Automotive aftermarket companies have always built vehicles that showcase its wares, but lately these companies are building vehicles that not only show off its products, but are intended for another purpose, too. Autocrossing has become an activity that many are finding not only fills a marketing niche, but it’s a blast, too.
Opening up the book of cars reveals some very interesting stories to read over the decades. How cars became branded and named is an entire history of its own telling and merit. One of the stories that have been well known through the years is how the Plymouth Road Runner saw the light of day. Its namesake cartoon character emblazoned in many places on the car’s body and interior easily identified Plymouth’s Road Runner. The Plymouth Road Runner was introduced in ’68 as a mid-priced, intermediate-bodied muscle car and even had a horn that went “beep, beep”, just as the feathery cartoon character.
When we met Matt Rabideau and his lovely wife Natalie they were a long way away from their Minden, Nevada, home. There was no denying that this ‘66 Nova was one of, if not the hottest rides at the Route 66 show, but once we heard Rabideau’s story, we knew that we had our cover car. Rabideau says that when he got the car, it was a rust bucket that didn’t have a motor or transmission in it, but hey, getting a ‘66 Nova for $1,200, you have to expect such things. But that’s not the story we that hooked us.
