While we should all be thankful that they don’t build cars like they used to from a safety perspective, you have to give N2A Motors credit for channeling old school with their striking 789 custom car. N2A starts with a factory Corvette C6, then radically reworks the exterior to create the vehicle you see here. The front end is inspired by a ’57 Chevy, the middle take cues from a ’58 Chevy, and the rear section (with those lethal tailfins) pays homage to the ’59 Chevy.You can see more photos of the 789 here.

It get’s even better: Given that the crew at N2A Motors doesn’t touch the mechanicals of the Corvette donor vehicle, the official GM powertrain warranty remains in effect. The coupe weighs in at $139,500, while the convertible (shown above) starts at $144,500.

(Photo: N2A Motors)

There has been a dearth of top-caliber car movies over the past few years, but Gone in 60 Seconds—which was itself a remake of the 1974 original—has been one of the better ones. Nicholas Cage and the always captivating Angelina Jolie may have been given top billing as actors, but the true star of the movie was the modified 1967 Ford Shelby GT—affectionately referred to in the film as “Eleanor”—that car thief Cage uses to outrun the fuzz in the final 30 minutes of the film.

If you’re looking to own your own Eleanor, custom hot rod builder Classic Recreations inked a deal with the Gone in 60 Seconds film producers in 2008 to create licensed versions of the vehicle. Two version are offered: A 535hp variant ($138,000), and a 750hp model ($189,900). Both models are painstakingly hand-crafted from a 1967 Ford Mustang fastback body by the Classic Creations team in Yukon, Oklahoma. All the requisite features of Eleanor from the movie are standard, including the “Go-Baby-Go” nitrous button.

Visit the Classic Creations website for a complete list of specs (and more photos) of the 750hp and 535hp variants. (Photos: Classic Creations LLC)

Although we have fond memories of ZZ Top‘s music from our younger years, we’ll readily admit that the cars associated with the band have been just as appealing. We recently came across guitarist Billy F Gibbons’ new Rock + Roll Gearhead book, and it’s well-worth a read by custom car fans.

While the book is filled with some tidbits about the history of the band, the focus is squarely on the custom hot rods that Gibbons has acquired over the years, including the world-famous 1933 3-window Ford coupe custom — the Eliminator — that was featured on the Eliminator album cover and gained prominent air time in the music videos for “Gimme all your Lovin‘”, “Sharp-Dressed Man” and “Legs“. Some equally impressive vehicles get plenty of ink as well, including a lowered and stretched 1948 Cadillac (“CadZZilla”, below) and a chopped 50′s Ford business coupe (“Kopperhed“).

Check out the Amazon page for the book here or scope out an excellent Top Gear overview of the vehicles here. (Source: Petersen Auto Museum/CadZZilla photo) – [Jeff James]

The blog has always had a soft spot for well-restored vintage vehicles of all makes, from the exotic to the ubiquitous. Restoring a classic vehicle takes patience, dedication and love of the automotive experience, so we’ll always be happy to post some of the better samples of the auto restoration craft that come our way.

This beautiful restoration — a 1956 Volvo 444 (model K) — comes to us from a blog reader in Denmark. Dubbed “Paal Viggo” by the owner, this coupe classic features a B4B engine (1400ccm) and newly finished paint. He adds a bit more background:

“It was in pretty good shape when I bought it back in 1980, but I have thrown a lot after it doing both the engine room and full painting lately.”

Have a classic vehicle you’d like to see featured here? Send your classic vehicle photos (along with at least a 3-4 paragraph description) to jeff[@]drivelineblog.com and we’ll post them here. – [Jeff James]