RestoMods Unveils RM30: A Ground-Up Restored 1970 Dodge Charger HEMI RestoMod With $50K Prize
Read the full story on Modern Car Collector
In celebration of its 30th vehicle giveaway, RestoMods has unveiled a meticulously restored 1970 Dodge Charger dubbed RM30 — and it comes with a $50,000 cash kicker. This fully built RestoMod combines old-school muscle with modern performance in what may be the most exciting Mopar giveaway yet.
The restoration team at RestoMods started with a full ground-up rebuild, resulting in a show-quality finish coated in Viper Red paint. Under the hood, a BluePrint Engines 426 cubic-inch Gen 3 HEMI delivers modern muscle, paired to a Tremec TKX five-speed manual transmission. A Holley Terminator X-Max EFI system ensures precise engine management, while a CVF accessory drive and MagnaFlow stainless exhaust system complete the powertrain package.
Chassis and handling upgrades include a full QA1 suspension setup with coilovers, rack-and-pinion steering, and US Car Tool subframe connectors and bracing. Stopping power is handled by Wilwood brakes, featuring six-piston calipers up front and four-piston units in the rear, paired with a custom-machined master cylinder lid from Evans CNC.
The Charger rides on American Racing Groove wheels wrapped in Falken RT660 rubber, complemented by LED lighting, new glass, trim, and chrome. Inside, the muscle car feels just as modern as it performs — with Dakota Digital gauges, Sparco GT bucket seats, Vintage Air A/C, and a Hurst pistol grip shifter integrated into a Flaming River tilt column.
The RM30 is not only a tribute to Mopar heritage but a fully drivable beast ready for the road or show field — and it could belong to one lucky winner.
More details and the official build video are available on RestoMods.com.
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New York Post
20 hours ago
- New York Post
‘Dukes of Hazzard' replica General Lee soars 150 feet into the air over Kentucky fountain in wild stunt
Looks like those Duke boys got themselves in a whole heap of trouble again… and nearly took out a cameraman doing it. Hundreds watched in awe as a stunt driver took a replica of the iconic General Lee car from 'The Dukes of Hazzard' airborne, soaring 150 feet above the ground over a Kentucky fountain. Jaw-dropping video of the Somernites Cruise festival in Somerset captured the moment Raymond Kohn hit the ramp in front of the town's Fountain Square on Saturday evening, mimicking the high-flying adventures of the beloved TV series in a replica 1969 Dodge Charger. The General Lee could be seen splashing through the bright, turquoise fountain as the crowd roared in a sea of cheers and relief when Kohn successfully landed the car. 5 A replica of the General Lee from 'The Dukes of Hazzard' races towards the Somerset Fountain Square. Facebook/Northeast Ohio Dukes 5 The car leaps about 150 feet into the air, splashing through the fountain. Facebook/Northeast Ohio Dukes 5 The car landed with incredible force, braking off a bumper and door. Facebook/Northeast Ohio Dukes The replica bounced a few times after hitting the ground, losing one of its doors and back bumper in the impact, which left Kohn barreling toward a row of roadside barricades. The bumpy landing also the left the car careening toward a cameraman with the stunt crew, who barely got out of the way. Debris from the car skidding along the barricades could be seen pelting the lucky cameraman, with spectators audibly sighing in relief. 'Praise the Lord, everybody's safe,' Somernites Cruise Executive Director Keith Floyd announced after the jump, the Commonwealth Journal reported. 5 The hump marked driver Raymond Kohn's 30th stunt behind the wheel of a General Lee. Facebook/Northeast Ohio Dukes '(Kohn) is doing great. I'm just so high (with excitement) right now,' Floyd added. Kohn told the local outlet that despite the rough appearance of the landing, it was 'easier' on him, with a wave of relief coming down on the stunt driver after his team spent months preparing the replica car for the jump. 'You get one shot at it. This is a very scary situation,' Kohn said. 'You're putting yourself in a life-and-death situation on purpose, and I just need to focus on one thing, hitting that ramp, and that's it. The rough landing mirrored the abuse the real-life General Lee took during filming of the popular series, which according to some estimates wrecked as many as 300 of the bright-orange Chargers during the show's run from 1979 to 1985. 5 The stunt team spent months preparing the replica of the car from the beloved TV show. Getty Images The Somerset jump marks Kohn's 30th stunt behind the wheel of a replica General Lee, with his personal record seeing him fly 217 feet into the air. Along with the stunt, festival goers also got to enjoy a meet-and-greet and get autographs from the stars of 'The Dukes of Hazzard,' including John Schneider, who played Bo Duke.


Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
Test-Driving ECD's Jaguar E-Type GTO #1 'The Connecticut Commission'
ECD Auto Design's radical new Jaguar E-Type restomod blends historical elements with modern creature ... More comforts. One of the most desirable cars in the world lives at the Petersen Automotive Museum, which allows the general public to catch a glimpse of, but certainly not drive, Steve McQueen's 1956 Jaguar XKSS. Nicknamed 'The Green Rat,' McQueen's Jag reached legendary status in Hollywood lore, but is also the car I grew up hearing my dad reminisce about from his own childhood in Laurel Canyon. More recently, I came perhaps the closest I might ever come to driving an XKSS, on a dreamy day in a spectacular E-Type restomod build by Florida-based ECD Auto Design. This car emerged from the company formerly known as East Coast Defenders as a one-off customer commission inspired by the XKSS, the historical D-Type racecars it was based on and even the Ferrari 250 GTO. The build features totally custom bodywork with a removable hardtop, a hot-rod V12 engine and a five-speed manual transmission—all in green over tan, of course. The GTO's wood-rimmed steering wheel, dash switchgear and upright shifter all hark back to Jaguars ... More of olde. ECD brought the car, in this case known as GTO # 1 or The Connecticut Commission, out for test drives in Malibu alongside a more traditional E-Type 2+2 featuring an American V8 and automatic gearbox. For a bit of context, I drove the coupe first. And boy, does ECD turn out a spectacular creation, which perfectly nails modern ease and classic comfort. The Chevrolet LT1 V8 puts down effortless torque that matches buttery gearshifts, a smooth suspension setup, immaculate steering precision and excellent visibility over that longer-than-long hood. After a few minutes, I slipped into The Connecticut Commission, which introduced a new level of build complexity for ECD. As I acquainted myself to the car, founder Tom Humble described the job as the kind of undertaking reserved only for repeat customers. 'When it's someone that's a repeat customer, we do let them lead a little bit,' he told me. 'We'll kind of keep it in the realms of possibility, but if they want something one-off and hand-built, I mean, that's what we do.' 'Luckily, the architecture is already there in the car. It's just a little bit of refinement and modernizing where you can, and it actually comes out really nice. You don't need to reinvent the wheel with the E-Types, you need to just refine them a little bit.' Fully custom bodywork finished in metallic British Racing Green drapes over wire wheels and Fosseway ... More Performance brakes. Building a Newly Stylized Jaguar Restomod The GTO theoretically started life as a Series 2 E-Type, but now features the fully custom body, details from a Series 1 including the taillight and headlight covers, plus the V12 engine from a Series 3 that Team CJ of Austin, Texas, bored out to 6.8 liters with fully upgraded internals and gorgeous velocity stacks. The mill now routes around 450 horsepower through a Tremec five-speed on the way to a Series 3 rear end rebuilt with a limited-slip differential. That rear end presented further challenges given the wider body, so ECD needed to source entirely new axles and cradles—all custom jobs—plus a set of sparkling wire wheels. And even before pulling away, first impressions of the GTO versus the 2+2 revealed an entirely new ballgame. On a sunny day, we ditched the hardtop, but I still needed to adjust to the smaller Momo steering wheel with a mahogany rim, as well as the surprisingly notchy shift knob. Then, I slotted the key into the center console above the shifter and thumbed the ignition to fire up that V12, which barked to life raucously before settling into a lumpy idle. Lifting the clamshell hood reveals a stroked V12 that looks just as good as it sounds. Humble acknowledges the appeal of the Jaguar V12, which Team CJ spent six months building (a pittance compared to the 14 months the hand-formed body required) but honestly recommends the LT1 small block to most customers in the name of reliability and simplicity. But even after a few seconds, everyone will fall in love with this V12. And even if a few oil hiccups might crop up over the years, at least it's not carbureted, so fuel injection should help with cold starts on early Sunday mornings. The neighbors won't appreciate the grumbling exhaust, though the engine doesn't rev particularly high for a V12, given the 6,000-rpm redline. But it's a spicy torque monster, as I quickly discovered while acclimating to the clutch pedal, which engages rather high off the floor. We slowly pulled away, the wind rush starting to ruffle hairs, but the lack of calm versus the 2+2 only highlighted everything wonderful about the drive. Lucente