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Nation & World
ISIS's victories may win it recruits from rival Syrian rebel groups
When the fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria swept aside Iraqi security forces in just two days of fighting to seize control of much of northern and central Iraq, it appears they also took control of the initiative in their fight in neighboring Syria, where they've seen recent successes against rivals who once considered them allies.
The gains in Iraq, analysts and experts say, not only included huge amounts of weaponry and ammunition that also could be used in Syria but also provided a powerful message to members of other Syrian militant groups that ISIS was a group on the ascent. That, experts say, is likely to bring it new recruits from Syrian rebel groups whose ideology is really not much different from ISIS's.
Aaron Zelin, who edits the Jihadology blog and studies Syrian rebel groups, said that was particularly true of the Nusra Front, an al Qaida affiliate that's been at the forefront of rebel successes against forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad, and Ahrar al Sham, one of the primary groups that form the Islamic Front rebel coalition.
"There's not a lot, if any, ideological difference between ISIS and the Nusra Front or Ahrar al Sham," he said. "So defections are occurring."
How that will affect the war to topple Assad is still to be seen. ISIS's goal of establishing an Islamic state takes precedence over toppling Assad, though the Syrian leader, in ISIS's view, must go, too. But defections to ISIS's side will make the dividing line starker between rebel groups that are acceptable to the United States and those that are not. In the end, the least militarily capable rebels may be the ones who aren't affiliated with ISIS.
"The Islamic Front in general is under considerable pressure right now from a number of directions inside and outside of Syria," said Charles Lister, who studies Syrian rebel groups as a researcher at the Brooking Institute in Doha, Qatar. One of its key components is Ahrar al Sham, whose ideology makes its members susceptible to joining ISIS.
ISIS, which began its existence as an al Qaida affiliate battling the American occupation of Iraq, has transformed into a self-sustaining proto-caliphate intent on destroying not only its state enemies in the region _ Iraq and Syria _ but also any groups that don't precisely adopt its ideology and tactics. Since January, it's been locked in combat not just with the U.S.-backed moderate Free Syrian Army but also with Nusra and Ahrar al Sham.
While ISIS initially lost some territory in central Syria, it also received an influx of recruits, including almost all the experienced foreign jihadis who were fighting alongside Nusra, including primarily Chechen units and a Saudi group.
"Some of it is that they've done a better job in terms of fighting and supporting their fighters with equipment, money and ammunition," said Zelin. "And because of their more excessive aspects, they've been in the media all the time, which motivated many of the foreigners to join. Now we've seen almost all of the foreigners once fighting alongside Nusra (and Ahrar al Sham) having defected to ISIS."
Zelin said Nusra and Ahrar al Sham had been quiet recently on social media compared with ISIS, leading to suspicions that they were suffering from internal problems, including a lack of fighters and diminished resources as ISIS appeared to grow.
Lister said ISIS was well positioned to capitalize on the notoriety and publicity surrounding its success in Iraq and that might lead to more power in Syria.
"The spectacular nature of ISIS's offensive and successes in Iraq has caught the attention of huge numbers of potential recruits around the world," he said. "But after all, there are thousands in Syria for whom joining ISIS represents only a small task."
"The cycle of success is amplifying for ISIS: They gain more ground, get more publicity and more recruits," according to Zelin.
In a crucial three-way fight among Nusra, ISIS and the Syrian government for control of the eastern Syrian city of Deir el Zour, ISIS seems to have the upper hand. While Nusra still controls the city, four of its top commanders defected to ISIS as it was able to bring to bear heavy weapons and armored vehicles captured in Mosul, according to Osama Abu Zeid, a rebel commander who spoke with the activist website Syria Direct.
"ISIS took control over rebel-held areas in the rural areas some days ago," he was quoted as saying. "All the neighborhoods in the city are under blockade except the al Qusour and al Joura neighborhoods, which are under regime control. Airplanes and artillery continually bombard the blockaded neighborhoods."
In the northern province of Aleppo, where rebel forces largely had expelled ISIS, the group used its newly captured American equipment to retake the towns of Abla, Tel Gaghan, Cassar, Thelthana, Thelathina and al Barroza from the Free Syrian Army over the weekend, according to local activists McClatchy contacted.
On Sunday, ISIS used American-made Humvees to push Nusra and Ahrar al Sham fighters from the villages of Eksar and Maalal, which strategically sit next to the border with Turkey, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based group that monitors violence in Syria.
Lister thinks that despite ISIS's resurgence, the Syrian opposition will continue to press its efforts to topple Assad. He notes that Iraqi militias that had been supporting Assad are returning to their own country to battle ISIS there and that Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite Muslim militant group that's backed Assad, shows no interest in replacing them in Syria.
"A substantial ISIS presence in eastern Syria and western Iraq looks to be a long-term reality, but this doesn't existentially threaten the capacity of Syrian opposition forces from continuing their fight against the government," he said.


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Family and friends of offenders assigned to the custody of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections -- Corrections Services can locate the offender by calling the Offender Locator. Individuals, using a touch tone or cell phone, may call 225-383-4580 to access the Offender Locator system 24 hours a day. Callers will need to know the offender's DOC number or may enter the offender's name and date of birth to access housing assignment, address of the facility where the offender is located, a contact phone number and a projected release date (if applicable).
The system is updated every 24 hours and also includes information on those offenders under probation or parole (community) supervision.
The Offender Locator system will only give information for DOC offenders — not for pre-trial inmates or those individuals serving parish or municipal sentences.
Also available is LAVNS, Louisiana Automated Victim Notification System, an on-line resource provided by the Office of the Governor through the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice.
Presently, LAVNS offers access to a state offender's location by Internet [www.vinelink.com] and a 24-hour, toll-free telephone number: 866-528-6748. Many local jurisdictions enable persons to use LAVNS for information regarding an offender's current custody and case status, unless and until the offender is sentenced to the custody of the state.

subset: commoncrawl


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We test 10 of the fastest, most agile, and best-looking muscle cars of 2012 —plus one surprising truck.
Once upon a Camaro, the Pro Touring movement was made up of just a handful of cars that stood out from the street machine crowd. Their purposeful tires, large brakes, and apex-defying suspensions quickly elevated them to holy status as their owners/builders piloted them to insane speeds on closed public roads. The rest of the world watched with awe and envy. Suddenly, that Dobbertin-inspired Pro Streeter in the garage—pie cutters up front and a polished blower through the hood—seemed trite and tired.
In the ensuing two decades, the world caught up to the pioneers of Pro Touring, and the g-Machine style became de rigueur at the most prestigious car shows and cruises. Wheels grew. Billet proliferated. Functionality died. Owners who once had a need for speed now desired trophies. Enigmatically, the street rodification of muscle cars is at the same time accredited with and blamed for the success or failure of Pro Touring, depending on who you ask. But no matter what side of the Pro Touring argument you're on—the big question has always been: How fast are they?
We aimed to answer just that when we created our Muscle Car of the Year (MCOTY) competition. Are the Pro Touring cars that are typically held up to the public as the best of the breed truly the best, or is it a charade? No sooner than you ask these questions and two more questions pop up. What cars do you test, and how do you test them?
Choosing the Cars
In order to keep things fresh, we wanted to put the emphasis on new cars that had hit the scene in the last year. We had time and space enough to test just 10 cars, so picking the right ones would be tricky. Earlier this year, we put out the word that we were looking for the best new Pro Touring muscle cars, but got a cool response from readers. Apparently, it's our magazine, so we gotta do the footwork. We then put out feelers to the top shops, manufacturers, and home-based privateer builders to see what was in the pipeline. Some of the teams you know—like The Roadster Shop and Detroit Speed (DSE)—while others are little guys like Jon Clark and Bob Bertelsen. Some cars are high-end show winners with five-figure paintjobs, and some are weekend warriors, like Kenny Edwards' Mustang. Some shops that you'd expect to be represented aren't, not because they didn't want to be but because they didn't have an appropriate car that was new enough for our competition. At least now we're on the radar screen with those shops, and their future MCOTY contenders will be in line for an invite when they are ready.
The process of sniffing out cars for MCOTY was a revealing one. More times than we expected, we'd call a shop only to discover that the car owner was wary of inflicting damage on an expensive ride. Even more telling, in cases where the shop building the car even promised to repair any tweaks, the answer from the client was still "no dice." Those guys and their cars shall remain anonymous—but those who braved our inaugural MCOTY event will not. Let it be known that our 10 MCOTY participants (and The Roadster Shop with their exhibition C10 truck) have absolutely no qualms about pounding their machines. Win or lose, these cars are all the real deal, and we would love any of them to be in our driveway or paddock.
To make things a bit easier for our possible competitors to say yes to the invite, we scheduled the MCOTY for the Monday following the Goodguys Street Machine of the Year competition in Columbus. We knew all of 2012's new Pro Touring machines would need to get their dance card punched at the autocross in Columbus, so we made it extra easy with our selection of venue and date—rent National Trail Raceway just 30 miles east of Columbus for the following day. As it happened, this was a serendipitous litmus test—Goodguys Street Machine of the Year finalists would get the chance to accept or decline our invitation to test their machinery in a far more grueling set of tests than the 35-second Goodguys autocross. Would they compete, or go home? To that point, only one took up the challenge—the "Producer" '66 Mustang built by the Ringbrothers, which also won Goodguys' Street Machine of the Year.
The Competition
Figuring out how fast a car is can mean a lot of things. Is it top speed? Is it a drag race? Is it doing donuts on a skidpad? Is it 0-to-100-to-0? Is it a low lap time on a road course? You can make a valid argument for any of these measures, but at the end of the day we had to choose just three tests in order to fit the competition into our venue, and into the time allotted. Additionally, we were limited by what kind of testing we could do at National Trail Raceway—clearly something along the lines of a standing-mile top-speed test or a road course circuit would be out of the question.
One benchmark test that we had no argument from anybody about was the quarter-mile drag race. Let's face it, you can add a lot of junk to a car, you can customize it to death, you can do wheels, tires, paint, suspension, and chassis mods, but what makes it a hot rod is its powertrain. The engine is the mojo of any muscle car, and the way you test 'em is by dragging them out. We could probably have used a chassis dyno for a yardstick, but what kind of fun is that? It really defeats the purpose of having a fast car—and the bragging rights that go with it.
The stopping test wasn't so clear-cut obvious. Pro Touring cars are hot rods that combine raw speed with stopping capability—the question is, what's the best way to measure that? The stopping test we used—called the speed/stop challenge—starts cars from a dead stop at the dragstrip starting line using the standard Christmas Tree. Cars are timed over an eighth-mile distance like an eighth-mile drag race, but there's a twist. You have to stop perfectly inside a 50-foot cone box just after the eighth-mile mark. The speed/stop challenge tests not only the acceleration and braking power of a car, it also tests skills like launching, threshold braking, speed shifting, car control, chassis tuning, and depth perception. There are a whole lot of faults that can bubble to the surface in the speed/stop challenge, some of them mechanical, others are driver related.
