Hot Rods - Two Heavy Duty Exclusives!

Believe it or not, the world of hot rodding isn't too far removed from the Zoom scene. Sure, the models of vehicle involved are somewhat older than your typical Zoom feature but the lengths that hot rodders will go to in order to make an engine conversion work or to implement new technology into their classicly styled rides knows no bounds. It should be easy to see why the two cars that comprise the cover art of the latest Heavy Duty Hot Rods got us so excited.

Read all about it over the fold.

It all started with a phone call from our intrepid U.S. correspondent, Jim Maxwell. In this call, Jim described an opportunity he had to shoot a neat little project that Troy Ladd and the team from Hollywood Hot Rods had just undertaken on behalf of Raybestos (you know, they're the guys that make your favourite brake liners and the bands in your automatic trans'.)

Well the "neat little project" turned out to be a very serious custom build that, among many other unique and brilliant pieces, is powered by a 2011-spec Mustang V8 known colloquially as the 'Coyote' engine. From its stunning paint and body to the awesome Hilborn-style EFI crate donk up front with its Cammer replica covers, the Raybestos Rod by HHR is simply stunning.

We said there were two Heavy Duty Exclusives in this issue though so what's next? Well if you hadn't noticed the twin-engined monster dominating the cover space then it's likely time for a visit to the eye doc's. With its two Ford Modular V8's in line-abreast configuration each sporting a polished blower and shotgun scoop, this 1000-plus horsepower street rod is a serious piece of hardware. Owned by ex-pat Kiwi Gordon Tronson who now lives in Nevada, 'Double Trouble' is a genuinely home-built icon. Oh, did we mention that it's street registered? The Nevada tags and the footage of it cruising the streets is nothing short of inspiring.

Make sure you check out Heavy Duty Hot Rods when it goes on sale in January of 2011. There are 8 killer hot rod features in total as well as an interview with House of Kolor's Jon Kosmoski who gives you his take on the Aussie rodding scene and an awesome feature on the life and hot rodding artwork of the one and only Tom Fritz. Do not miss this!