Though each entry was impressive in its own way, we unfortunately only had two GM High-Tech Performance Magazine Editors' Choice awards to hand out (one for each day of the show). The choices were very tough to make, what with the caliber of vehicles that showed up on both days. Nonetheless, we did our best to narrow the field down to cars we thought best typified the GMHTP spirit of well-executed underhood power combined with an enticing exterior, and ended up going with two cars we decided were each unique in their own right. Saturday's award ended up going to Mike Ress' 408-ci 1998 Camaro SS. Hailing from Cincinnati, OH, Mike's ride had a stunning ghost-flamed paint scheme, and the car was arguably a perfect blend of a killer powerplant and awesome good looks. No one in attendance could believe that the car could have been bought totaled and rebuilt to its current condition, but it was! Sunday's award went to Jason Pfitzner's 1998 Trans Am, which the Missouri native has owned since it was new. This car's stock-appearing red paint hinted nothing at the custom-twin-turbocharged LS1 underhood. The engine featured all stock internals and a small cam, yet still churned out 600 rwhp at 8 psi of boost. Not many cars can sport this much power and still deliver an engine bay clean enough to eat off of, but Jason achieved just that.
Simply put, the two days of the LSX Shootout Car Show had something for everyone, and we're sure no spectator went home without seeing at least one car they'd love to own--and with the vast number of awards handed out, virtually no participant went home empty-handed!--Chris Werner
How does one make a 25th Anniversary Camaro even more unique? Swap in an LS2/T56 drivetrain from a GTO! That's exactly what Illinois' Joseph Ramirez did with his 1992 Z28, and he's also added goodies like a true dual Bassani exhaust and C5 brakes, making for one of the nicest 3rd-gen F-cars in attendance. | 
One of the sweetest rides was Chris Huels' 2000 Corvette FRC, which not only sported a sick two-tone black-on-silver paint scheme, but also a turbocharged 408 under the hood. The attention to detail to make this car as clean-looking as possible was abundantly clear: Chris filled in the front license plate, removed the windshield wipers, and deleted the Corvette lettering on the rear of the car. This resulted in a razor-sharp appearance that surely draws lots of attention in his hometown of Springfield, MO--and enough to garner honors for Best LS-powered Late-Model Corvette both days of the show. | 
Bob Vandergraff's nitrous-huffing Firebird Formula is just plain bad with its P-40 Warhawk-inspired paint scheme. This one-of-a-kind `Bird was the complete package, also sporting a truly unique olive drab interior. We'd have been truly shocked if it hadn't received its comeuppance at Sunday's car show, including the LS1Tech.com Editor's Choice award. |
 | 
Sunday's car show participants also had the honor of brushing shoulders with none other than NHRA Pro Stock champion Warren Johnson, who was on hand to give out the day's LSX awards. As you might imagine, with the day having turned out the way it did, we didn't have to ask anyone to smile for this photograph! | 
Ever seen a line of this many GM muscle machines? Here, Chris Aspnes leads the cruise in the 2002 Trans Am he brought all the way from Colorado. |
Just ahead, one can see the winged/parachute-equipped blue Trans Am of Mike Meeks, whose HPE-built 383 sported a 300-hp nitrous kit but still retained amenities like A/C and cruise (though its TH-400 tranny certainly couldn't help fuel mileage). Mike ended up with LSX 10-second honors. |  | 
The GMPP crew had an "oops" moment when their LSX-block-equipped Impala SS ran out of gas near the end of the cruise. They were eventually able to make it back to Memphis Motorsports Park and put down some 12-second passes, despite having been disqualified from contention at any awards. Their experience typified the spirit of True Street--it's all in good fun, even if you end up with some tough luck! |