repurposed to spread joy amongst Jeep owners.

The Jeep ducking craze started its migration in Canada. In 2020, Canadian resident Allison Parliament was feeling down after an encounter with an angry stranger, and to cheer herself up she bought a bag of rubber ducks and left one with a positive note on someone’s Jeep. Her kind gesture was shared on social media and quickly spread throughout the world.

Today, the Jeep ducking trend is so popular that accessories such as pre-labeled packs of rubber ducks, much like this “duck-it” bucket are available for purchase on websites like Etsy or Amazon. There are even Jeep model-specific duck landing pads for those Jeepers who really want to get quacked up.

A lot of Jeep owners have started carrying rubber ducks in their vehicles just in case an opportunity arises to make another person’s day ducky. When they spot another Jeep in the wild, they place a rubber duck with a note where the owner will see it (on the front bumper, on top of the side mirrors or door handles, or on the front fenders), and when the unsuspecting Jeep driver spots it, the hope is for the recognition to brighten their day. If a Jeeper receives a duck that’s just too adorable to part with, that’s OK! It can be added to their collection on the dashboard, otherwise known as the Jeep “duck pond.” Or the duck receiver can spread the joy of the game to the next cool Jeep that they see.

Notes left on the ducks can range anywhere from, “Nice Jeep,” to “Duck, duck Jeep” or “Your Jeep has been ducked.” Social media hashtags like #duckingjeeps and #duckduckjeep are also encouraged and the post numbers are growing every day.

Jeep ducking began as a Jeep Wrangler thing, but there really aren’t any rules against ducking other Jeep models, whether its rusty or clean, bone-stock or a built rock crawler. Ducks have even appeared on similar 4×4 vehicles such as Ford Broncos, Suzuki Samurais, and older Land Cruisers. After all, ducking is considered an act of kindness, and that’s something that everyone should get involved in.

Date: 1983 (above), circa 1980s (below)

Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico

Source: Hollis Engley (above), via New Mexico Digital Collections

What do you see here?

Driving toward a golden sunset on the horizon is an awe-inspiring experience, but what about cruising in a Golden Sunset custom 1967 Lincoln Continental coupe? With names attached to it like John D’Agostinso, Gene Winfield, DeRosa Customs and House of Oz, it’s no wonder why this low-slung luxury sofa on wheels is a major attention grabber.

The gleaming two-door hardtop is the brainchild of custom car designer John D’Agostinso of Celebrity Kustoms, who combined the body building skills of Oz’s Kustoms and DeRosa and Son with the skills of craftsman Greg Westbury, and Gene Winfield’s world-renowned talent for applying stunning blended paint combinations. All pot metal welding was completed by Dick Falk at Valley Restorations.

The endless list of subtle features has made this custom Lincoln a constant show winner. The body was chopped, shaved nosed, decked and dechromed, and equipped with remote door and trunk access. The rocker panels were flared, rear wheel wells lowered, taillights modified with chrome billets, and the gas filler was moved to the trunk. Greg Westbury designed the bar grille with a floating chrome bar across Lucas style headlamps. Gene Winfield blended shades of House of Kolor Kandy Pearl Copper, Cinnamon, and Kandy Root Beer to White Pearl, assisted by Frank DeRosa Jr. and Carl Slawinski.

The endless list of subtle features has made this custom Lincoln a constant show winner. The body was chopped, shaved nosed, decked and dechromed, and equipped with remote door and trunk access. The rocker panels were flared, rear wheel wells lowered, taillights modified with chrome billets, and the gas filler was moved to the trunk. Greg Westbury designed the bar grille with a floating chrome bar across Lucas style headlamps. Gene Winfield blended shades of House of Kolor Kandy Pearl Copper, Cinnamon, and Kandy Root Beer to White Pearl, assisted by Frank DeRosa Jr. and Carl Slawinski.

The endless list of subtle features has made this custom Lincoln a constant show winner. The body was chopped, shaved nosed, decked and dechromed, and equipped with remote door and trunk access. The rocker panels were flared, rear wheel wells lowered, taillights modified with chrome billets, and the gas filler was moved to the trunk. Greg Westbury designed the bar grille with a floating chrome bar across Lucas style headlamps. Gene Winfield blended shades of House of Kolor Kandy Pearl Copper, Cinnamon, and Kandy Root Beer to White Pearl, assisted by Frank DeRosa Jr. and Carl Slawinski.