More than any other aspect, it is the handling ability that defines the Pro Touring car. Where it's merely acceptable to be bitchin looking and have a big motor in other corners of the hot rod hobby, the g-Machine must grip like a race car. And while we would've loved to test our competitors on a full-blown road course, we had the next best thing—a high-speed autocross with lap times approaching a minute in length. As it turned out, the Ohio Valley Region of the SCCA has a regular course laid out inside National Trail's vast pit area, and they graciously agreed to set up their cones and timing equipment for our test. The coolest part is that National Trail Raceway has an agreement with the SCCA to keep the circuit marked permanently, which means that with the Ohio Valley SCCA Region's help, we'll be able to compare this year's MCOTY performances with those in future years.
Each MCOTY competitor was given 10 chances to run each of the three tests—drag race, speed/stop, and autocross. The PHR staff duly recorded each car's run in every class, and every competitor had to finish at least three clean laps in each test event, with the maximum number of tries capped at 10. To tabulate the results, we simply took the three best times in each "event," averaged them, and added all three averages together. With the drag race portion, it was pretty straightforward—anything that would get you disqualified in a regular drag race (red lighting, crossing the centerline, and so on) would get that run tossed. In the speed/stop challenge, the rules were the same, except with the added requirement that cars stop completely inside the stop box. Sliding out the back of the box, knocking over a cone, or any part of the car coming to rest outside the stop box would result in a DQ run. At the autocross, the standard penalty of 1 second per knocked-over cone was in force.
Each team was allowed one set of tires for the entire event, and the treadwear rating for the tires was limited to a minimum of 200 (i.e. no changing to slicks during the drag race). Each team was allowed the driver of their choice, and teams were not allowed to change drivers between events. Also, drivers were not allowed to pilot multiple cars, as has been the case in other competitions. Simply put: Drivers and their cars were married monogamously throughout the length of the MCOTY competition.
And while there was no "judged" portion of the MCOTY for aspects like true streetability, overall engineering, originality, build/bodywork/paint quality, or suitableness for a given job, we did establish minimum requirements for roadworthiness. All cars were required to have a reasonably complete interior, finished bodywork in good condition with a completed paintjob, street equipment (headlights, turn signals), tags, and a valid registration. Cars also had to pass both an NHRA and SCCA safety inspection. Beyond that, it was our goal to have a variety of makes and build styles represented.
Drum Roll Please …
When the dust settled, some of the results were pretty predictable, while some really threw us a curveball. The fact that Detroit Speed won with their incredibly well-sorted '66 Mustang didn't take many by surprise—they've been testing their white blur of a fastback for the last year and a half with almost reckless abandon. The simple fact is, once the Ford world figures out how good the DSE Mustang parts really are and how noninvasive they are to install, it will reset the bar in the Blue Oval world. Mustang men—you are in for a wonderful treat!
Then there's the Johnson's Hot Rod Shop (JHRS) '66 Chevy II Nova SS. For such a shining jewel of a car to roll right out of the JHRS shop and onto our tarmac without so much as having turned a tire in anger, and for it to finish Fourth overall without a hiccup is absolutely amazing. It is the one car in the MCOTY competition we would most want to drive on a daily basis. Alan Johnson has once again proven why he is one of the top car builders in the land; he not only makes them knockout gorgeous, but they are also equally capable performers.
We dare any home-based hot rodder to claim he's made a larger commitment, put in more build hours, or sacrificed more than Bob Bertelsen in his quest to build his '71 Camaro. It is truly the equal of most pro-built Pro Touring cars, yet as an owner, Bob is decidedly different than his more well-heeled peers in that building every part of his car has imbued him with the confidence to push his machine to its limit without fear of damaging it. There's simply nothing on the car he could break that he couldn't fix, and if he did, it would only be an opportunity to make it better. You can buy a car like Bob's, but you'll never be Bob, no matter how fat your bankroll.
YearOne's '73 Trans Am McQ twins have probably put to rest once and for all the argument over which is faster in a straight line: turbos or blowers. Both cars are for all practical purposes identical, but the twin turbo was so much faster through the dragstrip speed traps that there was no contest. Controlling all that boost on the autocross, however, is another matter. While the turbo car was technically quicker around the autocross, it was far trickier to drive than the blown car with its more linear power delivery. For the drags, give us the turbo. For the autocross, the blower will be faster in the hands of most drivers.
The biggest heartbreak of the day was arguably Jon Clark's Plymouth Valiant. The flyweight Mopar showed serious potential early on with amazing performances on the dragstrip and in the braking test, but on literally the last lap of the day, the diminutive A-Body just could not complete the autocross, even after turning two very respectable laps in the 54-second range. In the end, we learned much about what it takes to build a well-rounded Mopar performer, and we plan to crib a few tricks from the Flat Bastard if we get management's go-ahead to move on our own '68 Valiant project car.
What can we possibly say about the Roadster Shop '70 C10 truck other than watch out muscle car guys, sometimes an old truck can clean your clock! Classic trucks like the '67-72 Chevy C10 are not only way cheaper to buy than Camaros and Chevelles of the same year and condition, they're relatively light compared to today's trucks. Pull the old clunky chassis out, bolt in a Roadster Shop Fast Track chassis with an LS/T56 powertrain, and go hunting for six-figure exotics on the autocross, road course, or autobahn. We've made bones about how DSE spent the last year-and-a-half tweaking their Mustang stuff—well, the Roadster Shop is no less fanatical and has spent at least as long fine-tuning their Fast Track chassis for the C10, with the result being much the same. You'll be hard pressed to find a quicker setup for a muscle truck than the Roadster Shop Fast Track chassis. If it had been a muscle car and not a truck, the Roadster Shop's C10 would've been our winner with a best overall score of 72.987. Alas, it is a truck, and could only run MCOTY as an exhibition vehicle. Embarrassment spared.
With the 2012 MCOTY in the books, we look forward to 2013 and the fresh and as-yet-unfinished cars it will bring. This year, we saw dominating performances by a few builders, privateers, and suspension manufacturers, but we know there are others out their lurking on the sideline, waiting for the chance to strike. With any luck, we will find them, and shine a very bright light on them for the world to see. In the meantime, you can enjoy the 2012 MCOTY video coverage on our YouTube channel. Look for details on the 2013 MCOTY in the spring!
Final Results: Muscle Car Of The Year
|Final score:
|DSE '66 Mustang
|Kevin King '73 Trans Am
|Ringbrothers Producer Mustang
|JHRS '66 Nova SS
|Bob Bertelsen '71 Camaro
|Mike Cunningham '73 Trans Am
|Jon Clark '68 Plymouth Valiant
|Kevin Miller '69 Camaro
|Kenny Edwards '66 Mustang
|Mike Coughlin '71 Chevy Vega
|Roadster Shop '70 C10 Chevy truck
DNS = did not start, DNF = did not finish, EXH = exhibition
The very first PHR Muscle Car of the Year (MCOTY) competition would try to answer the question: Who's got the quickest Pro Touring muscle car in the land? Mike Coughlin's '71 Chevy Vega (built by Woody's Hot Rodz) was an obvious contender, though it posted a DNF due to teething problems.
The speed/stop event is one of three performance tests at the MCOTY. It's an eighth-mile drag race with a stop box at the end. It's a great test of both acceleration and stopping power, but above all else, it's a test of driver skill. Here, the Detroit Speed '66 Mustang showed why it was the top car in attendance.
The autocross circuit at MCOTY is significantly longer, faster, and with more turns than the typical Goodguys autocross. With lap times in the mid 50-second range, it's closer to a short road course than an autocross. It's a great test of street handling—perfect for Pro Touring cars like Jon Clark's '68 Valiant. The Valiant would just miss completing the MCOTY when gremlins took it out before finishing the final autocross lap.
The first ever MCOTY was held at National Trail Raceway, about 30 miles east of Columbus, Ohio. The invited competitors arrived early on the morning of Monday, July 9, around 7 a.m.—just in time for a drivers' meeting given by PHR Editor Johnny Hunkins.
Think high-end show cars aren't fast just because they have awesome paint and fabrication to die for? We know there are readers who question the capability of show-winning cars like those produced by Johnson's Hot Rod Shop, so we invited Alan Johnson to bring Nathan Powell's '66 Nova to the fray. It was Fourth fastest overall.
The Ghostworks shop was a cornucopia of Pro Touring goodness in 2012—it produced not only Kevin King's turbo'd LS7-powered '73 TA, but John Cunningham's Edelbrock-blown LS7-powered '73 Trans Am. How could we invite one without the other? We were dying to know whether the turbo or the blower would reign.
Picking cars to invite to MCOTY wasn't the easiest, since we only had space and time to test 10 cars. Fortunately, there's always something new and crazy coming out of the YearOne/Ghostworks stable in Braselton, Georgia—like Kevin King's 780 (rear wheel) horsepower twin-turbo '73 Trans Am.
Last year, Kevin Miller came out of nowhere with this immaculately built '69 Camaro. It's homebuilt and features a suspension setup of Miller's own creation. Over the last year, he caught our attention by winning and getting runner-up at a bunch of events. Normally a very reliable and consistent car, Miller's Camaro failed to finish due to a problematic clutch.
Of the privateers in our bunch, Bob Bertelsen's '71 Camaro was the only car that you could say is a contender to win a major national car show. Yet at the same time it was also designed from the outset to be a regularly raced track performer. Having just been built, this was its first-ever track outing. Trust us, there's way more left in it than a mid-pack finish.
We reserved space at MCOTY for last-minute contenders, knowing that we'd be combing the Goodguys event the weekend prior to MCOTY. We found the perfect car and owner/driver in the form of Kenny Edwards and his homebuilt '66 Mustang. We were impressed with Edwards' driving skills, and he was a contender until his engine expired.
The testing at National Trail Raceway went so smoothly for our first MCOTY event (thanks to the Ohio Valley Region of the SCCA!) that we're thinking about adding more open spots for 2013. We will be announcing the next MCOTY soon, so if you want to apply for one of the open positions, keep an eye on PHR for the story—we'll lay out all the entry parameters.
Nobody wanted to compete in the MCOTY more than the guys from the Roadster Shop, so they were absolutely devastated when the client who owned their '69 Camaro pulled out the day before. Could the Camaro have won? We'll never know, however, we did invite the boys to bring their '70 C10 Chevy truck to make exhibition runs and soothe the pain. If it had been a muscle car, it would've been our overall winner.