Hercules leather contrasts perfectly with the BRG paintjob. Undeniable Performance Gains, But Further Refinement Still Required By comparison, the GTO's suspension more squarely rides the wider tires, all of which imbues a newfound level of perceived performance even without pushing particularly hard. The steering weights up mightily entering corners, as the engine blatters away—I found a quick shift helped to prevent the revs from dropping too rapidly between gears. We've come a long way from the boatlike nature of an unmodified E-Type, but the slight revisions make do quite nicely. I enjoyed not just the sensory overload of physical effort, lateral g forces and aural stimulation, but also spent plenty of time sussing out the varying character that the total combination of ECD's decisions create. Each car brings a different unique nature to the table, and even if the GTO still needs a bit of ironing out to reach the level of build quality the 2+2 clearly revealed, the rugged tactility of more directly harnessing a V12 engine in a lighter body with wider track all create a compelling case for the more hardcore build. Perfection in the details required 14 months of labor, by hand, to complete the GTO's immaculate ... More bodywork. Brief impressions aside, as we wrapped up the day, I also wondered whether I'll ever get any closer to living out my lifelong XKSS dream. For that reason alone, GTO # 1 aka The Connecticut Commission sure seems worth the extra investment—which I can admit is no joke, jumping up from $399,000 to start for the 2+2 all the way to $599,000 for the GTO. But that indelible attraction is what ECD hopes to bank on, as the firm continues refining this first effort and ever improving the classic Jaguar E-Type.

Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Miami Herald
These are the most popular cars in music
These are the most popular cars in music Cars and music are woven into the fabric of American culture. Artists have sung about cars and the open road since the early 1900s, and, regardless of genre, cars - and trucks - still serve as musical metaphors for freedom, ambition, and self-expression. But we wanted to know: Which cars get the most love in songs? Edmunds analyzed song lyrics from more than 1 million songs from the last 10 years, across multiple genres, to learn which makes, models and body styles find their way into contemporary music. Not surprisingly, the favorites that emerged blend elements of high-performance, status, luxury, and rock-solid dependability. Posh, power and muscle prized across genres You might not expect a hyperluxury car like the Rolls-Royce Phantom to dominate musical mentions, but it appears in 163 songs, followed closely by the Rolls-Royce Wraith with 134 musical cameos. It makes sense in the context of modern hip-hop and R&B, which often use ultra-luxury cars as symbols of accomplishment and wealth. But performance classics get nods, too, including the Porsche 911 (71 mentions), the Dodge Charger and Challenger, and the Chevrolet Corvette and Camaro. Kendrick Lamar, arguably today's most high-profile hip-hop artist, even named his most recent landmark album after the high-performance Buick GNX (or "Grand National Experiment") from the mid-1980s. The classic Chevrolet Impala, meanwhile, is a staple of lowrider culture and features prominently in hip-hop lyrics of the last three decades. Even luxury SUVs maintain a steady lyrical presence, with the Range Rover making 48 appearances, reflecting its cultural significance across different genres. Notable and niche name-drops Drilling deeper into the lyric sheets reveals even more unique shoutouts, such as the Bentley Mulsanne (20 mentions), which was discontinued in 2020; the Audi TT (19 mentions); and the Dodge Viper (15 mentions). The Cadillac Escalade gets 18 mentions, which isn't a big surprise given that the luxury SUV's sharp, boxy lines and classic American status have made it a staple in hip-hop and pop music videos. Even eco-friendly options like the Toyota Prius (17 mentions) and Nissan Leaf (12 mentions) get some recognition, while decidedly less eco-friendly vintage models like the Chevrolet Bel Air (10 mentions) and Dodge Challenger (12 mentions) echo a timeless love for Detroit classics. What drives different genres Hip-hop is rife with car references, more than any other modern genre. That's no surprise, as, like in rock music decades before it, cars represent success, status and self-expression in the stories of its songs. The influence goes beyond just name-dropping, though. In a song like Ludacris' "Roll Out (My Business)," his Mercedes becomes part of the story. Benzes, Bentleys, Ferraris, and Lamborghinis all assume character roles in many modern hip-hop lyrics, as rappers boast of the wealth they've amassed in order to afford them. Decades