The endless list of subtle features has made this custom Lincoln a constant show winner. The body was chopped, shaved nosed, decked and dechromed, and equipped with remote door and trunk access. The rocker panels were flared, rear wheel wells lowered, taillights modified with chrome billets, and the gas filler was moved to the trunk. Greg Westbury designed the bar grille with a floating chrome bar across Lucas style headlamps. Gene Winfield blended shades of House of Kolor Kandy Pearl Copper, Cinnamon, and Kandy Root Beer to White Pearl, assisted by Frank DeRosa Jr. and Carl Slawinski.

The endless list of subtle features has made this custom Lincoln a constant show winner. The body was chopped, shaved nosed, decked and dechromed, and equipped with remote door and trunk access. The rocker panels were flared, rear wheel wells lowered, taillights modified with chrome billets, and the gas filler was moved to the trunk. Greg Westbury designed the bar grille with a floating chrome bar across Lucas style headlamps. Gene Winfield blended shades of House of Kolor Kandy Pearl Copper, Cinnamon, and Kandy Root Beer to White Pearl, assisted by Frank DeRosa Jr. and Carl Slawinski.

The endless list of subtle features has made this custom Lincoln a constant show winner. The body was chopped, shaved nosed, decked and dechromed, and equipped with remote door and trunk access. The rocker panels were flared, rear wheel wells lowered, taillights modified with chrome billets, and the gas filler was moved to the trunk. Greg Westbury designed the bar grille with a floating chrome bar across Lucas style headlamps. Gene Winfield blended shades of House of Kolor Kandy Pearl Copper, Cinnamon, and Kandy Root Beer to White Pearl, assisted by Frank DeRosa Jr. and Carl Slawinski.

The endless list of subtle features has made this custom Lincoln a constant show winner. The body was chopped, shaved nosed, decked and dechromed, and equipped with remote door and trunk access. The rocker panels were flared, rear wheel wells lowered, taillights modified with chrome billets, and the gas filler was moved to the trunk. Greg Westbury designed the bar grille with a floating chrome bar across Lucas style headlamps. Gene Winfield blended shades of House of Kolor Kandy Pearl Copper, Cinnamon, and Kandy Root Beer to White Pearl, assisted by Frank DeRosa Jr. and Carl Slawinski.

The endless list of subtle features has made this custom Lincoln a constant show winner. The body was chopped, shaved nosed, decked and dechromed, and equipped with remote door and trunk access. The rocker panels were flared, rear wheel wells lowered, taillights modified with chrome billets, and the gas filler was moved to the trunk. Greg Westbury designed the bar grille with a floating chrome bar across Lucas style headlamps. Gene Winfield blended shades of House of Kolor Kandy Pearl Copper, Cinnamon, and Kandy Root Beer to White Pearl, assisted by Frank DeRosa Jr. and Carl Slawinski.

The endless list of subtle features has made this custom Lincoln a constant show winner. The body was chopped, shaved nosed, decked and dechromed, and equipped with remote door and trunk access. The rocker panels were flared, rear wheel wells lowered, taillights modified with chrome billets, and the gas filler was moved to the trunk. Greg Westbury designed the bar grille with a floating chrome bar across Lucas style headlamps. Gene Winfield blended shades of House of Kolor Kandy Pearl Copper, Cinnamon, and Kandy Root Beer to White Pearl, assisted by Frank DeRosa Jr. and Carl Slawinski.

The endless list of subtle features has made this custom Lincoln a constant show winner. The body was chopped, shaved nosed, decked and dechromed, and equipped with remote door and trunk access. The rocker panels were flared, rear wheel wells lowered, taillights modified with chrome billets, and the gas filler was moved to the trunk. Greg Westbury designed the bar grille with a floating chrome bar across Lucas style headlamps. Gene Winfield blended shades of House of Kolor Kandy Pearl Copper, Cinnamon, and Kandy Root Beer to White Pearl, assisted by Frank DeRosa Jr. and Carl Slawinski.

A 462-ci V8 provides plenty of power, and according to the listing, it’s only seen 55,000 miles. Oz’s Kustoms installed the Air Ride Technologies air suspension. To achieve ultimate lowering abilities the car’s frame was C-notched in the rear and the driveline was tunneled. The custom car rides on vintage Cadillac 48-spoke wire wheels with bullet centered Thunderbird three-prong knockoffs by roadster Wire Wheels, wrapped in whitewall Coker tires.

