It’s would seem like a “no brainer” to get our regular “Babe of the Month” column up and running at full steam a lot sooner than we have. So with that, we bring you Miss Melissa Hayes. A local to the Southern Californian Inland Empire, she’s been one of the very few of our models with some really good taste in cars. While scooting around town in her new ’10 Camaro, she secretly pines for a sweet ’68 first generation Camaro. A bit of tom boy and girly girl mixed into a sweet and sassy package, Melissa was an absolute kick to have on our photoshoot. That’s probably because she was nice enough to laugh at our jokes…

Like a light switch, we watched as Melissa bounced between sultry and coquettish glances. While toying around with the great reflection bouncing off of this brilliant silver ’57 Bel Air, we caught a bit of her sweet side.
It’s said that the ’57 Chevrolet Bel Air is possibly the greatest styling achievement ever made by the brand. Rocky Nash’s beautifully-and-yet-subtly-modified hardtop would echo that sentiment. Painted in Mercedes-Benz silver and touting a Corvette LS1 powerplant, this stately machine is anything but stodgy. Once the ad darling of the Coors Brewing Company, this slick ’57′s hue appropriately made it the official “Silver Bullet.”

The wildly customized ’34 roadster is equally Bowtie-powered with a stroked small block mouse motor sitting between the coil springs. The iconic golden yellow flames bespeak its power-to-weight ratio and the big fat treads show that this little ‘rod means business. Nash drives most all of his stellar collection and was more than happy to let Melissa slide into the driver’s seat.

Comfortable behind the wheel of this wicked ’34 roadster, Melissa looked right at home. Maybe a little too comfortable!

Name: Melissa Hayes
Hometown: Lake Elsinore, CA
Hair/Eye Color: Brown/Blue
Website: modelmayhem.com/melissasims

Now we get why so many teenagers bought cars with bench seats in the '50s.

Height: 5’6”
Measurements: 37x27x33
Occupation: Model/Go Go Dancer
Career Goals: Editor for a Fashion Magazine
Dislikes: Cocky people
Likes: A guy who can make her laugh.

Hobbies: Camping, hiking
Favorite vacation spot: Beach (any)
Favorite food: Chicken parmesan
Typical weekend: hanging with friends, go clubbing in Hollywood

One thing you could not live without: My sunglasses
Describe yourself in 3 words: Outgoing, Happy, Driven
Background: Started modeling at age 19. Most of my experience has been in the fashion industry.
Current Car/Dream Car: ’10 Camaro/’68 Classic Camaro
Give Us One Embarrassing Secret: I am a little clumsy and one time as at a friends house and was wearing high heels. I fell down the stairs, but no one saw me. I was so embarrassed but got up and kept going.

It’s been a long time coming here at powerTV, but we’ve got our regular Babe of The Month feature back to life and up and running in fine form! With the help of Mr. Rocky Nash and his brilliantly custom ’37 Ford two-door sedan and his amazingly clean ’32 Ford roadster built by Bobby Alloway for the “Shades of The Past” show, we had a great afternoon photographing this month’s model, Bree. A local Southern California girl, Bree is a full time model and server at Hooters when she’s not at the gym or walking her dogs.

While we would’ve had a hard time saying ‘no’ to Bree if she asked to drive the ’32 out on the street, she thankfully was too scared to ask.

While it might be hard to peel your eyes off of Bree, the cars she’s helping make all the more attractive belong to Rocky Nash, a dyed-in-the-wool hot rod lover whose collection of awesome custom rides is so extensive that they often blur together. The ’32 roadster is a rare Bobby Alloway hand-crafted piece that was the grand prize at the annual “Shades of The Past” show a couple years back.

The wildly customized ’37 two-door sedan sways all the more from the factory family wagon Ford built so many years ago. Much of the components that would’ve required extensive hours of metal fabrication were made instead from fiberglass, helping bring down the ‘rod’s weight dramatically. Both powered by small block Chevrolet plants, the ’37 touts far more customize bits including full Air Ride suspension, Vintage Air climate control, and full leather interior.

Name: Bree de Encio
Hometown: Irvine, CA
Hair/Eye Color: Brunette/ Blue
Website: www.twitter.com/xo_itsbree

It wasn't too tough to let Bree take a peek under the hood. The hood is electrically operated with a key fob!"