Meet the Competitors!
Detroit Speed's First Ford
'66 Ford Mustang Fastback
There are an awful lot of firsts associated with this particular '66 fastback. First and foremost, it bested all comers at our first MCOTY competition and took home the title of Muscle Car of the Year. It's also the first in-house Ford test vehicle for Detroit Speed (DSE), and features their very first Mustang suspension system. Even the suspension itself is a first of its kind, with a cast-aluminum cradle that takes the place of the factory brackets and braces and creates an all-new pickup point for an SLA-style suspension. The world of vintage Mustangs just got a revolution.
DSE is known for testing their products prodigiously on the street, autocross, and road course before releasing them for sale to the public, and then continuing to test ad infinitum afterward to find any potential weak links after heavy hard use; and also just because DSE's owners—Kyle and Stacey Tucker—thoroughly enjoy running their cars hard at any opportunity. True to form, this Mustang went through roughly a year and a half of development and testing before being officially unveiled to the public. Luckily, Kyle and Stacey are pretty tight with the car's owner—the fastback actually belongs to Stacey's dad, Ron Lyon.
Out at the MCOTY competition, the Mustang was competitive right from the start. Despite some traction issues off the line on the dragstrip, and with the suspension still tuned for autocross handling, Kyle quick shifted it to consistent 12.5s through almost all of his 10 allotted runs, finishing just barely behind Kenny Edwards and his '66 Mustang, and YearOne with their twin-turbo '73 Trans Am. After that though, it was the DSE show. Kyle snagged the lowest average e.t. in the speed/stop at 9.244 seconds, and ran the fastest autocross average with 51.550 seconds. There was both a GT3 Porsche and Viper on race tires in attendance, and neither could match the Mustang's lap times. Actually, Kyle's best run was an amazing 49-second blur, but a couple of downed cones put that run out of his top three.
Perhaps the most impressive part, however, is that once the event was all wrapped up and the awards had been handed out, Kyle hopped into the Mustang and drove it 400 miles back to Mooresville, North Carolina, without a single issue. To put that in perspective, after driving the Mustang to its limit and exhibiting stellar performance on all fronts and winning our MCOTY competition, as well as runner-up in the Goodguys Columbus autocross the previous day, Kyle stepped it up and proved how perfectly roadworthy the Mustang was. That right there, hot rodders, is the very definition of the type of car that deserves to win the title of Muscle Car of the Year.
There was both a GT3 Porsche and Viper on race tires in attendance, and neither could match the Mustang's lap times.
|Drag average:
|12.547 seconds (12.459 at 121.47 mph best)
|Speed/stop average:
|9.244 seconds (9.180 best)
|Autocross average:
|51.550 seconds (51.213 best)
|Overall score:
By the Numbers
1966 Mustang Fastback
Detroit Speed & Engineering; Mooresville, NC
Type: Roush/Yates 5.0L Coyote
Rotating assembly: Ford crank with Roush/Yates 11:1 forged pistons
Cylinder heads: Ford with porting work by Roush/Yates
Camshaft: custom grind Roush/Yates
Valvetrain: Del West valves with PSI springs
Induction: FRPP Boss 302 intake
Exhaust: Roush/Yates custom stainless steel headers
Engine management/ignition: MoTec
Output: 510 hp, 480 lb-ft of torque
Built by: Roush/Yates
Transmission: Rockland Standard Gear Tranzilla T56 six-speed, DSE shifter, Centerforce DYAD clutch, Dynotech 3.5-inch aluminum driveshaft
Rearend: 4-inch narrowed DSE 9-inch with Detroit Truetrac differential, Speedway Engineering axles, and 4.57 gears
Front suspension: DSE Aluma-Frame with tubular control arms, "Detroit Tuned" rack-and-pinion, remote canister double-adjustable monotube DSE/JRI aluminum coilover shocks with 400-lb/in springs, 1.5-inch splined sway bar, forged spindles
Rear suspension: DSE QuadraLink with DSE/JRI aluminum body coilover shocks with "Detroit Tuned" valving and 175-lb/in springs, Panhard rod, and 1-inch sway bar
Brakes: 14-inch rotors with Baer 6S 6-piston calipers up front, Baer 4T 4-piston in the rear
Wheels & tires: 18×9.5 and 18×11 Formula 43 with 275/35 and 315/30 Michelin Pilot Sport tires
YearOne: McQ's Reboot
1973 Pontiac Trans Am
There must be something about dark green muscle cars and detectives: Bullitt, McQ, and even Spenser: For Hire. We don't know what the common thread was, but all of those cars have strong followings among aficionados. For Kevin King of YearOne, it was John Wayne in a dramatic car chase in a '73 Super Duty Trans Am that really stuck with him. That sounds cool enough, but this car was a little something different: Brewster Green, de-badged, only a small bird on the nose, Super Duty 455, and a four-speed.
Kevin is admittedly a huge F-body fan with a minor collection of notable cars brewing, and to him the perfect embodiment of a badass early second-gen TA was McQ's '73. Well, at least as far as looks go. Kevin had much bigger plans for the rest of the suspension and drivetrain.
The crew in YearOne's Ghostworks Garage threw the DSE catalog at the suspension and chassis to make it a balanced handling machine, but it's what's lurking under the shaker that's really eye-popping. A Chevrolet Performance Parts LS7 crate engine was force-fed a bunch of intercooled air by a pair of Turbonetics turbos to bring the power up to almost 800 at the wheels. That's the daily driver friendly tune—it can do more.
McQ created quite a buzz at the 2011 SEMA show where it debuted, not just because of the color, but because all of the modifications were integrated so subtly that McQ strikes that perfect balance between restoration and custom. It's impossible to not like this car.
Out at the MCOTY competition, McQ ran away from the pack in a hurry on the dragstrip, posting a best e.t. of 11.5 despite being severely traction limited. Set on kill with drag radials, it should be deep in the 10s. The story was the same with the speed/stop, where it posted a best of 9.179.
As for the real McQ Trans Am, one was obviously destroyed in filming, but we've heard that the second car used was later sold cheaply. Unfortunately, as the interweb rumor goes, it was destroyed while the owner was trying to evade the police. Kind of ironic, considering its past.
"For Kevin King of YearOne, it was John Wayne in a dramatic car chase in a '73 Super Duty Trans Am that really stuck with him."
By the Numbers
1973 Pontiac Trans Am • Kevin King/YearOne; Braselton, GA
Type: Chevrolet Performance LS7 crate engine
Rotating assembly: LS7 crank and rods with 8.5:1 Mahle forged pistons
Cylinder heads: stock LS7
Camshaft: stock LS7
Valvetrain: stock LS7
Induction: custom-fabricated Turbonetics twin-turbo system by YearOne/Ghostworks Garage
Exhaust: custom by YearOne/Ghostworks Garage
Ignition: stock LS7
Output: 780 hp to the wheels
Built by: Chevrolet Performance
Transmission: Bowler Performance 4L80E with YearOne shifter, custom driveshaft
Rearend: Moser 9-inch with limited-slip differential and 3.70 gears
Front suspension: DSE hydroformed subframe with tubular control arms, splined sway bar, Koni coilovers, and Eibach springs
Rear suspension: DSE QuadraLink with Koni coilovers and Eibach springs
Brakes: 14-inch rotors with Baer 6S 6-piston calipers, front and rear
Wheels & tires: 18×10 and 18×12 YearOne with 295/35 and 335/30 BFGoodrich KDW tires
|Drag average:
|11.803 seconds (11.500 at 131.60 mph best)
|Speed/stop average:
|9.267 seconds (9.179 best)
|Autocross average:
|53.999 seconds (53.592 best)
|Overall score:
Ringbrothers: The Producer
1965 Ford Mustang
Out of the blue one day back in 2007, Jim and Mike Ring got a call from Gary Bauers. He'd just bought an '07 Shelby Mustang and loved the car, but wanted it to be nicer. He had run across the images of the Ringbrothers past projects online and wanted to ship the Shelby directly to them from the dealership. Jim and Mike agreed, and they transformed the Shelby into a more upscale version of itself.
Gary was exceptionally pleased with the results and enjoyed the car for a few years before he decided he wanted something more evil and more exclusive. Jim and Mike pitched him a concept they'd been rolling around for a while: they'd always thought the early Mustangs looked a bit too thin, so why not widen the whole car by a few inches? Gary loved the idea and told them to go for it. Problem was, Jim and Mike weren't quite sure exactly how to do it yet.
Originally, the plan was to slice the fastback straight down the middle and add inches to the whole car. But after considering the logistics of doing so, especially keeping the shape and proportions of the roof line correct (not to mention the custom glass needed), the idea was scrapped.
They next duct-taped extra quarters, fenders, and doorskins onto the car, but shifted 2 inches outward, and spray bombed the whole thing black to get a visual estimate. The effect was perfect, so much so that Jim doesn't think there will ever be another early Mustang built by Ringbrothers that isn't widened. By the way, if you want your own, the doors, quarters, fenders, end caps, headlight buckets, front and rear fascia, hood, and trunk lid will all be available in carbon fiber and fiberglass. All you need is a rusty fastback.
After snatching up the Goodguys Street Machine of the Year award, Jim and Mike brought the "Producer" (named after Gary's oil industry supply company) out to MCOTY, running and driving it with the intent to win. The Producer was exceptional on all fronts with only a severe traction issue on the dragstrip hurting their final score, but high trap speeds told the tale. It is hard to hook an ultralight carbon-fiber and fiberglass fastback with 740 hp on tap!
"…they'd always thought the early Mustangs looked a bit too thin, so why not widen the whole car by a few inches?"