A 462-ci V8 provides plenty of power, and according to the listing, it’s only seen 55,000 miles. Oz’s Kustoms installed the Air Ride Technologies air suspension. To achieve ultimate lowering abilities the car’s frame was C-notched in the rear and the driveline was tunneled. The custom car rides on vintage Cadillac 48-spoke wire wheels with bullet centered Thunderbird three-prong knockoffs by roadster Wire Wheels, wrapped in whitewall Coker tires.

A 462-ci V8 provides plenty of power, and according to the listing, it’s only seen 55,000 miles. Oz’s Kustoms installed the Air Ride Technologies air suspension. To achieve ultimate lowering abilities the car’s frame was C-notched in the rear and the driveline was tunneled. The custom car rides on vintage Cadillac 48-spoke wire wheels with bullet centered Thunderbird three-prong knockoffs by roadster Wire Wheels, wrapped in whitewall Coker tires.

Inside, a ‘60s-style combination of pleats and 4-inch square biscuits with round buttons is stitched in ivory leatherette with copper Egyptian mohair accents and piping. The custom-fabricated headliner with ’58 Cadillac trim spears contrasts beautifully with the dark brown English Wilton wool carpeting. The upholstery carries into the trunk and was completed by Bob Divine Custom Interiors. The car is piloted by a custom painted steering wheel with a bullet center. Creature comforts include climate control by Vintage Air, power windows by Specialty Power Windows and a Pioneer 12-disc CD combo with eight speakers.

Inside, a ‘60s-style combination of pleats and 4-inch square biscuits with round buttons is stitched in ivory leatherette with copper Egyptian mohair accents and piping. The custom-fabricated headliner with ’58 Cadillac trim spears contrasts beautifully with the dark brown English Wilton wool carpeting. The upholstery carries into the trunk and was completed by Bob Divine Custom Interiors. The car is piloted by a custom painted steering wheel with a bullet center. Creature comforts include climate control by Vintage Air, power windows by Specialty Power Windows and a Pioneer 12-disc CD combo with eight speakers.

Inside, a ‘60s-style combination of pleats and 4-inch square biscuits with round buttons is stitched in ivory leatherette with copper Egyptian mohair accents and piping. The custom-fabricated headliner with ’58 Cadillac trim spears contrasts beautifully with the dark brown English Wilton wool carpeting. The upholstery carries into the trunk and was completed by Bob Divine Custom Interiors. The car is piloted by a custom painted steering wheel with a bullet center. Creature comforts include climate control by Vintage Air, power windows by Specialty Power Windows and a Pioneer 12-disc CD combo with eight speakers.

Inside, a ‘60s-style combination of pleats and 4-inch square biscuits with round buttons is stitched in ivory leatherette with copper Egyptian mohair accents and piping. The custom-fabricated headliner with ’58 Cadillac trim spears contrasts beautifully with the dark brown English Wilton wool carpeting. The upholstery carries into the trunk and was completed by Bob Divine Custom Interiors. The car is piloted by a custom painted steering wheel with a bullet center. Creature comforts include climate control by Vintage Air, power windows by Specialty Power Windows and a Pioneer 12-disc CD combo with eight speakers.

Inside, a ‘60s-style combination of pleats and 4-inch square biscuits with round buttons is stitched in ivory leatherette with copper Egyptian mohair accents and piping. The custom-fabricated headliner with ’58 Cadillac trim spears contrasts beautifully with the dark brown English Wilton wool carpeting. The upholstery carries into the trunk and was completed by Bob Divine Custom Interiors. The car is piloted by a custom painted steering wheel with a bullet center. Creature comforts include climate control by Vintage Air, power windows by Specialty Power Windows and a Pioneer 12-disc CD combo with eight speakers.

Inside, a ‘60s-style combination of pleats and 4-inch square biscuits with round buttons is stitched in ivory leatherette with copper Egyptian mohair accents and piping. The custom-fabricated headliner with ’58 Cadillac trim spears contrasts beautifully with the dark brown English Wilton wool carpeting. The upholstery carries into the trunk and was completed by Bob Divine Custom Interiors. The car is piloted by a custom painted steering wheel with a bullet center. Creature comforts include climate control by Vintage Air, power windows by Specialty Power Windows and a Pioneer 12-disc CD combo with eight speakers.

