Photography by Evano Gucciardo
Since 1979, the Volkswagen Jetta has played the rather standard role of “compact” family sedan. Over the course of the past 33 years, the Jetta has grown in many ways, the most obvious being its outright physical dimensions. However, the more important growth comes in the form of a community. The jetta has developed a rather particular following; an ownership demographic unlike any other.

As the sun dipped below the tips of the mountains on the horizon, the asphalt of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway began to glow with the light of fluorescents. Bits of tire surrounded the edge of the track like beaches of rubber sand. Practice was over, and true to its name, Round 6: After Dark began.

Slivers of sunlight remained as the cars gridded up. Drivers took turns boiling their tires before they were paired against their opponents.

In 1978, BMW introduced the M1, known by many as the godfather of the M lineage. Just 456 cars were built, sold to the public as homologation specials; consumer cars built by BMW for the express purpose of meeting production requirements in order to race the M1. However, the M1 was merely a gift to the public; it was never initially planned for production.

Dead End Magazine brought out this astounding ’53 Chevy to our first annual Avila Motoring Invitational. A month later, we’re still in awe, and thanks to our friends at Accuair, we’re now able to share the story behind it.

They say never to meet your heroes.  They might not live up to your lofty expectations, they might not be the mythical entity you always thought them to be, and they might just let you down.  With that thought creeping around in the back of my head, I was trying not to get too worked up about the argyle-clad monster that was suddenly in my path.