By the Numbers
1965 Mustang Fastback • Gary Bauers; Waynesburg, PA
Type: Dart-based Ford 436ci Windsor
Rotating assembly: Eagle crank and rods with 12:1 Diamond pistons
Cylinder heads: ported Edelbrock
Camshaft: Crane custom grind
Valvetrain: Crane roller rockers and lifters, T&D shaft rockers
Induction: Edelbrock intake with custom Ringbrothers air induction
Exhaust: Ringbrothers custom headers and exhaust
Ignition: Crane
Output: 740 hp, 700 lb-ft of torque
Built by: Keith Craft
Transmission: Bowler Performance T56, McCleod Racing twin-disc clutch with Hurst shifter
Rearend: Ford 9-inch with 4:10 gears
Front suspension: Art Morrison chassis with tubular control arms, Afco coilovers with 450-lb/in springs
Rear suspension: Art Morrision chassis with Watt's link, Afco coilovers with 250-lb/in springs
Brakes: 14-inch rotors with Baer 6S 6-piston calipers, front and rear
Wheels & tires: 18×10 and 19×12.5 custom Forgeline with 315/30 and 345/30 Michelin Pilot Sport tires
|Drag average:
|12.683 seconds (12.626 at 116.69 mph best)
|Speed/stop average:
|9.839 seconds (9.659 best)
|Autocross average:
|54.033 (53.881 best)
|Overall score:
Top Privateer: Beautiful Brute
1971 Chevy Camaro
We tend to think of high-end, pro-level cars as things that require a full-on pro shop and a good deal of space and equipment to build. Once again, Bob Bertelsen makes us all look lazy. This '71 Camaro, dubbed the Brute, is the second showstopper Bob has created out of his two-bay home garage. The first, a '72 Trans Am known as Code Red, you saw here in PHR on the cover of our Dec. '10 issue. That one is still in use, but Bob had more ideas he wanted explore. For the Brute, he wanted a similar ethos as Code Red: civil, comfortable subtle custom touches, and modern handling ability, but he wanted to dial everything else up a notch. We'd say it actually ended up being a few notches, as it barely missed being a finalist for the Goodguys Street Machine of the Year. Though he didn't take that award, Bob did capture the Goodguys Muscle Machine of the Year award. Shortly thereafter, he also received the Renegade award at the Motorstate Challenge. And this is only the fourth car he's ever built.
So how does Bob make it happen in a home garage? He believes in the theory that if someone else can do it so can he. Plus, he's not afraid to ask questions and get advice from experienced builders like the Ringbrothers, DSE's Kyle Tucker, Mark Stielow, and Brian Finch—all of whom Bob says have been very helpful and who are always willing to answer questions.
At the MCOTY competition, Bob was obviously enjoying himself and quickly used up all 10 of his possible runs on the dragstrip. The Brute did well, until the autocross course, where Bob said it felt rough and down on power. It wasn't until later he discovered that a shredded belt had knocked loose one of the coil packs; he was running on seven cylinders. Once fixed, Bob drove the Brute three hours home since he'd loaned fellow competitor Ken Edwards his trailer after his engine failed.
Since he's sure the car is faster than his driving skills currently allow, Bob plans to run a lot of SCCA events, as well as Run Through the Hills, LS Fest, and hopefully the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational. You will see this car a lot in the coming year!
"So how does Bob make it happen in a home garage? He believes in the theory that if someone else can do it so can he."
|Drag average:
|13.149 seconds (13.047 at 113.16 mph best)
|Speed/stop average:
|9.663 (9.561 best)
|Autocross average:
|55.771 (55.287 best)
|Overall score:
By the Numbers
1971 Chevy Camaro • Bob Bertelsen; Columbiana, OH
Type: 427ci GM LS7
Rotating assembly: Callies forged crank and H-beam rods, 11.4:1 Mahle forged pistons
Cylinder heads: Mast Motorsports CNC LS7
Camshaft: Mast Motorsports custom grind
Valvetrain: stock LS7 with Mast nitrided dual valvesprings and chrome-moly pushrods
Induction: Chevrolet Performance LS7
Exhaust: DSE headers with 1.875-inch primaries and 3-inch collectors, Flowmaster Super 44 mufflers, custom exhaust by Bertelsen
Engine management/ignition: Mast Motorsports 120 ECU
Output: 675 hp at 6,700 rpm, 575 lb-ft of torque at 5,300 rpm
Built by: Mast Motorsports
Transmission: Bolwer Performance Tremec T56 Magnum, Spec clutch
Rearend: Moser 9-inch with Truetrac diff and 3.89 gears
Front suspension: DSE hydroformed subframe with tubular controls arms, JRI coilovers with 450-lb/in springs, rack-and-pinion, DSE spindles, and splined sway bar
Rear suspension: DSE QuadraLink with JRI coilovers and 250-lb/in springs
Brakes: 14-inch rotors with Baer 6S 6-piston calipers, front and rear
Wheels & tires: 18×10 and 18×12 Forgeline with 275/35 and 335/30 BFGoodrich KDW tires
Johnson's Hot Rod Shop: No Poser!
1966 Chevy II Nova SS
It's not hard to look at a car built to the extremely high level of show car execution and detail that Johnson's Hot Rod Shop (JHRS) turns out. Alan Johnson is famous for making the undercarriage as perfect as the top—which is the way it should be when the car is a potential contender for Goodguys' Street Machine of the Year award. So surely it couldn't perform as good as it looks, right? After all, it's an unwritten rule that you have to sacrifice some things in the name of style. Apparently Alan Johnson never got that memo. This gorgeous little Chevy II does everything well, especially cone carving. What's the secret? Historically Chevy IIs never posted great numbers in the handling department since they had very limited upgrades available, but DSE's recently released front subframe and suspension and QuadraLink rear suspension changed all of that in a hurry. So not only could Johnson give this Chevy II that oh-so-low, nicely raked Alabama slamma stance that's a signature of his cars, but he didn't have to give up one bit of handling potential along the way.
We caught a sneak peak at the car's potential on the Goodguys Columbus autocross, but we got the full picture on our high-speed SCCA-designed course at the MCOTY competition. The Chevy II was impressively easy to throw around and garnered a Third Place finish just behind DSE's '65 Mustang and Kevin Miller's '69 Camaro. Considering that both of those cars are purpose-built track cars with nowhere near the same show-winning detail, the JHRS Nova was arguably the most outstanding vehicle in attendance. Quite a few competitors were surprised to say the least.
The Chevy II had traction issues off the line on the dragstrip, which kept the e.t.'s a bit higher in the quarter-mile than they should have been, but the JHRS Nova made up for it in the speed/stop challenge. All averaged out, the Chevy II just barely missed a podium finish, earning Fourth overall. That's still impressive, considering the decidedly aggressive competition.
"…it's an unwritten rule that you have to sacrifice some things in the name of style. Apparently Alan Johnson never got that memo."
By the Numbers
1966 Chevy Nova SS • Nathan Powell; Chelsea, AL
Type: 383ci small-block Chevy
Rotating assembly: forged stroker crank and rods, 10:1 pistons
Cylinder heads: Edelbrock aluminum
Camshaft: custom grind by Automotive Racing Specialists
Valvetrain: COMP Cams
Induction: Edelbrock intake, Holley carb
Exhaust: custom headers and exhaust by JHRS
Ignition: MSD
Output: untested
Built by: Automotive Racing Specialists
Transmission: Bowler Performance TKO600 five-speed manual, Spec clutch
Rearend: Johnson's Hot Rod Shop 9-inch with Detroit Truetrac differential and 3.30 gears
Front suspension: DSE subframe with tubular control arms, DSE/JRI aluminum coilovers with "Detroit Tuned" valving, DSE power rack-and-pinion, splined sway bar, C6 Corvette spindles
Rear suspension: DSE QuadraLink with DSE/JRI aluminum coilovers, 1-inch Sway bar
Brakes: 14-inch rotors with Wilwood 6-piston calipers, front and rear
Wheels & tires: 18×9 and 18×10 one-off from Evod Industries with 255/35 and 285/40 BFGoodrich KDW tires
|Drag average:
|13.807 seconds (13.68 at 106.47 mph best)
|Speed/stop average:
|9.674 (9.633 best)
|Autocross average:
|53.371 (53.090 best)
|Overall score:
YearOne: The Right One
1973 Pontiac Trans Am
John Cunningham is another guy who can trace his TA devotion back to that infamous green car in McQ; ever since he saw that movie at a drive-in with his dad back in 1974, he's been a second-gen F-body fanatic. And we do mean fanatic; John typically has a dozen in various states of project form around at any given time. He actually passed by this particular '73 TA for roughly three years before finally stopping to check on it. Once he did, there was something about the Buccaneer Red, 74K original-mile, 455ci, four-speed, A/C package that spoke to him. This was a good car.
Four-speed cars are pretty rare, so at first John just wanted to restore it to stock and drive it. Then he decided to swap in a five-speed so he could run the Power Tour easier. Well, maybe a more modern engine too. And with that, the focus flipped 180 degrees into building a perfected version of the original car. Spurred on by his buddy Kevin King of YearOne, who had just bought his own '73 to build the McQ car, parts started to arrive in droves.
All that changing direction stretched the time line out a few years, but with the help of the YearOne/Ghostworks crew, John's TA was ready to roll with DSE suspension, a six-speed, and an Edelbrock-supercharged LS7 underhood. Of course, as a TA aficionado, John couldn't ruin a rare car. He saved every original nut, bolt, and part, and no permanent changes were made—just in case he wanted it back to original. We don't see that happening.
The finished car is just too nice and performs amazingly well while being absolutely civil. At MCOTY, the TA performed without a hitch, which is good because when John says that it was built to drive, he means it. After running hard at MCOTY, he and King hopped in their respective TAs and drove through the mountains in Virginia and West Virginia, then down through the Carolinas to YearOne headquarters in Braselton, Gerogia. John then drove another 500 miles back to his place in Kentucky. Now that's a street car!
"…as a TA aficionado, John couldn't ruin a rare car; he saved every original nut, bolt, and part, and no permanent changes were made…"
By the Numbers
1973 Pontiac Firebird • John Cunningham; Mayfield, KY
Type: Chevrolet Performance LS7 crate engine
Rotating assembly: stock LS7
Cylinder Heads: stock LS7
Camshaft: stock LS7
Valvetrain: stock LS7
Induction: Edelbrock E-Force supercharger, custom air induction by YearOne/Ghostworks Garage
Exhaust: custom headers and exhaust by YearOne/Ghostworks Garage
Engine management/ignition: Chevrolet Performance ECU
Output: 570 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque at the wheels
Built by: Chevrolet Performance/YearOne
Transmission: Tremec T56 Magnum with McCleod clutch
Rearend: 10-bolt with limited-slip diff and 3.23 gears
Front suspension: DSE hydroformed subframe with tubular control arms, splined sway bar, Koni coilovers, and Eibach springs
Rear suspension: DSE QuadraLink with Koni coilovers and Eibach springs
Brakes: 14-inch rotors with Baer 6S 6-piston calipers, front and rear
Wheels & tires: 18×10 and 18×12 YearOne with 295/35 and 335/30 BFGoodrich KDW tires
|Drag average:
|12.686 seconds (12.675 at 116.42 mph best)
|Speed/stop average:
|9.954 seconds (9.803 best)
|Autocross average:
|58.210 seconds (57.317 best)
|Overall score:
Jon Clark's Flat Bastard
1968 Plymouth Valiant
We couldn't wait to see Jon Clark and Flat Bastard run the events at MCOTY; one, because it's a badass offbeat car (and you know how we love those); two, because we already ran the story on it in our Oct. '12 issue; and three, because we happen to have a '68 Valiant of our own in the fleet. We're not saying we invited Jon simply for the chance to go over Flat B with a fine-tooth comb in person for ideas, but we're not saying that had nothing to do with it either!