Inside, a ‘60s-style combination of pleats and 4-inch square biscuits with round buttons is stitched in ivory leatherette with copper Egyptian mohair accents and piping. The custom-fabricated headliner with ’58 Cadillac trim spears contrasts beautifully with the dark brown English Wilton wool carpeting. The upholstery carries into the trunk and was completed by Bob Divine Custom Interiors. The car is piloted by a custom painted steering wheel with a bullet center. Creature comforts include climate control by Vintage Air, power windows by Specialty Power Windows and a Pioneer 12-disc CD combo with eight speakers.

Inside, a ‘60s-style combination of pleats and 4-inch square biscuits with round buttons is stitched in ivory leatherette with copper Egyptian mohair accents and piping. The custom-fabricated headliner with ’58 Cadillac trim spears contrasts beautifully with the dark brown English Wilton wool carpeting. The upholstery carries into the trunk and was completed by Bob Divine Custom Interiors. The car is piloted by a custom painted steering wheel with a bullet center. Creature comforts include climate control by Vintage Air, power windows by Specialty Power Windows and a Pioneer 12-disc CD combo with eight speakers.

Inside, a ‘60s-style combination of pleats and 4-inch square biscuits with round buttons is stitched in ivory leatherette with copper Egyptian mohair accents and piping. The custom-fabricated headliner with ’58 Cadillac trim spears contrasts beautifully with the dark brown English Wilton wool carpeting. The upholstery carries into the trunk and was completed by Bob Divine Custom Interiors. The car is piloted by a custom painted steering wheel with a bullet center. Creature comforts include climate control by Vintage Air, power windows by Specialty Power Windows and a Pioneer 12-disc CD combo with eight speakers.

Inside, a ‘60s-style combination of pleats and 4-inch square biscuits with round buttons is stitched in ivory leatherette with copper Egyptian mohair accents and piping. The custom-fabricated headliner with ’58 Cadillac trim spears contrasts beautifully with the dark brown English Wilton wool carpeting. The upholstery carries into the trunk and was completed by Bob Divine Custom Interiors. The car is piloted by a custom painted steering wheel with a bullet center. Creature comforts include climate control by Vintage Air, power windows by Specialty Power Windows and a Pioneer 12-disc CD combo with eight speakers.

It’s rare to find such a coveted custom with so many famous names having a hand in the build. This Lincoln Continental Coupe is currently located in Daytona Beach, Florida and is listed for sale on Hemmings classifieds.

The Toyota Celica was a fun, sporty car that grabbed the attention of young buyers in the mid- ‘70s. Today it is still a desirable machine, perhaps even more so, especially to those who feel that spark of nostalgia in its presence.

Dressing a basic sedan with a sporty coupe shell is a common move made by manufacturers to increase sales at a low cost. Take Ford’s success with the mid- ‘60s Mustang, for example. The tactic was so successful that other brands followed suit and made mediocre daily drivers into stylish sport coupes, like the Toyota Celica, first introduced in 1971 and based off the brand’s Corona passenger car.

The base model Toyota Celica ST coupe made economy cars look cool. It became a sensation for the fast-growing Japanese brand. It may not have the insane horsepower of today’s supercars, but it certainly makes a powerful time machine. Known for reliability, the Celica’s mechanicals are simple and durable, but the bodies tend to be rust prone. Finding a rust free, unmodified example today is like searching for a needle in a haystack.

This 1976 Toyota Celica ST Coupe is the shiniest needle in all the haystacks we scoured in the market. Powered by its original inline-four and a five-speed manual transmission from a Celica GT, the odometer shows just over 78,000 miles. The seller states that the car is an unrestored survivor with minimal modifications, and yes, they also confirmed that the car is completely rust free. Photos show the paint, body and interior appearing in exceptional condition, and it has a clean engine bay and undercarriage to boot. Check out the auction for more details, including videos of it running and driving.

The Super Cobra Jet 429 V-8 was the most powerful engine Mercury offered in the Cyclone for 1970. Its rating of 375 horsepower has long been accused of being too low, since this big-block’s performance was on par with big-inch specialty V-8s from GM and Chrysler. But what if that monstrously venomous V-8 was just the starting point for a potent street and strip machine that also managed to carry off that subtle elegance that always allowed Mercury to stand out from the crowd?

