What better time to highlight our love for America and the folks that make it great than the Fourth of July?
To help get you in the patriotic spirit and give you innovative and out-the-box automotive build ideas, we’re taking this opportunity to showcase some of our favorite and unique “American” builds and restorations. The toughest part is choosing only a select few from a huge list of worthy contenders, but we’re confident these top picks will fill you to the brim with patriotic pride.
1963 Chevy Corvette - Support Our Troops
Few automobiles represent American culture better than the Chevrolet Corvette. Lovingly called ‘America’s sportscar,’ it is manufactured in the heart of Motor City by an automaker that prides itself on employing and supporting American military veterans.
This particular paragon of patriotism started life as a 1963 split window Coupe. Converted into a race car in 1964, it wears a unique seat made by Corvette Legend, John Greenwood – reportedly, his first manufactured seat.
The car was built and campaigned by John Caruso and Dick Vreeland, and eventually purchased in the late 1960s by Jon Thorne, who also owned the famed Penske/Wintersteen Grand Sport #2 Corvette roadster. Working together, Thorne and Vreeland molded the fender flares and pilfered other parts from the Grand Sport to fit to the Vette.
Later, a nose from a 1966 Corvette was affixed to the front of the car and it was then raced as a 1966 model. It raced in Sebring in 1972, billed as the 66 FIA Car, and still wears a battle scar on the left front corner from where Thorne punted a Ferrari.
Robinson Racing Enterprises did a thorough overhaul of the car in the late 1980s when it was purchased by Vic Shin. It went on to win numerous races – including bagging first in its class in the second-ever Walter Mitty race – and retired in 1992.
1966 Dodge Charger - Ready to Race
1966 Dodge Charger American Flag
Owned by Buddy Dickerson, this pristine and patriotic ‘66 Dodge Charger was the 7th Charger to ever roll off the assembly line. What may surprise you most is that Buddy actually races this beautiful car at the Nostalgia Drag Racing League events in and around St. Louis, MO.
Plenty of modifications have been made to the model over the years, not least of which is an incredibly detailed and patriotic paint job, done by Danny Patterson who is well-known for painting the Bigfoot monster trucks.
The original steel quarter panels and roof have been replaced with lightweight Lexan windows and VFN fiberglass parts, allowing the Charger to weigh in at almost 1,000 pounds lighter than its OG steel counterparts. The original steel chassis has been modified as well, stretched out to a 117-inch wheelbase.
The Charger wears a 493 cubic-inch Mopar engine with Indy Cylinder Head wedge heads and a World Products block. A Ken Jones-reworked Holly Performance Dominator carb and a COMP Cams solid lifter cam round out this powerhouse of a motor.
Add to that a Jerry Bickel Race Cars driveshaft, a braced 9-inch Ford rear with ladder bar suspension, and a drivetrain that features a 727 Torqueflite, flexplate, and 8-inch torque converter, and this car is impressively quick. So far, Dickerson’s best elapsed time was a 9.41 at 142 mph in the 1/4-mile, and a 5.91 in the 1/8-mile.
1967 Ford Mustang - SEMA 2022
Vintage Ford Mustangs are as quintessentially American as vintage ‘Vettes. While that fact alone might not be enough to showcase an old-school Mustang in a piece specifically geared to highlighting patriotic-themed cars, this particular 1967 Ford Mustang Mid-Engine Concept Car features innovation and next-level thinking that American automakers, mechanics and vehicle modification specialists are famous for.
When designer Karan Adivi imagined a 1969-1970 Ford Mustang BOSS 302 as a mid-engine model, he probably never thought his renderings would come to life – let alone make some serious waves at SEMA 2022. But that’s exactly what happened when the ‘B is for Build’ team got to tinkering.
The people behind the wildly popular YouTube channel started with a classic ‘67 Fastback and set it up with a very aggressive wide-body kit and super-low silhouette that gives off distinctive GT3 race car vibes. While the front end pays homage to the 1969 Ford Mustang BOSS 302, the rest of the car has its own unique identity.
Honestly, this build is all sorts of crazy, combining components from a variety of different manufacturers. Case in point? The mid-mounted V-8 is actually a Chevrolet LS Crate motor, bolted directly to a chassis taken from a replica Bugatti Veyron that was used in the movie The Need for Speed.
1958 Chevy Apache – Electric Hot Rod
The distinctive red-white-blue patina paint job makes this truck look like a true classic, but that’s where the vintage authenticity ends. Casey Loter defied convention with this modern-meets-classic restomod that features a Tesla-powered motor. Working out of his Electric 51 Speed Shop, Loter originally planned for the Apache to have a traditional driveline, but was randomly inspired to try out an EV motor and see what happened.
The result is an all-American classic that boasts a crazy 550 horsepower and massive amounts of instant torque. The truck uses a Tesla Model S motor powered by a 48-kWh battery pack, which was a feat of engineering to fit in the old girl, requiring a lot of creativity when it came to mounting the battery boxes. The custom air ride suspension also required some interesting frame modifications.
The truck is capable of a range of 80-120 miles, depending on how much fun you’re having. All told, the rebuild took about 7 months to complete.
2015 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited – Hero-Inspired
Christopher Scott Kyle was a United States Navy SEAL sniper who served four tours in Iraq and was awarded numerous commendations for acts of heroism and meritorious service in combat. After being honorably discharged from the US Navy in 2009, he published his bestselling autobiography, American Sniper, in 2012. Since his untimely death in 2013, his legacy and reputation have inspired many Americans and spawned a variety of projects that pay homage to a true American hero.
One such project is “The Legend”, an iconic and noteworthy Jeep Wrangler that was the brainchild of Shaun Freilich of Complete Customs based in McKinney, Texas. One thing to note is that this isn’t a rebuild, but rather a brand-new build designed around honoring one of the most well-known US military veterans in history and promoting awareness for the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation. Everything about the vehicle is designed to express Chris’ personality.
One of the most distinctive features has to be the textured Kryptek Banshee Kevlar paint job. Chris had a personal relationship with Kryptek, so it made sense to have their talented team make this Jeep look perfect.
The suspension is Rock Krawler’s 5.5-inch Trail Gunner suspension kit, which includes an independent three-link front and rear conversion with remote reservoir shocks that give 12.5 inches of travel in the front and 10.5 inches in the rear. The front axle is an upgraded G2 Core 44 with ARB lockers. The Jeep even features Chris Kyle-edition wheels that hold beefy and aggressive 40 x 14.5 x 20 Interco SS-M16 tires.
Under the hood, there is the typical 3.6-liter V6 motor but with a Magnuson supercharger kit to add some fun power boosting and a unique whine. The exhaust is an MBRP cat-back Off-Road system. The Chris Kyle Legend grille adds extra styling and shows off a Venom front bumper with a Warn M8000-S winch. Venom side steps, tire carrier, and rear bumper round out the look, while a MaxRax roof rack holds gear on top.