Goodguys Top 12 Award Winners-2021

Every year, one of our favorite parts of the Goodguys Speedway Motors Southwest Nationals is the lineup of the year’s best cars and trucks according to the Goodguys judges. These awards have become a big deal, with many of the top builders vying for a spot in the lineup. Like AMBR, the Sloanaker, or the Ridler, these Goodguys trophies carry a lot of clout.

We took a rare moment on Saturday morning when there wasn't a crowd around each of the cars to shoot some photos.

This cool roadster pickup was built by the phenomenally talented Dave Shuten at Galpin Speed Shop for owner Gary Devine. It picked up the Street Rod D’Elegance award for its mix of hot rod attitude and street rod style. We loved the unexpected 400 Pontiac mill, acrylic bed floor showing off the quickchange rear, and overall amazing fit and finish throughout the truck.

You might not expect a ’63 Chevy wagon to take home the hardware in a custom car class, but this one is exceptional. Dubbed “Impressive,” it was built by the Ranweiler family at their shop, Show Cars Automotive, Inc. It’s been channeled, slightly chopped, and converted to a 2-door. Bonus points for the 409-based 509 engine under the hood and ’60 Impala dash that looks like it grew there at the factory.

In addition to the Custom of the Year honors, “Impressive” also took home the 2020 Ridler award. Not too shabby for an old Chevy wagon!

Personal confession-Hot Rod of the Year is my favorite of the Goodguys awards. You can’t help but love that their judging criteria includes the phrases “mean attitude” and “no cream puffs.” John Hornbrook’s ’32 3-Window perfectly embodies that spirit. The mean chop and stance make it look like it’s screaming across a dry lakebed, even when it’s sitting still. It was built by Murray Kustom Rods and features a 3-carbed small block Chevy, Tremec transmission, and Kinmont-style brakes. We couldn’t help but get sucked in by this car every time we walked past it in Scottsdale!

Street Machine of the Year is meant to honor a cutting-edge street machine, and Chad Farischon’s Camaro perfectly fits the bill. This car is so much more than "another red '69 Camaro," it's packed full of details that make it a knockout. Mountain Home Street Rods incorporated a bunch of trick carbon fiber pieces and unexpected details, including the ultra-cool overhead cam SB4 engine from Mercury Racing that really commands attention when the hood is open.

You might have a preconceived notion of what a street rod looks like, and we’re willing to bet that Wes Rydell’s ’41 Chevy is not what you would have pictured! This refreshingly non-Ford street rod was built by the always impressive crew at Rad Rides by Troy and is loaded with the amazing craftsmanship and attention to detail that shop is known for.

Fleetlines only came in 4-doors for ’41, so this phantom coupe is totally unique. Tons of strategic cutting and slicing makes for an understated but stunning profile. It’s powered by a late model LT1 engine backed up by a 10-speed transmission and should be an absolute pleasure out on the road.

Truck of the Year-Early is for pre-’59 trucks, and Rod Bryant’s ’50 F1 built by Ron Jones Garage is as nice as they come. The stance, Coyote engine, and overall profile of this truck are spot on, but overall our favorite part of this one is the amazing craftsmanship and design throughout. The mix of finishes and clean design in all the one-off pieces makes this one of the best 50’s trucks we’ve seen in a long time.

These bumpside Ford trucks can be made to look every bit as cool as the more common C10’s, and Fred Bishop’s “El Diablo” is a perfect example. WW Speed and Customs blended cutting-edge components throughout the truck, but did so perfectly, so they don’t take away from the cool early-70’s vibe.

A big hurdle with these trucks when compared to their GM peers is the archaic Ford front suspension. “El Diablo” features a Heidt’s front suspension with RideTech bags to provide the on the ground stance. Under the hood, there’s a blown 5.0 Coyote in front of a Ford six-speed automatic.

The 63½ Galaxie was a great looking car right out of the Ford dealer’s lot. Jason Graham took those slick, fastback lines and tweaked them even more to create this killer custom rod. Add the retro-styled one-off wheels, huge rubber (345’s in the rear!) and muscular low, raked stance and this car will stop you in your tracks.

Power comes from a supercharged Coyote, and the fit and finish throughout the car is incredible. The nickel plating on the modified bumpers and cool, one-piece billet grille all add to the understated but show-stopping look.

Muscle Car of the Year is awarded to original or restored muscle cars, and after looking at a show field full of slammed, late model engine-swapped muscle cars, it’s refreshing to see muscle that more closely resembles the way it was in the 60’s and 70’s. Especially when the cars are as nice as Phil Mitchell’s ’69 Firebird.

Don’t let those steelies and dog-dish caps fool you, this car is a legit, numbers matching Ram Air IV 400, 4-speed ‘bird. This car also sports a unique combination of features including a bench seat, power windows, and a rear window defogger. It was painted in its original Carousel Red by American Muscle Car Restoration.

If Muscle Car of the Year is about restoration and originality, this award is all about modification and performance. Muscle Machine of the Year needs to take a few laps on the autocross and is expected to “perform at a high level.” Steve Aguilar’s “Infrared” ’71 Camaro does it all with a slammed stance, 600 horse 454 LSX engine, and a Tremec transmission. The look comes from some subtle sheet metal tweaks like extended rocker panels and a revision of the famous RS split-bumper frontend.

You’ll notice that this award is not specific to one type of car. A couple years ago, Goodguys changed it from “America’s Most Beautiful Street Rod” to expand eligibility. This opened the door to machines like Ryan Gates’ 1968 Camaro, “Rhodium.”

This award is “simply a beauty contest” and there’s no denying that this Camaro is beautiful, but a few other adjectives come to mind when we look at the perfect, aggressive stance, rear coilovers stuffed up under the back glass, and ProCharger-blown LT4 engine. The 6-speed Tremec and and subtly widened bodywork adds to mean attitude of this custom muscle car. East Bay Muscle Cars put this Camaro together to prove that brutally fast can also be beautiful!