Before we answer that question, let’s look into Ford’s middle division muscle car for 1970 a bit more.

Positioned between the everyman’s Fords and luxury-liner Lincolns in the FoMoCo hierarchy, Mercurys were perpetually locked in a sales race with Buicks, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs, and Dodges. Aiding in defining its upscale status within the muscle car market, the 1970 Cyclone GT included such amenities as concealed headlamps, additional body brightwork, and Comfortweave seating surfaces as standard equipment.

The Cyclone’s redesign for the 1970 model year introduced the attention-getting “gunsight” grille center, a contemporary curvaceous body with a more subtle semi-fastback roofline than the previous years’ fastback, and three-pod taillights (two-pod on the base model).

Whereas the Cyclone Spoiler left little to the imagination regarding its muscle car intentions with its bold stripes, callouts, front spoiler, and rear deck airfoil, and the base Cyclone was a “sleeper” in appearance, the 1970 Cyclone GT took a different styling tack. It embodied what had become the signature elements of the performance car look at that time—a blacked-out grille, a hood scoop, dual racing mirrors, and well-placed yet understated GT badges and engine displacement emblems. The result provided more than enough clues for those in the know to realize what had just rumbled up next to them at the traffic light.

Typical of muscle cars of the day, the most powerful engines were reserved as extra-cost options, and the Cyclone GT did not disappoint in this area. At the top of the heap were a trio of big-block 429-cu.in. V-8 engines based on Ford’s 385 engine family.

The ”base” 429 was a smooth-running 360hp version that featured a two-bolt main, thin-wall skirtless engine block with 4.36-inch bores; a nodular-iron crankshaft with a 3.59-inch stroke; forged-steel connecting rods; cast-aluminum pistons; a hydraulic camshaft; canted-valve cylinder heads; a cast-iron intake manifold; Autolite four-barrel carburetor; and a 10.5:1 compression ratio.

Next up the ladder was the high-performance 370hp Cobra Jet 429, which featured thicker main webs in its block, higher nodularity content in its crankshaft, a slight modification to the forged-steel rods to increase durability; a hotter hydraulic camshaft; freer-flowing heads (larger ports and valves) and intake and exhaust manifolds; a Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel; and an 11.3:1 compression ratio.

At the top of the engine heap sat the 375hp 429 Super Cobra Jet, but there was no option box to check to get this special engine. Instead, a buyer had to choose either the Drag Pak, which consisted of a 3.90:1 gearset in a Traction-Lok rear axle or the Super Drag Pak, which included a 4.30:1 gearset in a Detroit Locker rear axle. Though the engine code in the VIN remained the same as the CJ 429’s, the Super Cobra Jet’s upgrades included a four-bolt main block, forged pistons, and a higher-performance solid-lifter camshaft, as well as screw-in studs for the CJ heads, adjustable rocker arms, and pushrod guide-plates. A specific intake manifold accommodated a larger capacity Holley carburetor instead of the CJ’s spread-bore Quadrajet, and an oil cooler was added. Functional Ram Air was available for the CJ and Super CJ, as well.

Now, back to the build at hand. Currently offered on Hemmings Auctions is this restored, low-mileage 1970 Mercury Cyclone GT, factory fitted with the 429 SCJ and the requisite Drag Pak along with a close-ratio four-speed manual transmission. According to its Deluxe Marti Report, this rare Cyclone is one of just 73 produced for 1970 with the 429 Super Cobra Jet and the Drag Pak.

Beyond the engine and Drag Pack options, the original buyer of this vehicle chose the extra-cost instrumentation group, which included a 140-mph speedometer, as well as an 8,000-rpm tachometer, gauges for oil pressure and temperature, and an ammeter, all of which are set right into the dash pad and angled toward the driver for easy viewing. Power front disc brakes were also chosen, among other options. The Competition Handling Package was included with the GT, and due to its chosen powertrain, as intended by Mercury and the original buyer. This example was a potent package for the street or strip.