before, pop and rock artists used cars as symbols of freedom, rebellion, and romance in chart-topping hits and underground anthems. The Beach Boys rightfully get credit for mythologizing the early 1960s Southern California lifestyle in songs about surfing and driving, proclaiming their love for Ford hot rods ("Little Deuce Coupe") and Chevy V8 engines ("409"). They weren't the only ones though, as a cottage industry of artists, records and songs about cars sprung up in the 1960s and 1970s, including rockabilly artists like Vince Taylor, whose "Brand New Cadillac" became a popular deep track when covered by The Clash, and Commander Cody's "Hot Rod Lincoln." Cars were even central to the birth of rock music. "Rocket 88," by singer Jackie Brenston and future soul superstar Ike Turner, was released in early 1951. It's widely considered one of the first "rock" recordings for its vigorous shuffling beat, lively guitar and horn parts, and song structure that became a template for rock songs for the next two decades. Naturally, the song was about a car, in this case the Oldsmobile Rocket 88 that had been introduced only a couple of years earlier. Finally, one of the most famous songs of the 1980s was a lyrically loaded ode to love and romance wrapped in the metaphor of America's premier sports car. Prince's "Little Red Corvette" cracked the Top 10 singles chart in the U.S., U.K., and Australia. In America, it reached No. 6 in 1983. In 2016, following Prince's death, it reached No. 4. The single has sold nearly 1 million copies to date. Trucks and tradition Hip-hop and rock artists love their luxury cars, sports cars, and hot rods, but country artists tend to prefer trucks as their mobile muses. Pickups are the original utility vehicles, combining strength, capability and dependability - themes that are also rich for material in country music lyrics. The data shows a wide variety of truck mentions popping up across music genres, such as classic pickups and luxury SUVs often called "trucks" in song lyrics. The Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado get plenty of shoutouts, showing their iconic status in American culture, especially in country and rock music. Even SUVs get an occasional nod. The Chevrolet Tahoe is the seventh-most mentioned song in the dataset, merging the widely recognized truck brand with its popular SUV model. Recent truck sales data reveals how popular trucks compare in the real world to their musical mentions. According to the latest data, the Ford F-Series dominates U.S. vehicle sales with 765,649 units sold in 2024, maintaining its place as America's best-selling truck. The Chevrolet Silverado follows closely, both results mirroring their prevalence in song lyrics. The relative absence of lyrics for Ram pickups, on the other hand, suggests Ram's marketing team has some work to do. From motors to monikers Automotive influence in music extends beyond lyrics. Throughout music history, artists and bands have drawn inspiration from the automotive world for their stage names. From 1950s vocal groups like the Cadillacs and the El Dorados, to the Cadillac Tramps (1990s Orange County rockabilly punkers) and hair-metal guitarist C.C. DeVille, GM's luxury division has inspired more than a few band and artist names. Other GM badges have had similar influence, christening groups such as the Chevelles (Australia) and Chevelle (American), 1960s girl group the GTOs, and 1950s doo-wop group the Impalas. Texas blues legends the Fabulous Thunderbirds looked to Ford for inspiration, while another group of Texans, hard-rockers Pantera, cribbed their name from Italian car-cult favorite De Tomaso. Chicago soft-rockers REO Speedwagon took their name from a 1915 truck produced by Ransom Eli Olds' REO Motor Car Company, and went on to score several radio hits in the 1970s. New wave pioneers The Cars, meanwhile, embraced automotive branding in the most obviously direct way possible. Of course, cars are often named after existing objects and places, making the connection between car and band name sometimes tenuous. Did every 1960s garage surf band that landed on "The Mustangs" do it in tribute to the car or horse? Whatever the source, there's no denying the influence of automotive sheet metal on the musical world. Driving the beat Cars have always played a role in how musicians share their stories. Whether it's a country star praising his trusty pickup, a rock legend in a roadster, or a pop artist flexing her luxury wheels, cars are powerful symbols in music. And while it may take time for a new generation of music to articulate the passion and romance of electric cars, as long as there are cars and open roads, they'll permeate the soundtracks of our lives. This story was produced by Edmunds and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. © Stacker Media, LLC.