Power Tour

The idea itself is quite simple, really. Gather a couple thousand gearheads and their vehicles together at a suitably exciting location, have a party. Get up the next morning and drive to another town. Have another party. Repeat this about eight times in about eight different towns, and you have what's known as the Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour. Of course, things that seem simple at first glance tend not to be when examined in detail, and so it is with the Power Tour. The logistics of parking a bunch of hot rods and spectators and sponsor displays and concessionaires and Port-O-Johns in a single area is no small problem. Throw in the need for lots of car washes (cars that are driven get really dirty) and availability of parts (hot rods like a steady diet of parts; these ain't taxi cabs we're talking about here) and perhaps you might get a little better idea about what it takes to do the Power Tour.

So, no, going on the Power Tour isn't exactly simple, but it is fun. Lots of fun. And for the fifth straight year Year One has sponsored and participated in this 2,000 mile cruise and rolling car show. Below is just a small sample of what we saw, drove and experienced on the '03 version. Take it from us, every enthusiast worth his or her torque wrench needs to do the Power Tour at least once. We're already making plans for next year...