Making it even more so now is the fact that the selling dealer, MS Classic Cars of Seekonk, Massachusetts, had the numbers-matching engine bored-and-stroked to a colossal 533 cubic inches. Heavier-duty bottom-end components and a solid-roller camshaft were added to complement the CJ heads and Super CJ intake and carburetor, and the result was a tire-shredding 527 horsepower and 599 pound-feet of torque on the dyno.

This car’s restoration is recent and thorough, resulting in a highly detailed undercarriage that shows every bit as well as its topside. With so few 1970 Mercury Cyclone GTs built with the Drag Pak/Super CJ 429, surely not many under-16,000-mile examples that are restored to this level and produce more than 500 dyno-proven horsepower will be offered for sale anytime soon.

Learn more about this 1970 Mercury Cyclone GT on Hemmings Auctions, and let us know what you think of it.

Date: circa 1970s

Location: Olympia, Washington

Source: via Washington State Archives / Facebook

What do you see here?

The racing world lost an amazing person on Wednesday, April 5. Melvin “Jerry” Bickel, famed doorslammer chassis builder and owner and founder of Jerry Bickel Race Cars, has passed away at the age of 75.

Bickel was the husband of Jennifer Bickel and father of Katherine Elizabeth (Marty) Randolph and Matthew Bickel, and grandfather of Rhys Randolph and Colin Randolph. His obituary mentions that he was also a scuba diver, flew helicopters, and loved boating.

Jerry Bickel and his business were dedicated supporters of the NHRA and his support trailer could be seen at most major events. His builds were legendary across multiple drag racing niches. His Ohio-based shop, Jerry Bickel Race Cars, evolved into a world class facility over the last 40 years of operation. More recently, he expanded his business to offer mail-order parts for the builders and enthusiasts who build race cars at home.

Before opening his own shop in Troy, OH, Bickel began his career with Troy Motors and Marquiz Motors. He contributed greatly to the growth of high-performance doorslammer drag racing and has built chassis’ for NHRA, PDRA and IHRA drag racing, along with offering other high-quality performance parts. His builds aided in securing worldwide wins and championships in sanctions such as Pro Stock, Pro Modified, Street Outlaws No Prep Kings, Top Sportsman, grudge trials, drag radial competitions, and more.

At this time, it is not clear how Jerry Bickel’s death will affect the company. He will be missed by the entire drag racing community and beyond.

New car shows are hardly the place to go looking for vintage and collector cars. The carmakers are there to get you to buy something that depreciates the moment you drive it off the lot, after all, and not something that’s bound to appreciate in value over time. The New York International Car Show, however, has always devoted at least a little bit of space to collections of older vehicles to be found in the greater metro area, and the carmakers themselves occasionally trot out something from their heritage collections to try to rub off a bit of cool onto their dealership fodder.

This year’s show didn’t include much of the latter. Nissan did have an R34 GT-R in its booth to help promote the recently facelifted GT-R, and Toyota had a couple of SEMA-shown overlanding rigs. On the other hand, the basement display of tuner cars, Rides+Rigs, more than made up for the lack of vintage stuff upstairs. Close to half the floor space down there looked like a mid- to late Nineties meet full of JDM steel, drift machines, and other highly modified racers and street cars. Sprinkle in a few other hidden gems, and the show’s not a total bust for anybody who wants to look beyond the SUV parade from the carmakers.

From Australia’s Gold Coast comes this “FJ49,” a Toyota FJ45 with a 4.5-liter turbodiesel V-8 and transmission from a later FJ79 built by Christian and Ashton Montesalvo of the Patriot Games YouTube channel.

According to the FJ79’s spec sheet, it has a custom coil-sprung front suspension based on the FJ79’s components, leaf-sprung rear suspension, 20-inch wheels, and plenty of exterior work, including the exocage, the fauxtina appearance, winch, lights, and recovery boards.

Alongside the FJ79 was another Australian turbodiesel rig, an LC79 set up for bush exploration.

The LC79 uses an upgraded turbocharger, intercooler, and upgraded injectors to produce 300 kilowatts, or about 402 horsepower. It sits on a chassis extended by nearly a foot to fit the Supertourer body and fitted with a three-inch-lift front suspension and a rear coil conversion.

These aren’t scratches; they’re badges of honor.