Flat B was supposed to be a simple project for a simple car. Jon wanted to stay away from fabrication or high-end work and keep it like a garage-built car by using the best bolt-in suspension and parts available on a very pedestrian and affordable car.
True to plan, Flat B is mostly an everyday dude's kind of car—except underhood. This is where things get a little hairy. Rather than a simple RB or Wedge, Jon went full kill and put together an aluminum World Products–based Wedge engine making a hair under 700 hp. But hey, it is a bolt-in!
The plans for driving it everywhere didn't change though, so in preparation for bad mileage on long trips like Power Tour, a gigantic 32-gallon fuel cell was built. Of course at 6.2 pounds per gallon, a full 198-pound tank might help weight transfer off the line!
It had teething problems, but Flat B made it all the way through MCOTY until the very last run in the autocross, where electrical gremlins and issues with the throttle body hanging open caused Jon to DNF. Besides that, the only issue we saw was Flat B blow the tires off at the drop of a hat, requiring cautious throttling on the course. Jon's Valiant—our only Mopar—had some tantalizingly brilliant moments. It posted—by a good margin—the shortest speed/stop time of any car (8.977 seconds), and had the second fastest trap speed (124.58 mph) of all the cars in the drag race. If the motor hadn't quit before the final autocross lap, who knows how the tables would've turned.
Jon wasn't upset and loved the experience: "I'm pulling g's on the learning curve. To be able to do it with heavyweights in the industry was an opportunity I couldn't miss." Next he'll be headed to Run Through the Hills as well as other events to continue sorting out issues and finding out where refinement is needed.
"…Flat B is mostly an everyday dude's kind of car—except underhood. This is where things get a little hairy."
By the Numbers
1968 Plymouth Valiant • Jon Clark; Grosse Point Park, MI
Type: 528ci World Products Mopar aluminum block
Rotating assembly: forged crank and rods with 10.5:1 Diamond pistons
Cylinder heads: ported Edelbrock Victor Max Wedge with 2.20/1.80 valves
Camshaft: Ray Barton custom grind
Valvetrain: Crane 1.6 rockers
Induction: Edelbrock intake, Holley 2,000-cfm throttle body
Exhaust: TTI 2-inch headers, ARCA take-off side pipes
Engine management/ignition: Holley HP EFI with MSD ignition
Output: 688 hp at 6,300 rpm and 650 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm
Built by: Ray Barton
Transmission: American Powertrain Tremec T-6060 six-speed manual, Mean Street clutch
Rearend: Mopar 8.75-inch rear with Sure-Grip diff and 3.91 gears
Front suspension: AlterKtion tubular K-member, AGR rack-and-pinion, QA1 coilovers, Reilly Motorsports spindles, and 1.5-inch sway bar
Rear suspension: Street Lynx four-link with QA1 coilovers
Brakes: Wilwood 12-inch discs with 4-piston calipers, front and rear
Wheels & tires: 18×7 and 18×9 Forgeline with 225/40 and 275/35 Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 tires
|Drag average:
|12.663 seconds (12.283 at 124.58 mph best)
|Speed/stop average:
|9.542 seconds (8.977 best)
|Autocross average:
|DNF (54.252 best)
|Overall score:
Kevin Miller: Never Give Up
1969 Chevy Camaro
Kevin Miller's ambitions for his '69 Camaro project sound like so many others that we've heard: "I wanted to build a car that I could take to autocross and track events and be competitive, but I also wanted it to be a comfortable street car for local shows and cruise nights." Who doesn't want that, right? The difference here is that Kevin totally followed through on all fronts and built a car in his garage that works very well on all fronts and hits all the right style points as well. We liked it right away when we spotted him last year in Nashville, and at subsequent autocross events where we've crossed paths with Kevin and his Camaro.
The Camaro didn't start out anywhere near this nice though; Kevin bought it from his stepdad back in 2007 as a shell in need of everything. Over the next three years, Kevin scrimped and saved every penny he could, short of neglecting bills, and spent every free minute wrenching on it. It took an immense amount of hard work and dedication, which Kevin credits his stepdad, Scott Mack, for helping him maintain. Scott has built several cars over the years and was currently finishing up a Penske/Donahue Sonoco Trans-Am Camaro clone as Kevin was starting his '69. Having been through all the frustrations himself, Scott knew how to help keep Kevin on track building his dream car.
The Camaro's debut actually came about on the autocross course at Goodguys in Kansas where even out of the box with no tuning it worked surprisingly well. At MCOTY, Kevin was looking very competitive right from the beginning with consistent 12.8 quarter-mile runs all the way through. He looked good in the speed/stop on his first run with a 9.52 as well, but the clutch went away on the second run, causing Kevin to DNF in the speed/stop event. That wasn't going to stop him from doing his very best on the autocross portion though. With a push start from a friend, and only having Second gear, Kevin relied on skill and ended up posting the second fastest scored average of the day in the autocross. If not for a bad clutch, he might have finished in the top three. We don't have a trophy for it, but we'd like to officially give Kevin the "Spirit of MCOTY" award for staying in and giving it his all.
"Kevin scrimped and saved every penny he could, short of neglecting bills, and spent every free minute wrenching on it."
By the Numbers
1969 Chevy Camaro • Kevin Miller; Baldwin City, KS
Type: '05 Cadillac CTS-V 5.7L GM LS6
Rotating assembly: stock LS6
Cylinder heads: stock LS6
Camshaft: COMP Cams XER 224/230 degrees duration at .050
Valvetrain: Trick Flow chrome-moly pushrods with lightweight retainers, COMP Cams LSX dual springs
Induction: stock LS6 with custom air induction
Exhaust: LS6 manifolds, custom exhaust with 40-Series Flowmaster mufflers
Ignition: GM LS6 ECU
Output: untested, 500 hp estimate
Built by: Chevrolet Performance/Kevin Miller
Transmission: '98 Camaro Tremec T56, Sachs clutch, Hurst shifter
Rearend: Ford 9-inch narrowed 2 inches with 3.89 gears
Front suspension: RideTech triple-adjustable coilovers with 450-lb/in springs, Speedway Engineering 1.25-inch splined sway bar, Unisteer rack-and-pinion
Rear suspension: RideTech triple-adjustable coilovers with 225-lb/in springs, Vintage Racing and Performance 1-inch splined sway bar
Brakes: C6 Corvette Z51, front and rear
Wheels & tires: 18×11 and 18×12 Forgeline ZX3 with 285/30 and 335/30 BFGoodrich KDW tires
|Drag average:
|12.844 seconds (12.806 at 110.92 mph best)
|Speed/stop average:
|DNF (9.520 best)
|Autocross average:
|51.645 seconds (51.418 best)
|Overall score:
Kenny Edwards: Keepin It Simple
1966 Ford Mustang
Since its not uncommon for invitees to an event like this to drop out for some reason, our plan was always to keep our eyes peeled for worthy competitors at Goodguys Columbus—and what better locale than the autocross track? Thats where we first laid eyes on a little red 66 Mustang that was laying down blistering times around the course. By the time the dust settled at Goodguys, this cool little pony was the second fastest car in attendance, irrespective of cost. We liked the vintage race style of the car immediately, especially the subtly flared fenders and quarters, but it was the overall simplicity of the car itself that really won us over. Like David fighting Goliath, Ken Edwards was running against highly dialed-in cars with advanced suspension and chassis components with a Mustang that would be legal for vintage road racing. That means it was essentially stock underneath, with just stiff coil and leaf springs, thicker sway bars, and the Shelby control arm relocation mod. And yet Ken made it deep into the PHR Street Machine autocross finals before losing by a couple tenths of a second to a seasoned driver with a very fast car with mega-buck parts.
Was it all driver skill, or had Ken just nailed the right parts package? We didnt care; this thing kicked ass. Even better was the fact that Kens son was also competing alongside his dad with his 68 Camaro—both of which had been driven from Smithtown, New York, as part of a father/son muscle car road trip. We couldnt invent a better story than that. Invite offered.
At the MCOTY competition, Ken knew victory could be his, so he had his throttle foot set on kill right away in the days first event and turned out some impressively fast e.t.s in the quarter-mile. Unfortunately, running the engine near redline on the Goodguys autocross course followed by several flat-out runs on the dragstrip ended up being too much for the engine and Ken had to bow out with catastrophic failure. He did at least walk away with the second-fastest drag average of the day, losing out only to Kevin Kings twin-turbo TA.
By the Numbers
1966 Ford Mustang Ken Edwards; Smithtown, NY
Type: 364ci Ford Windsor
Rotating assembly: Scat crank and rods
Cylinder heads: ported Trick Flow Twisted Wedge
Camshaft: Isky custom solid roller
Valvetrain: COMP Cams roller rockers and lifters
Induction: Ford Racing single-plane intake, race-prepped Holley 700 cfm
Exhaust: unknown used headers with custom exhaust
Ignition: MSD Performance ignition
Output: untested
Built by: McBetts
Transmission: Tremec T3550 with Centerforce clutch and Hurst shifter
Rearend: Ford 9-inch with Eaton Truetrac diff and 3.89 gears
Front suspension: Maier Racing coil springs and sway bar, Koni shocks, Shelby mod to upper control arm
Rear suspension: Maier Racing leaf springs and sway bar, Koni shocks
Brakes: 13-inch rotors with Wilwood 4-piston calipers
Wheels & tires: 17×9 Vintage Wheel Works V45 with 255/40 and 275/40 Falken Azenis tires
|Drag average:
|12.462 seconds (12.411 at 103.65 mph best)
|Speed/stop average:
|Autocross average:
|Overall score:
Woodys Hot Rodz: The Jega
1971 Chevy Vega
So who on earth builds a high-end Vega with a pro builder like Woodys Hot Rodz? Well, the whole thing started with a 99-cent Hot Wheels car that Chris Sondles of WHR found one day. Chris dad had campaigned a Vega drag car years back, and his good friend Mike Coughlin of Jegs had as well. The little Hot Wheels car was yellow and black like the livery the Jegs race cars wear, so Chris sent it to Mike as a joke. Shortly after that, Mike gives Chris a call and said: "This thing is too cool; we need to build it."
Chris assumed it was a joke at first, and replied that the hardest part would be finding the car. "Already found one," Mike said. Three days later, a 71 Vega showed up at WHR. Initially, the plan was just to drop a big honkin engine in it and go fast in a straight line, because, really, what else do you do with a Vega? But Mike already has drag cars and decided hed rather have something that he could have fun driving and get involved in autocross events with. Since nothing like that exists for Vegas, Chris worked with Art Morrison Enterprises to design one of their Max-G full chassis for it.
