Congratulations to everyone who participation in the 2010 HOT ROD Power Tour(r). We celebrate everyone who made the long journey from Newton Iowa to Mobile Alabama with the official 2010 Long Hauler(tm) photo.

Envision a world where every car in sight is a hot rod or street machine and you've pictured life on the HOT ROD Power Tour(r). An explanation for those of you who've not left your hovels for 15 years: HOT ROD maps a road trip through seven cities and sets up party stops every night, title sponsor GM Performance Division makes it happen, and 3,000 to 4,000 cars join us each day to live the dream.

Welcome to the Hot Rods section of the mag, where all the car features live. Know of a great ride that should be here? Got killer photos of cars in action along with details about them? Tip us off: email HOTROD@hotrod.com or mail to HOT ROD Hot Rods, 831 S. Douglas St., El Segundo, CA 90245.

Raptor Gets Bigger And Faster
Trucks can most certainly be hot rods, off-roaders included, and Ford showed how to build a production hot rod truck last year when it debuted its SVT Raptor pickup. In a nutshell, it's a 4x4 F-150 with a far more radical suspension than the base truck (aimed at the desert racing crowd), flared fenders, and graphics, and in our opinion is one of the best-looking new trucks you can buy (though it is pricey). The base engine was a 5.4 liter Triton V8 with an optional 411-hp 6.2. For 2011, the 6.2 is standard, you can now get the truck as a four-door SuperCrew version, and in a new Ingot Silver color. Unlike some previous high-performance trucks, the Raptor maintains full usefulness with four-wheel-drive, a foot of suspension travel, and 8,000 pounds of towing capability. Check one out at a Ford dealer near you