Where did the Hemi ‘Cuda see its greatest motorsport success? Perhaps France, as the story goes regarding this 1970 ‘Cuda that was shipped overseas in 1970 to form the backbone of Ecurie Chrysler, the company’s French competition group. According to Redline Restorations, the car won more than 45 races and multiple championships over its three-year competition career and about a decade ago underwent a thorough restoration.

Henri Chemin, whose name is on the door, oversaw Ecurie Chrysler and drove the ‘Cuda for at least a few of its wins.

Redline Restorations also had on display a 1957 Maserati 300S, chassis #3070, a factory team car that has made plenty of vintage racing appearances since it was initially restored in 2001.

While not an original BMW E9 CSL, this tribute with a modern BMW straight-six and turbocharger can still pay homage while taking creative licenses left and right.

A couple vinyl wrap companies showed off their services with flashy rides, perhaps none flashier than this golden Volkswagen.

Technically in with the tuner cars, this lowrider Chevrolet was clean. We’re assuming it doesn’t drive the potholed streets of New York.

One of a trio of vintage NYPD cars on display, this Plymouth Fury had all the right markings.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen more than one or two authentic Nineties tuner cars in the same place.

As the tuner crowd has embraced more and more JDM-only cars as collectibles, we’re seeing more and more of them imported to the States. This Toyota Starlet GT Turbo was one of many right-hand-drive cars on display.

The 86 crowd showed up in force.

Supras for days.

Not much remained stock on Gerald Alvarez’s supercharged 2003 Mini Cooper S, with everything from upgraded injectors to a CO2 intercooler sprayer.

Craig Breedlove, the first land speed racer to drive jet-powered cars over 400, 500, and then 600 mph, has died. He was 86 years old, and he leaves behind an unforgettable legacy.

Bonneville land speed records have evolved since the 1960s, and while the current outright land speed record holder is Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green with a 763.035 mph run, nothing beats the freewheeling, white-knuckled racing of the ‘60s. The level of bravery and fearlessness from the drivers was matched by the buzzing excitement of racing fans and other motorsports daredevils with a need for speed.

Craig Breedlove’s “Spirit of America” from an article in the October 1963 Hot Rod Magazine with text and photos by Don Francisco.Uploaded by Tom McKinnon on Flickr

Craig Breedlove began his speed record journey as a young hot rodder in Southern California. He bought his first car, a Deuce Coupe, at age 13. He owned a ‘34 when he was of legal driving age and he throttled that hot rod coupe, alcohol coupe to 154 mph on dry lakes. He piloted an Oldsmobile-powered belly tanker at Bonneville, earning a record 236 mph by age 20. Breedlove was seemingly fearless, and it wasn’t long before he assembled a team of engineers and stepped into jet-powered cars equipped with surplus fighter jet engines.

Working as a technician in structural engineering at Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica gave him even more knowledge and experience that drove him through his land speed racing future. He bought his first surplus J-47 jet engine in 1959 and built what was eventually called the “Spirit of America,” which earned him a new record for land speed racing at 407 mph. The Bonneville competition was getting heated by that time, and between 1962 and 1965 the land speed record glory was shuffled between Breedlove, Art Arfons, and Walt Arfons with driver Tom Green. In February 1964, Green ramped up the record to 413 mph. Art Arfons raced to 434 mph in May, then Breedlove stepped on the throttle to achieve 468, 500, and then 526 mph.

During Breedlove’s 526 mph run, he lost all brakes on the car and the parachutes failed. Surely wondering if he would live another day, he maneuvered the car through telephone poles and hit a bump that catapulted him through the air and into a salt pond, nose first. When his fearful crew caught up with him, Breedlove had already swam out of the pond and was dancing around, exclaiming, “For my next trick, I’ll set myself on fire!”

The result of Craig Breedlove’s 526 mph runFlickr / Tom McKinnon

Art Arfons wasted no time and set the next record at 536 mph, and Breedlove promptly countered with his final land speed record, a blistering 600.6 mph.

The Wildest Ride: 1964 Bonneville Salt Flats Land Speed Record with Craig Breedlove

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Breedlove did come back after that monumental time in motorsports history with new cars, perhaps the most memorable being a Shell-sponsored race car that took him to nearly 700 mph. New Bonneville land speed record breakers will come and go, but none will ever compare to Craig Breedlove’s energy and the short duration of time between his set records. His name will forever be engrained in motorsports history as an American hero.

Craig Breedlove in the mid-’60sNSSN Archives