2009 Summer Nationals - Coverage Of Our Annual Three-Day Musclecar Event

Three days of cool cars, burnouts, bikinis, cruising, and competition-is this heaven? No, it's the Car Craft Summer Nationals presented by GM Performance Division, and if you weren't there, you're gonna wish you were. We took over the Minnesota State Fairgrounds July 19-21 for a three-day celebration of everything automotive. Hundreds of gallons of race gas were burned, millions of calories of fairground food were devoured, and in spite of the unusually cool temperatures and ice-cold economy, we all had a blast. If you want to join us next year, log on to CarCraft.com for details.

It's impossible to ignore the supersized 6-71 supercharger jutting out of the hood of John Friel's '03 Mercury Marauder. Until then, we'd only seen grainy photos of and heard legends about people fitting traditional Roots blowers on Ford's Modular engine. It took a custom adapter plate to mount it to the stock 4V long-block. Behind it is a TH400 with a transbrake and a 9-inch rear.
It's impossible to ignore the supersized 6-71 supercharger jutting out of the hood of John
Camaro Craft.
Overheard in the crowd from a sarcastic non-Camaro owner while this picture was being taken: "Looks like I need to own a Camaro to get in the magazine."
Overheard in the crowd from a sarcastic non-Camaro owner while this picture was being take

We had to look twice at this '74 Buick Apollo when we saw the GSX lettering on the nose and decklid. It is one of the earliest examples of badge engineering, as the GSX package in '74 didn't include a Stage 1 455. Instead, the car was equipped with sport mirrors, rubber mouldings on the door, and "specific ornamentation." We liked it anyway.
We had to look twice at this '74 Buick Apollo when we saw the GSX lettering on the nose an
This is the original interior of the GSX. According to the owner, the car has 43,000 miles on it.
This is the original interior of the GSX. According to the owner, the car has 43,000 miles
The deluxe wire wheels were also optional on the Buick Apollo.

One of our favorite cars at the show was this '63 Impala SS.
It has a homebuilt 468-inch big-block and a TKO five-speed. It's a great cruiser that is likely fast, too.
It has a homebuilt 468-inch big-block and a TKO five-speed. It's a great cruiser that is l
Seen one of these before? This Monte Carlo is not factory; it is a combination of Monte Carlo and Chevelle convertible parts assembled to look stock. We've seen a few of these around, and if the work is good, they look great.
Seen one of these before? This Monte Carlo is not factory; it is a combination of Monte Ca