American builds are sought-after worldwide…
Author: Tony Thacker
Born in England, Tony Thacker is an accredited automotive journalist, author and book publisher, and served as marketing director at the famed SO-CAL Speed Shop. Read his column regularly in THE SHOP magazine.
Cleetus McFarland: The Making of an Automotive Personality
This article originally appeared in the November 2023 issue of THE SHOP magazine. Photos courtesy Holley & Cleetus McFarland Cleetus who? Cleetus McFarland, that’s who. If you’ve never heard of him, it may be because that’s not even his real name. Lawrence (Larry) Garrett Mitchell is a 28-year-old native of Omaha, Nebraska, who is making… Continue reading Cleetus McFarland: The Making of an Automotive Personality
Makerspaces: A Space for Business
This article originally appeared in the July 2023 issue of THE SHOP magazine. There’s no doubt the industry desperately needs tradespeople of all stripes—everyone from CNC machinists to welders. We skipped a whole generation as we sent everybody off to college and university to get a degree, and that decision is now coming back to… Continue reading Makerspaces: A Space for Business
20 Years of Drifting
This article originally appeared in the June 2023 issue of THE SHOP magazine. Twenty years. Two decades. Time rips by when you’re having fun, and there’s no doubt the sport of drifting is fun. Amazingly, the premier American drifting series, Formula DRIFT, turns 20 years old in 2023 and is stronger than ever, with growing… Continue reading 20 Years of Drifting
Reimagine That
This article originally appeared in the April 2023 issue of THE SHOP. “Reimagining” is a fancy way of describing forming a new concept of something already established. I don’t think the word was really in common use in automotive circles until Rob Dickinson, founder of Singer Vehicle Design in Torrance, California, used it to describe… Continue reading Reimagine That
A Hard Look at Drag Racing
This article originally appeared in the February 2023 issue of THE SHOP magazine. “Is drag racing dying or is it dead?” That’s a real question, believe it or not, I often get asked and it’s darn hard to answer. After attending the opening night of the weekly Thursday Night Thunder at Irwindale Drag Strip in… Continue reading A Hard Look at Drag Racing
Vintage Parts of Arizona
This article originally appeared in the January 2023 issue of THE SHOP magazine. “Change is the only constant in life,” said the Greek philosopher Heraclitus. I doubt he was even aware of the performance aftermarket 500 years before Christ, but he was right on the money. Change is constant in our business and staying on… Continue reading Vintage Parts of Arizona
From the Mag: Classic in the Front, Party in the Back
As a kid, I grew up taking family vacations in a trailer. The UK can be cold, wet and damp; nevertheless, I have fond memories of those carefree simple times. Maybe that’s what attracts people of all ages to the burgeoning vintage trailer scene. Lately I’ve seen them all over the freeways, but only when… Continue reading From the Mag: Classic in the Front, Party in the Back
From the Mag – Something Special: The Deuce Turns 90
Celebrating the early days of Ford V-8 power…
From the Mag: Airstrip Attack
When drag racing meets land speed racing…
From the Mag: Alex Xydias Turns 100
At 100 years old you’re bound to have more than a few chapters in your book of life and Alex Xydias (rhymes with hideous), founder of So-Cal Speed Shop, is no exception. His father was an early Hollywood silent movie producer, but due to illness he missed the shift to talkies and the family fell… Continue reading From the Mag: Alex Xydias Turns 100
From the Mag: Blair’s: The World’s Oldest Speed Shop?
Highlights of serving racers through the years…
SO-CAL at 75: ‘Tanks’ for the Memories
Alex Xydias established the first iteration of So-Cal Speed Shop in 1946 with $100 borrowed from his mother…
From the Mag: Life’s a Beach
The allure of racing on the sand remains strong, at home and overseas…
From the Mag: Bangers & Flatties Forever
The January issue of THE SHOP Magazine is here, and inside, automotive journalist Tony Thacker gives readers a look at how a group of hot rodders are keeping a nearly 100-year-old engine alive. Since the very first speed shop opened its doors back in 1930, the I4 and ‘Flathead’ V-8 engines that powered early vehicles like Ford… Continue reading From the Mag: Bangers & Flatties Forever