…And just like that, the Earth has taken another lap around the Sun. But as we march forward with 2026 on the horizon, we’re also taking some time to reflect back on 2025. In this article, we’ll highlight our favorite staff pick stories of the outgoing year. Take a look at our chronological countdown below and click the headlines to read each story. And if you have any other noteworthy events of 2025, let us hear about it in the comments section.
***
The OnAllCylinders 2025 Year in Review Podcast
Before we start our rundown of the year’s most important stories, you may also enjoy our yearly recap episode of The OnAllCylinders Podcast. We assembled a team of Summit Racing employees—folks who’ve spent a ton of time covering the news and attending events during 2025—to get their thoughts on industry trends and what’s coming in 2026. Give it a listen below.
***
Our Top 15 Favorite Gearhead Stories from 2025
***
1. February 28, 2025 – The Story of the Mythical “Fiberide” Plastic Pontiac Wheel Prototypes
Our resident Fiero fanatic Scott Swisher went on a quest to track down the story behind the incredibly rare prototype plastic wheels that Pontiac had hoped would revolutionize the industry. While Pontiac’s plan didn’t come to pass, one complete set of these Fiberide wheels still exists—and Scott found the Fiero that wears them.
***
2. March 28, 2025 – Vintage Road Racing Comes to Life at Sebring International Raceway
OnAllCylinders contributor Evan Smith is as handy with a camera as he is with a wrench. So when he went to Sebring International Raceway to attend the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association’s season opener, you can bet he came back with a bushel of fantastic photos. If you like vintage Detroit steel clashing with iconic European sports cars, this story’s for you.
***
3. April 17, 2025 – Dave Hart’s 1969 Plymouth Satellite
It doesn’t take much for us to gush over a classic Mopar musclecar with a Hemi under the hood, so when the Summit Racing catalog team showed us their feature car for the Spring of 2025, we fell head over wheels in love. Get the backstory behind this incredible ride, complete with a video, and learn how this iconic Plymouth is a family affair.
***
4. May 12, 2025 – Understanding How Trap Speed Makes Your Race Car Faster
As part of his regular “Ask Away” column at OnAllCylinders, automotive journalist Jeff Smith offers valuable racing insight into the importance of trap speed, and how you can use it to make adjustments to your drag car to go even faster. That’s him behind the wheel of that Chevelle by the way, so suffice it it say, he knows what he’s talking about here.
***
5. May 19, 2025 – Talking Life Lessons & Land Speed Racing with Liz Leggett
One of our favorite episodes of The OnAllCylinders Podcast has our own Brian Nutter talking with Liz Leggett. Hear how she made the leap from photojournalist to military vehicle restorer to land speed racer in this incredible episode—and get some inspiring words of wisdom along the way.
***
6. June 5, 2025 – A Quick History of The Nissan/Datsun Z Sports Cars
When it comes to import performance, OnAllCylinders contributor Dominic Righetti is our go-to guy. In addition to penning a bunch of articles on the Miata and Toyabru triplets, 2025 also saw him writing a two-part history on the beloved Nissan/Datsun Z cars. Get some interesting insight into this fabled platform and learn how it evolved into the 21st century.
***
7. June 20, 2025 – Building a 5.3 LS for a Dirt Late Model LS Racing Class
The trusty small block Chevy has long-been the standard for dirt track late model racing. But after you read this article from Brian Nutter, you’ll see why the LS platform is steadily gaining in popularity. In fact, we’ll give you a recipe into building a 5.3L LS engine ready for circle track racing, complete with dyno testing and real-world racer interviews.
***
7. June 25, 2025 – Learn the Story of This Inline Six-Powered 1967 Camaro
Look, we love seeing big blocks, DZ302s, and Stroker V8s stuffed under the hoods of first-gen. Camaros—but when we saw the humble six-banger in this lovingly restored 1967 F-body, we had to circle in for a closer look. Read how the owner of this Camaro resisted the temptation to make an SS clone and instead restored a rolling time capsule.
***
8. July 11, 2025 – Ford’s Game-Changing 144-170-200-250 Inline Sixes
Speaking of inline sixes, noted Ford historian Jim Smart did a deep dive into the venerable postwar inline sixes from the Blue Oval earlier this year. He gives you an in-depth look at these engines, from their origin story to their power potential, with plenty of detailed photos to document the journey.
***
9. July 17, 2025 – Little Red Corvette: A 1971 C3 with Lots of Hidden Issues
Longtime OnAllCylinders contributor Wayne Scraba has had many project cars over the years, but his latest one is particularly interesting. Despite being a National Corvette Restorers Society Top Flight honoree, Wayne’s new 1971 Stingray had a host of issues. Follow along as he sorts through them all to get this classic ‘Vette back on the road.
***
10. August 14, 2025 – Drifting: The Fastest Growing Motorsport
At OnAllCylinders, we pride ourselves on having a finger on the pulse of motorsports, but we’ve admittedly been late to the game when talking about the drifting phenomenon. So when Lukas Golubeckis from the Summit Racing catalog team wanted to offer some insight into this incredible form of motorsports, we eagerly accepted.
***
11. September 10, 2025 – Safeguarding Your Jeep’s Paint & Finish for Off-Road Action
Since Summit Racing is now the official parts supplier of Jeep Jamboree USA, we were in the unique position to ask some of its experts to provide insights into off-roading, specifically for first-timers. In this article, the Jeep Jamboree USA folks offer some smart solutions to protecting the paint and finish of your fancy new Wrangler, so it stays factory fresh.
***
12. October 12, 2025 – Ivan Toledo’s 1974 Oldsmobile Cutlass S
As part of our Built with Summit feature series, our intrepid PR man Alan Rebescher spoke with a Summit Racing customer to get the inside scoop on this oft-overlooked coupe. We’re big fans of the Colonnade era, and this classic Olds is a fine example of the breed. Get more details in the article, and if you want your vehicle featured in a story like this, click here.
***
13. October 17, 2025 – Fundamentals of Nitrous Oxide Systems
While a well-designed nitrous system is a quick, effective way to build power, there’s a lot to understand about nitrous before you go spraying it into your performance engine. So Dave Matthews, one of Summit Racing’s top in-house tech experts and a regular OnAllCylinders contributor, explains everything you need to now about nitrous systems in this 101-style article.
***
14. November 16, 2025 – Is the YJ the Best Value in Used Jeep Wranglers?
Our pal Aaron Dolezal down in the Summit Racing catalog department just picked up a YJ Wrangler project Jeep. But since he’s a pretty meticulous guy, he did plenty of research before he grabbed his wallet. Check out his Jeep Wrangler YJ Buyer’s Guide, and you’ll find out what to look for when shopping for a Square-eye Wrangler of your very own.
***
15. November 23, 2025 – How to Prepare Your Motorcycle for Storage
For many of us in the northern part of the globe, the frigid temperatures and ice-covered roads of winter mean that our bikes go into hibernation for a few months. But without the proper preventative care, you might find it difficult to wake your bike from its slumber next spring. So we show you seven key things to do to ensure your bike rests peacefully this winter.
***
All told, we posted well over 450 articles this year, so whittling them all down to a top 15 was admittedly difficult, but if you had a particular favorite story from 2025 that we overlooked, we’d love to hear about it in the comments section below.
We look forward to serving up another heapin’ helpin’ of authoritative automotive tech content, vehicle features, and celebrity interviews in the coming year—and we hope you come along for the ride.
Have a great holiday and we’ll see you again in 2026.
Comments