The build progressed fairly quickly, but in true last-minute-cram style, 21 days before our MCOTY competition it wasnt even painted yet. WHR made it happen, though, and the finished Jegs Vega (we call it the Jega. Dont you dare roll your eyes; you love that name) truly looks almost exactly like the Hot Wheels—right down to the paint scheme and five-spoke wheels.
At MCOTY, the Jega looked like a major contender with a good chassis and plenty of power on tap, but some transmission issues took them out of the running almost right away. The Coughlins are very competitive, though, so next time the Jega resurfaces you can be assured itll be fully sorted and competitive. The plan is to spend some time on Goodguys autocrosses in preparation for a re-debut at the 2013 LS Fest.
"Initially, the plan was just to drop a big honkin engine in it and go fast in a straight line, because, really, what else do you do with a Vega?"
By the Numbers
1971 Chevy Vega Mike Coughlin Jr., Delaware, OH
Type: cast-iron 454ci LSX
Rotating assembly: Chevrolet Performance nodular iron crank, powdered metal rods, 9:1 forged pistons
Cylinder heads: LS3 rectangle port
Camshaft: Chevrolet Performance .551/.522-inch lift, 204/211 degrees at .050
Valvetrain: 1.7 ratio roller rockers
Induction: FAST LSXR intake with FAST 102mm throttle intake
Exhaust: custom headers and exhaust by Woodys
Engine management/ignition: FAST XFI
Output: 620 hp, 590 lb-ft of torque
Built by: Chevrolet Performance
Transmission: Hughes 4L60E, 3,500-stall converter
Rearend: Art Morrison 9-inch with Strange 3.70 gears
Front suspension: custom Art Morrison Max-g chassis with Penske double-adjustable coilovers
Rear suspension: custom Art Morrison Max-g chassis with four-link, Watts link, and Penske double-adjustable coilovers
Brakes: 13-inch rotors with Wilwood 6-piston calipers, front and rear
Wheels & tires: Weld Racing RTS with BFGoodrich g-Force
|Drag average:
|Speed/stop average:
|Autocross average:
|Overall score:
The Big Surprise
The Roadster Shops 1970 Chevy C10
First things first: we know a C10 pickup is not a muscle car and violates the rules of entry to the MCOTY competition, but it has good reason for being there. Phil and Jeremy Gerber of The Roadster Shop were originally planning to attend with a 69 Camaro they completed for a customer and entered in the running for Street Machine of the Year (SMOTY) at the Goodguys Columbus show. The Camaro was a stunner and made it into the semifinal round of judging, but didnt progress into the finals. No big deal; Phil and Jeremy had run the autocross course as part of the SMOTY qualifications and were prepared to really showcase what a Fast Track chassis could do under a 69 Camaro.
The owner of the car, unfortunately, got a case of cold feet when he realized how much more aggressive our MCOTY event was going to be and pulled the plug. Phil and Jeremy were bummed as they didnt have anything else to throw into the ring, except Phils daily driver, a 70 C10. Originally a very beat pickup that they got as a development mule for the Fast Track C10 chassis, the truck had recently undergone a factory-style restoration and came along to Columbus for promotion of the chassis.
After witnessing how quick the C10 had lapped the Goodguys course, we offered to let the boys bring it to the MCOTY competition as exhibition only, knowing that they would put on a good show. Phil and Jeremy jumped at the chance, since they were just ready to go thrash on the truck for fun and further R&D, and also because they knew they had a surprise in store for all the muscle cars in attendance.
Call it big sticky tires, plenty of power, or just good driving and chassis tuning, but The Roadster Shop C10 proceeded to kick some serious sheetmetal in every event at MCOTY. As a matter of fact, if it had been running as a timed competitor, it wouldve taken First Place. In a truck. No kidding. Consider our minds blown.
"Call it big sticky tires, plenty of power, or just good driving and chassis tuning, but The Roadster Shop C10 proceeded to kick some serious sheetmetal
By the Numbers
1970 Chevy C10 pickup truck
The Roadster Shop; Mundelein, IL
Type: 510ci RHS LSX
Rotating assembly: forged crank, rods, and pistons
Cylinder heads: RHS
Camshaft: custom grind
Valvetrain: COMP Cams roller rockers and lifters
Induction: LS7 intake
Exhaust: custom headers and exhaust by The Roadster Shop
Engine management/ignition: Holley HP EFI
Output: 730 hp and 690 lb-ft of torque
Built by: Turnkey Engine Supply
Transmission: Bowler Performance Tremec T56 Magnum, Zoom twin-disc clutch
Rearend: Strange 9-inch, Wavetrac diff, 4.10 gears
Front Suspension: The Roadster Shop Fast Track chassis and suspension, Afco double-adjustable coilovers with 500-lb/in springs, Woodward rack-and-pinion, C6 Corvette spindles, splined sway bar
Rear Suspension: Roadster Shop Fast Track chassis and suspension, Afco double-adjustable coilovers with 350-lb/in springs
Brakes: 14- and 13-inch rotors with Wilwood 6-piston calipers
Wheels & tires: 19×12 and 20×12 Forgeline with 345/35 Michelin Pilot Sport (220 treadwear)
|Drag average:
|12.307 seconds (12.254 at 121.17 mph best)
|Speed/stop average:
|9.322 seconds (9.293 best)
|Autocross average:
|51.357 seconds (51.178 best)
|Overall score:


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A Solo-Trip to Amazing Ayutthaya and Bangkok!
15 July 2015
My love for travel is unconditional I would say. I always wish to explore and learn on my own through experiencing things. One such amazing experience was this SOLO-TRIP to THAILAND during May 2015.
I had THE BEST time exploring the ancient ruins of AYUTTHAYA , the beautiful temples of BANGKOK and world's largest weekend market CHATUCHAK.
The people of Thailand are very friendly and polite.
Some of the best foods i tried were Roti Sai Mai and Coconut Ice Cream at Ayutthaya, Mango with sticky rice in the streets of Bangkok. Thai veg curry with Thai rice at The Atlanta, Bangkok. During my stay at Bangkok, most of the time I took skytrain to visit the places and tuk-tuk for few. My suggestion for anyone who travels to Bangkok is to take the Skytrain to visit the places as it saves time and money as well.
Overall, my solo-trip has made me more confident and to know more about myself. Gearing up for my upcoming trips !
"Earn, Learn, Travel and Explore" :)


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Julia Messenger has been consistently crowned by many in the U.S. as the 'Queen of Chill'.
Her songs and productions have appeared on numerous compilations alongside artists such as: Moby, Groove Armada, Goldfrapp, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Zero 7, Joss Stone, Norah Jones to name just a few.
Throughout her career, Julia has caught the attention of many notable artists. Most recently DJ Superstar Ferry Corsten. She has also regularly collaborated with - Klaus Schulze of 'Tangerine Dream' and 'Alphaville'; Massive Attack's engineer Jeremy Allom; Henning Schmitz (Kraftwerk); Waldeck (Vienna); Hans Nieswandt (Germany); Frank Elting (Berlin); PFL (Hannover), Ian Melrose (Clannad ), MOD X (Paris), Moodfood (Grammy winner- USA) and Marcus Worgull. She also collaborates with grammy nominee Scott Rockenfield (Queensrÿche) writing film music.
New York Times mentioned Julia's song Look Up Look Down as one of the top 10 on the playlist for U.S. restaurants.
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Take a look at the brochures for most wedding venues and, chances are, you'll see the traditional bride and groom. But not at the Four Seasons, located in Baltimore's Harbor East neighborhood. The four-star luxury hotel has some new brochures that include same-sex couples.
"Of course, we were thrilled when Maryland legalized same-sex marriages," says Martha Morningstar, director of catering and conference services at the Four Seasons. "We wanted to make sure we did things greatly and take care of all of our couples."
One of the first orders of business was taking a course at the Gay Wedding Institute in New York, which led to creating marketing material with same-sex couples. So the Four Seasons contacted acclaimed wedding photographer David Hartcorn and new brochures, including a mix of couples, were born.
"It's wonderful to have collateral that truly reflects the city we live in, which is really diverse," says Morningstar. "It truly represents the city we live in and we're really proud of what we're doing here. Our goal, regardless of the event, is to create very memorable and unique experiences for all of our couples."
The brochures are scheduled to be released in September.


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The first wave of "launch" copies of March 19th's Gears of War: Judgment will come bundled with a bonus $US19.99 "value", according to a Microsoft press release emailed this morning.
That "value"?
A download code for the original Gears of War, which the company says "more than half" of the players of the last Gears game — Gears of War 3 — didn't play. That late-2006 game launched for $US60 and goes for $US19.99 if you want to download it to your Xbox 360 now.
It's nice to get a free game when buying another game, right? Even if there's a strong chance that nearly half the people buying this new game probably already played it. After all, that's as valid a way to interpret Microsoft's research stat as Microsoft's way, no?
So what's a game that maybe nearly half of the Gears faithful already played really worth? 20 bucks? Zero bucks (complete with an order for the $US60 Judgment)?
It's notable that Microsoft is even trying to sell the original five year old Gears for $US20 these days. Who thinks that's a good price for a game that has enjoyed two iterative sequels and is about to get a third? On Steam, on PSN, games that old often go for far less.


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A spider crawls up the leg of 18-year-old India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) early in Park Chan-wook's English-language debut, "Stoker," and she regards it passively, intrigued.
There's a creepy intruder in the Stokers' handsome, isolated estate, but it's India's Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode), whose existence India was unaware of until he arrived following the death of her father (Dermot Mulroney) in a mysterious car accident. Dashing, cultured and oozing melodramatic evil, he's an homage to Joseph Cotton's Uncle Charlie - a murder in a suit jacket at the dinner table - from Alfred Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt."
Park, the celebrated South Korean filmmaker of stylistic, hyper-violent revenge tales ("Oldboy," "Lady Vengeance") has long drawn Hitchcock comparisons. In "Stoker," he makes them explicit, with references not just to "Shadow of a Doubt," but "Psycho" and maybe even "The Birds," if we can agree that Hitchcock forever owns violent attacks in phone booths.
The plot outlines of "Stoker" from the screenplay by Wentworth Miller, a TV actor and star of "Prison Break," share some of the basics of the nifty "Shadow of a Doubt" and countless other thrillers, but it's emphatically a Park film. In his first Hollywood movie, there isn't even a slight dip in his brilliant, colorful compositions (with his usual cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung), his grisly flesh tearing, or his extreme warping of genre.
But the question with Park (whose "Oldboy" will later this year be released as a remake by Spike Lee) is whether his genre contortions are purely for the fetishistic pleasure of seeing characters and bodies - movies - mangled and bloodied. "Stoker" certainly relies too much on its heavy Gothic atmosphere, but it does add up to something - particularly because of Wasikowska's deft performance.
