Firing up – Show it, Drive it, Repeat

Every so often useless thoughts get tangled in my head—most I’m unable to delete. They just stick there taking up valuable space. Lately, I’ve been thinking about all the super high-end Chevy muscle cars that get unveiled at SEMA and debut at the Detroit Autorama, Grand National Roadster Show, and other high-profile events. Some of these cars get tons of promotion prior to the show, only to never be seen or heard from once the awards are handed out.

This isn’t true with all cars, but it seems many of them don’t get driven much further than up the ramp and into the trailer on the final day of the show. I know that hundreds of thousands of dollars go into these cars, with some reaching six figures, so that makes it somewhat understandable as to why the owner would hesitate to risk any kind of damage after such a big spend. But that just begs the question, ‘Why the hell would anyone build a car with little or no plans to drive it?’

- Advertisement -

I’ve recently seen a couple Grand National Roadster Show award-winning cars turn up at a local SoCal cruise spot and then make their way up Pacific Coast Highway driving alongside the “regular” cruisers. It’s refreshing to see the owners getting their rides out for a weekend drive and using them as intended.

While I appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into high-end builds, my lack of financial means prohibits me from owning one. Even if I were to hit it big in the Mega Millions lottery, I’d still build a car with performance over fit and finish. My intention would be to drive the tires off it every day and slap on a set of fresh “meats” whenever necessary. Heck, I might even buy a tire store just for giggles.

I hope there are more high-end cars being driven than I’m aware, but with social media being the automotive watchdog it is, I’d have to think we’d see a lot more photos or video of these super big-dollar cars hitting the streets if that were the case. Big Brother is watching, and he’s armed with a smartphone ready to share with the world that you built that car to drive—not to display as a piece of automotive art.

- Advertisement -

Whether you spent $10,000 or $1 million on your car, get that thing out there, get it dirty, and have some fun. You in?

See All “Firing Up” Here

- Advertisement -

Related Articles

Search Our Site

More Chevy Performance

Chevys of the 2024 Grand National Roadster Show

By Nick Licata   -   Photography by the Author The Grand...

Chevy Concepts — 1963 Chevrolet Corvette

Vehicle Owner: BJ Bjerke Artwork by Tavis Highlander Instagram @tavishighlander TavisHighlander.com There’s a...

Thump in the Night

Dan Miller’s Pro Street ’71 Camaro By Scotty Lachenauer   - ...

A Better Sniper

Holley’s Upgraded Sniper 2 Throttle Body EFI By Jeff Smith ...

Ambition

Ryan and Angel Cashman’s Pro Touring ’69 Camaro By Nick...

Street Shaker Revisited

Michael Fitzgerald Injects New Life Into This ’70 Nova...
More Chevy Performance

The Big Chill

Properly Cooling the LS Conversion in a Second-Gen Camaro By...

My Name Is Earl

Eric Mead’s 1955 Chevy 210 By Shawn Brereton   -   Photography...

Firing Up- Code of Ethics

By Nick Licata The summer of 2023 is one for...

Making History

Old-School Chevy Muscle from the Wally Parks Nostalgia Nationals By...

Camaros at the Mall

The 2023 Camaro Nationals By John Machaqueiro  -   Photography by...

Boosted Advice

Experts Weigh In By Jeff Huneycutt   -   Photography by the...