Text by Steve Temple

Photos by Steve Temple and Larry Weiner

Forget about Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli. We’d rather see folks rockin’ out at Factory Five Racing’s (FFR) Cruise-In. Held annually on Main Street in Huntington Beach, California, it’s become the sold-out, boogie hangout for FFR customer cars, many of them hailing from as far away as Canada and the Midwest. Despite the threat of rain near the end of the event, the real thunder came from all the rumbling V8s, powering dozens and dozens of Cobra roadsters and coupes, along with mid-engine GTMs and street rods.

Special guests included luminaries of the Cobra world such as Daytona Coupe designer Pete Brock and racer Allen Grant, plus Jo Coddington, “the first lady of hot rodding,” FFR Prez Dave Smith calls her. These dignitaries spent the day autographing posters for all the participants and attendees.

Judges for the car show had their work cut out for them, as the quality of cars was better than ever. (FFR extended a special thanks to customer/volunteer car show judges Ray McEdwards, Julie Casey, and Doug Deffebach.) Given the close competition among all the show-quality rides on display, we chose a car that took in a different route—literally, as on the track. Richard Migliori’s LS-powered GTM endurance-racer is a warhorse with the battle scars to prove it. No parade float here, for sure. Look for a full feature in a future issue. And we’ll look for you at the Cruise-In next year too!