"Stoker" begins in a lush montage of rhythmic freeze frames of India, with an ominous police car in the background, ruminating in a voice-over about her nature: "Just as a flower doesn't choose its color, we don't choose what we are going to be." The foreshadowing sets the tone for a pulpy coming of age story, where India's transition into womanhood comes via incestuous desires and buried corpses.
With stringy black hair shrouding her face, India is a dour, intelligent introvert - a kind of Victorian shadow of Wasikowska's Jane Eyre. She doesn't like to be touched, not even by her mom (Nicole Kidman), and her acute sensitivity picks up the whispers at her father's funeral, the thundering tick of a metronome and (in one of the many heavy symbols of India's maturation) her loud cracking of a hardboiled eggshell, rolled on a table.
Charlie has an immediate, eerie interest in India. He stays at the house, and a lurid triangle forms between Charlie, India and her mother, Evelyn. Evelyn throws herself at Charlie, who all the while is eyeing India. Visitors like India's aunt (Jacki Weaver) quickly disappear, some on screen and some off.
Park rarely metes out violence with guns, preferring more tactile gruesomeness with objects like scissors or a hammer. Here employed to bloody ends are a rock, a pencil and a belt.
The movie has a dreamy, heightened air. The dialogue is arch and the whole affair is over-the-top; certain moments of sexual release are tacky and unforgettable. The melodrama doesn't rise to Pedro Almodovar levels of sublime, but to intoxicating macabre outlandishness.
The Charlie and Everlyn characters veer too far into camp. Making the best of it are Goode and Kidman, who, with last year's "The Paperboy," has paired two of the most hothouse movies you'll ever see. Their characters aren't anything like real people, and it's such aspects of "Stoker" that make it seem like a mere provocation, one that only marvels at how splayed blood looks on crimson wallpaper.
But Park keeps his cameras close to Wasikowska, whose breathless uncertainty - Is Charlie a spider to shoo or embrace? What kind of flower is she? - propels the film, saving it from becoming suffocated in its masterly formalism.
"Stoker" is an exquisitely made grotesque that crawls up your leg.
"Stoker," a Fox Searchlight release, is rated R for disturbing violent and sexual content. Running time: 98 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.↵ Use original player Stoker Trailer By FilmsActuTrailers YouTube


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Related Programming
Members' Gallery Talk, Wednesday, February 8, 12–1 PM
Linda Muehlig, SCMA curator of paintings and sculpture and Peter Bloom, Grace Jarcho Ross 1933 Professor of Humanities, SC Music Department, will lead a gallery talk on the exhibition. Members: $5 | Student Members: FREE RSVP by February 7: firstname.lastname@example.com or 413.585.2777
Second Friday, February 10, 4–8 PM
Ooh La La! Step into a Parisian Cafe
Light French fare by Riff's Cafe beginning at 4 PM
4–6 PM Hands on! art-making for ages 4+ w/adult (while supplies last)
6–6:30 PM Open Eyes: informal guided gallery conversation
Family Day @ SCMA: Look & Listen!, Saturday, March 3, 10 AM–3 PM
Hands-on music- and art-making, inspired by the connections between music and visual art.
Second Friday, March 9, 4–8 PM
4–6 PM Hands on! art-making for ages 4+ w/adult (while supplies last)
6–6:30 PM Open Eyes: informal guided gallery conversation
7 PM Lecture by Laura Kalba, consulting curator, DEBUSSY'S PARIS "Hearing Voices: The Soundscape and Visual Culture of Debussy's Paris"
Stoddard Auditorium (across Elm Street, opposite Museum)
Music in DEBUSSY'S PARIS, A Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Claude Debussy, Friday–Sunday, March 9–11
In association with the exhibition, DEBUSSY'S PARIS, the Smith College Music Department presents a weekend of concerts, lectures, and more. Free and open to all. Complete details: www.smith.edu/music/calendar.php
Exhibition Tour, Saturday, May 26, 2 PM
Join Linda Muehlig, associate director for curatorial affairs, and curator of painting and sculpture, SCMA, for a free tour of DEBUSSY'S PARIS


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Rocky S2V GORE-TEX® Waterproof 400G Insulated Tactical Military Boot
Select a Color : SAGE GREEN
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Select a Size : 8
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Rocky S2V GORE-TEX® Waterproof 400G Insulated Tactical Military Boot
Select a Color : SAGE GREEN
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Select a Size : 8
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Additional Information
The Rocky® S2V GORE-TEX® Waterproof Insulated Tactical Military Boot is GSA-approved and Berry Compliant. Made in the USA for the wearers working to keep our country great.
A collection of thoughtfully crafted features makes this military boot exceptional. Waterproof and breathable GORE-TEX® construction is a durable solution to success-ruining wetness. Your feet will stay dry and cozy while you act courageously, and your boot will outlast any challenge. Triple-stitched flash- and water-resistant leather guarantees a surviving shoe.
This 8-inch boot is complete with 400 grams of 3M™ Thinsulate Ultra Insulation, adding comfort and warmth in unaccommodating conditions. Proprietary high-walled Vibram sole are stitched to the upper, contributing incomparable support to your skilled stride. A fiberglass shank is a lightweight element that allows you to avoid unnecessary impact, making for more enjoyable, pain-free afterhours.
While you're taking care of others, let Rocky take care of you. This sturdy military boot is PTFE coated for reliable flame-resistance. Additionally, Roll-Stop Ankle Stability™ prevents injuries and protects your quick-acting feet!
This high-tech boot's intelligent design extends into its interior. A Wicking Dri-Lex lining lets you focus on more important matters than the risk of moisture reaching your feet. Carry on confidently in any wet environment, knowing you'll leave the scene dry. A Lycra Tongue adds extra cushion and lets you enter and exit this boot with ease.
If you're looking for a durable military boot that'll work as hard as you do, the Rocky S2V GORE-TEX Waterproof Insulated Tactical Military Boot is a perfect pick.
- 400 grams of 3M™ Thinsulate™ Ultra Insulation
- Flash- and water-resistant leather
- Made in the USA, Berry Compliant
- Lycra Tongue
- Proprietary high-walled Vibram soles are stitched to the upper
- Wicking Dri-Lex® lining with Aegis Microbe Shield
- Triple-stitched
- Waterproof and breathable GORE-TEX® construction
- Fiberglass shank
- GSA-approved item
- 8 Inches in height
- Reduce injuries with Roll-Stop Ankle Stability™;
- PTFE coated for flame-resistance
- Weight: 5.4 pounds per pair for a size 10


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As OLED has been consistently facing mass production issues for applications on large-size displays such as TV panels, and is expected to have high production costs for at least a few more years as industry observers have predicted, display developers have been looking for alternative solutions to providing high contrast and more energy-efficient products to their TV and possibly even tablet, smartphone and notebook customers. One of those solutions is quantum dot display technology.
Quantum dots (QD) or semiconductor nanocrystals are a form of light emitting technology and consist of nano-scale crystals that can provide an alternative for applications such as display technology. This display technology differs from CRTs and LCDs, but it is similar to OLED displays, in that light is supplied on demand, which enables new, more efficient displays and allows for mobile devices with longer battery lives, according to recent reports from New Scientist.
QD displays also consume lower power and have richer color than conventional OLED, claim some analysts. The analysts also state that the white light produced by quantum dots has high brightness and excellent color reproduction, raising its potential to replace the backlight unit (BLU) using the LED to form the "QLED."
But has the technology proved itself in actuality? As of early 2013, Sony used QD components made by QD Vision to improve the color of some of its high-end Bravia TVs, shown at CES 2013. Various analysts who viewed the TV claimed the range of colors it could display was increased by about 50% compared to LCD TVs. Judging by the photos Sony has posted displaying the technology it seems this claim is legit.
Despite QD technology starting to pop up in the market, Digitimes Research has found that no makers of the QD technology have plans to mass produce it in the short term and may need at least another 3-5 years. Samsung Display is also not expected to take priority of the technology and instead will continue development of its OLED research, added Digitimes Research.
OLED is gaining a lot of hype in the market, as it should considering the picture quality it provides. However, despite recent large investments into OLED either through Samsung Display or LG Display, there still has been only little progress in terms of using the technology for large-size applications. A large reason for this, claim the analysts, is that manufacturing OLED displays typically requires depositing organic molecules on the substrate using expensive evaporation techniques, hence the high costs and complicated production process. The analysts also stated the two companies may need another 3 years at least to bring down costs so that OLED TVs may be affordable for consumers, which if true, means that TV vendors could be battling for OLED displays as well as quantum dot display technology in the future.
In the meantime, one thing seems for sure- Samsung and LG are still likely to use OLED, as they have made huge investments in the technology, so it is likely that Japan-based TV vendors who are looking for a new high-end technology for use in their TV products might want to consider investing in the technology perhaps with Sharp, as their Korea-based rivals have their OLED technology niche while China-based TV vendors are largely aiming to get Ultra HD TV panels from Taiwan-based panel makers.


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Timberline Expert Tree Service is licensed, fully insured, and carries worker's compensation, yet we offer our services at prices you can afford. We accept major credit cards. We offer top notch service which is guaranteed 100%. Estimates are free so do not hesitate to call or request an estimate on our Contact page. Visit our Services Page and our Photo Gallery so you may see why so many customers have chosen Timberline for all their tree needs. Our tree service specializes in difficult tree removals. We are trained in properly trimming trees and can advise you on any tree decisions you may have.
Timberline Expert Tree Service has been in business since 1990 and we ran a small landscaping company before that. Our expertise ranges from trimming and removing problem trees to doing storm relief during natural disasters. We know excellent work and good prices are important to you, that is why our rates are totally reasonable. When we meet with you for a free estimate we will offer you various options in completing the job you request to best meet your wishes as well as the budget you have in mind. Our team has been together for many years now, making the tasks easier because responsibilities are clearly designated. This allows us to give you the quality work you expect and deserve. We have all the tools and equipment necessary to complete any job, therefore we are able to do the work for you at a very reasonable price. Choosing the right tree service is a very important decision and you will not be disappointed when you call Timberline. So don't wait any longer. Contact us for a free estimate.
We primarily service the following areas but many times we can accomodate surrounding areas: Roswell, Alpharetta, John's Creek, Duluth, Norcross, Marietta, Suwanee, Duluth, Doraville, Chamblee, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Snellville, Stone Mt., to name a few.


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Shun Classic 7 1/2" Double Hollow-Ground Sumo Santoku
- Special Offer
- Monogram
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- Summary
The extra width and weight of this blade give it the focused power to cut through whole chickens or large blocks of cheese. Two stacked rows of hollow grounds resist sticking when slicing and the broad blade is great for scooping up chopped ingredients from cutting board.
- VG-MAX "super steel" blades are clad on each side with 34 microthin layers of stainless steel, creating a variegated look reminiscent of a Damascus-style blade.
- The wide angle-tipped blade combines the best features of a chef's knife and a cleaver.
- Two rows of indentations along the blade reduce friction and keep slices from sticking.
- Exceedingly sharp cutting edge is long lasting and easy to maintain.
- Durable PakkaWood handle resists moisture and has a D shape, to sit comfortably in the hand.
- This NSF-certified knife meets the high-level safety standards for professional kitchens.
- Handcrafted in Japan.
- VG-MAX "super steel" blades are clad on each side with 34 microthin layers of stainless steel, creating a variegated look reminiscent of a Damascus-style blade.
- Dimensions & More Info
- 7 1/2"-long blade; 5"-long handle; 8.25 oz.
- 4.8 oz.
- Use & Care
- Always use caution when handling sharp objects.
- Avoid cutting on hard surfaces such as stone, metal or glass.
- It is not advisable to use any knife but a meat cleaver to cut through bone, as other blades can be easily damaged.
- Hand-wash with warm water and a mild detergent; rinse and dry immediately.
- Avoid cleaners containing bleach or citrus extracts.
- Sharpen as needed. With regular use and honing once a week, you should not need to sharpen your knife more than once or twice a year.
- Sharpen your knife at home using a whetstone or knife sharpener designed to sharpen at a 16-degree angle, or have it sharpened by a professional.
- Store knife in a safe place to protect its edge and prevent injury.
- Shipping
Shipping Information
UPS can deliver most in-stock items within 3–5 business days. UPS is unable to deliver to P.O. boxes.
Shipping Rates
The shipping rate varies depending on your order total and shipping destination. View Shipping Options and Charges.
Next Day Delivery
For an additional charge of $26 per address, we can expedite delivery to most destinations. This service is not available for some oversize items, items shipped directly from the supplier (including perishable and custom-manufactured items), out-of-stock items and items to be shipped outside the contiguous 48 states.
Orders received by 9:00 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday will arrive the next business day; orders placed Friday through Sunday will arrive on the following Tuesday.
Return Policy
At Williams Sonoma, we take great pride in the quality and craftsmanship of our products. Attention to design, materials, safety and construction are our priority. Upon receipt, please inspect your purchase and notify us of any damage; we will arrange for a prompt replacement.
If within 30 days, you are dissatisfied for any reason, you may return your purchase for a refund of the merchandise value. An original receipt or gift receipt is required for all returns and exchanges. Returns with a gift receipt will be refunded in the form of a Merchandise Credit for the amount indicated on the gift receipt. Returns with original receipt will be refunded in the original form of payment, cash and check refunds over $100 will be issued as a company check (may take 14 business days from time of request).
For all cutlery returns (knife sets, single knives, cutting boards, knife sharpeners and knife storage), please contact us at 888.922.4108 to initiate the return.
We cannot accept returns on monogrammed, personalized, special-order items, custom upholstery, food, items shipped direct from the vendor or on items damaged through normal wear and tear. Final sale items ending in .97 or .99 cannot be returned.
Made to Order and Final Sale Furniture items are non-returnable and cannot be cancelled once the order is placed.
For returns of items purchased from your Williams Sonoma Gift Registry, we will gladly provide a refund or exchange for the merchandise within 90 days of your event or within 90 days of purchase, whichever date is later. View Full Returns Policy.
- Warranty Information
Learn more about Care, Sharpening, Warranty Policy and Shipping Instructions. View details
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Williams Sonoma Price Match Guarantee
At Williams Sonoma, we're committed to bringing you the best quality at the best prices.
If you find a lower price on any of our products, we'll match it—guaranteed. Click here for details.
Rated 5 out of 5 by CulinaryCailliers from Great Knife We purchased 9 different Shun knives and have been satisfied with all of them. Shun makes a care kit for their knives (WS sells it) and it extends the lives of the knives. WS will sharpen them for you but you can send them to Shun and they will sharpen for free and do any repair work if needed. This Santoku knife does the brunt of our kitchen work and has become an everyday use knife.Date published: 2017-06-13Rated 5 out of 5 by bessoncape from Favorite Knife We have 6 Shun Classic knives and this is my favorite one. It is perfect for slicing vegetables, the wide blade seems to guide the cut and the razor like edge makes slicing and chopping easy. The extra wide body of the blade is wonderful for holding scooped up pieces of sliced or chopped food. If I could only have one knife, this would be it.Date published: 2016-12-11Rated 5 out of 5 by deez from GREAT KNIFE I bought this as a gift and liked it so much that I bought two and kept one. Great mass for chopping and dicing, robust enough to have a comfortable feel but not too heavy so as to cause fatigue. Great addtion to my knife set.Date published: 2015-01-29Rated 5 out of 5 by musicmom from Love this knife now I want all sizes in Shun. This knife is like no other knife I have ever used. It makes me want to throw all my other knives out. Once you use a Shun you will want the entire set.Date published: 2015-01-26Rated 5 out of 5 by CB80 from Knife with a purpose Bought this knife about a week ago and am thrilled with it. Based on product description, I can see why some might have chipping issues if being used for heavy duty tasks. This knife is not made to butcher bone etc. But when you find its purpose, it is phenomenal. Takes down large idaho potatoes like a warm stick of butter and the thin blade is perfect for precision slicing of veggies, fish and de-boned chicken.Date published: 2014-04-27Rated 3 out of 5 by FiddleDog from Sharpness at a cost I've owned this knife for a little less than a month now, and was (and still am) impressed with the sharpness and balance of this knife. I've been a blade enthusiast for some time now, and recognized that due to the blades width, that this knife would need to be babied a bit. Unfortunately, the tip of the blade chipped off (nearly a quarter of an inch) after having been dropped no more than 4 inches into the sink. This may have been just an unlucky break, but as kitchen cutlery are tools, I would have expected this knife to be a bit more durable than that.Date published: 2012-01-24Rated 5 out of 5 by aljacobs from East vs West and in between I have knives, over twenty five Wustof's, Shuns, a Ken Onion and a Kramer. For commercial work a Forschner cleaver, chefs and slicer for barbecue or charitable travel banquet work. This is not a heavy cleaver and you should use it for the intended light to medium daily work. West for Butchering, Breaking, and Boning. Shuns get used for more delicate work on lighter entrees, veggies, meats, and fruits which have never presented a stain problem. Nor have I experienced those chips. The one reply that it was dropped and broke the tip in a stainless sink is understandable. Many brands have been shortened this way and I dropped a paring knife while the disposal was running and I have a nice two inch paring knife now for opening packages of produce. If you sent it back to Shun they might return it as a 7 inch Santoku instead of a 71/2 in Santoku and save the day as it will be stronger and shorter, possibly with a higher bevel and less chance of the tip breaking again.Date published: 2012-01-05


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Food & Drink
A dozen top wines in honor of 12th Man
More than a week after the Super Bowl win, we're still riding the 12th Man wave. What better way for the 12th Man to celebrate than with 12 great Washington wines?
We have selected a dozen wines that have earned our top "Outstanding" rating during January, when the Super Bowl champs were making their run through the postseason.
Ask for them at your favorite wine merchant or contact the wineries directly to find them.
Apex Cellars 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $33: This big cab from a Prosser winery dominates the line of scrimmage with aromas and flavors of black cherry, spice, milk chocolate and sweet herbs. Enjoy with roasted meats.
Westport Winery 2011 Jetty Cat Red, Columbia Valley, $27: Opposing receivers don't want to try any crossing routes on this rough-and-tumble blend of cabernet sauvignon, petite sirah, tempranillo and syrah from a Washington coast producer. It lowers the boom with flavors of plum jam and Whoppers and will pair perfectly with spaghetti and meatballs.
Ross Andrew Winery 2011 Meadow Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $20: This Woodinville winery provides a sleek red that can slip through the grasp of anything trying to drag it down, delivering flavors of dusty cherry, violet, cocoa and black truffles. This suave wine will work beautifully with roast beef.
Beast 2012 Wallula Vineyard Sphinx Riesling, Horse Heaven Hills, $25: This gorgeous riesling brings the beast with flavors of tropical fruit, jasmine and Granny Smith apple. It's bone dry, but try pairing it with Skittles anyway.
Milbrandt Vineyards 2012 Traditions Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $13: Like the Seahawks' receiving corps, this chardonnay plays above its pay grade and delivers in the clutch with aromas of clarified butter and artichoke hearts and flavors of lemon yogurt and baked pear. Enjoy with oysters, salmon or baked chicken.
Cougar Crest Estate Winery 2012 Estate Viognier, Walla Walla Valley, $22: Just like a certain football team, this stunning white found victory last month against some of the best in California at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Notes of melon, white peach, apple and honey deliver in the end. Beautiful with halibut topped with mango salsa.
Swiftwater Cellars 2012 No. 9 Riesling, Columbia Valley, $18: This upscale winery at Suncadia has found its franchise quarterback in California escapee Linda Trotta, who scores with this gorgeous dry riesling that is loaded with aromas and flavors of pineapple, pear and apple. Try with curries.
Angel Vine 2011 Zinfandel, Columbia Valley, $19: Oregon winemaker Ed Fus comes through with a sure-handed zin using Washington grapes that is loaded with flavors of raspberry, pie cherry and strawberry. Pair this rich wine with pork loin.
Barnard Griffin Winery 2012 Fumé Blanc, Columbia Valley, $9: The acidity on this sauvignon blanc is sleeker than Percy Harvin on a kickoff return, and it's backed with amazing tropical fruit, lime and lavender aromas and flavors. Enjoy this with seared scallops.
Northwest Cellars 2010 Intrigue, Yakima Valley, $28: Seattle-area vintner Bob Delf made a name for his winery with a best-selling 12th Man label during the Hawks' playoff run, and this blend that leads with cabernet sauvignon delivers bold satisfaction for fans. A gourmet pizza works beautifully with this.
Columbia Crest 2011 H3 Les Chevaux Red Blend, Horse Heaven Hills, $15: Scrambling for a delicious wine for any night of the week? This blend of syrah and merlot is smooth and pretty with notes of plum, cherry and chocolate. This is a great wine to pair with meatloaf.
Farm Girl 2012 Summertime, Yakima Valley, $14: Nothing tastes sweeter than victory, and this yummy, off-dry white blend from Yakima Valley winemaker Robert Smasne is a celebratory wine with flavors of lychee, guava and rosewater. Try with fried chicken or an egg salad sandwich.greatnorthwestwine.com