Height: 5’3′”
Measurements: 34/25/33
Occupation: Hooters Girl/ Model
Career Goals: Continue my career as a model and go from there!
Likes: Family and my dogs
Dislikes: Cocky, insecure people

Hobbies: Shopping, working out
Favorite vacation spot: Maui, Hawaii
Favorite food: Italian
Typical weekend: Hit the gym and then head to work to make that money!
One thing you could not live without: My iPhone
Describe yourself in Three words: Independent, goofy, outgoing
Current Car/Dream Car: Lexus IS250
Dream Vacation Spot: Australia

The 2009 PRI show is well over with and people are already getting ready for this year’s trade show, but we have one more thing from last year’s show we want to get out before it is too late. We had model Katie Brown outside of the powerTV booth and when she wasn’t too busy, we asked her a few questions.

The Girl: Katie Brown
Hometown: Houma, LA

The Car: 2010 Pro Stock Mustang
The Driver: Jim Cunningham

The Car: 2009 Pro Mod Dodge Stratus
The Driver: Pat Musi

The Car: 2008 Ford Mustang FR500S
The Owner: Ford Racing/ Capaldi Racing

Ross Krison Photograph

About Katie Brown

Name: Katie Brown
Hometown: Houma, LA
Hair/Eye Color: Brown/ Brown
Website: www.modelmayhem.com/kissthesun
Height: 5’4”
Measurements: 32-25-33
Occupation: Model, full-time student

Career Goals: “Well, I am currently a student at the University of Central Florida, and I am studying public relations with a minor in business. I hope to own my own PR firm someday.”

Likes/Dislikes: “I like to eat, go to the beach, listen to music and read; and I dislike roaches A LOT, negative people in general, and cold weather, I hate the cold weather.”

Current Car: “Right now I drive a ’02 Chevy Tracker, but I actually love big trucks and I would love to have like a Chevy Silverado or something like that one day.”

Jack Watson Photography

Hobbies: “My hobbies are reading, surfing at the beach.  I really don’t have much time for hobbies, I work a lot and am a full-time student.”

Favorite vacation spot: “My favorite vacation spot is anywhere near the beach or water. Wherever it is hot, you got me.”

Favorite food: “Well I am a Cajun girl, so I love my Grandma’s gumbo, love jambalaya, and pretty much anything that my Grandma makes is the best.”

Typical weekend: “My weekends are usually spent working during the day because that is when special events that I model for are going on. During the summer I am at the beach if I can be. I try to go out at night but usually it is Sunday night before I get to go out, and I prefer to go to bars over nightclubs, and just hang out.”

One thing you could not live without: “One thing I could not live without would be… probably chocolate, specifically milk chocolate, and Reese’s cups, I have one of those probably everyday.”

Describe yourself in 3 words: “Three words that describe me would be: optimistic, personable, and determined.”

Katie with Pro Stock racer and team owner Jim Cunningham

Jim Cunningham’s 2010 Pro Stock Mustang

Something you may not know about Jim’s Pro Stock Mustang: The 2010 Pro Stock Mustang comes with a carbon fiber body.  The chassis was designed by chassis builder Don Ness, Ford Racing, and Cunningham Motorsports.

Cunningham’s story with Ford Racing: Jim Cunningham has been with Ford for years, even when his Mustang could not keep up with the GM and Mopar-powered cars. After a few years of being in the back of the pack, Jim got together with Ford and decided they wanted to be back at the top again, and that is how his 2010 Mustang came about.

Jim Cunningham at the NHRA Pomona season opener

Ford Racing’s 2008 Mustang FR500S

Why this car was built: This car is #56 of only 75 that were built. They were built by Ford specifically to be entered into the Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup. It is the first time in Ford’s history that they have produced a line of cars specifically for a race series on their assembly line.

The FR500S - Photo from Barrett Jackson

One unique thing about this car: This Mustang is unique in the fact that it has a passenger seat. Most racecars have only one seat, but this one carted around different celebrities and media personnel, so a second seat was needed.

Why they are auctioning this car off: Ford Racing & Capaldi Racing are auctioning this Mustang off at the Barrett Jackson Auctions, for the St. Jude’s Children Hospital of Memphis, Tennessee. All of the proceeds will be given straight to the hospital.

Photo from Barrett Jackson

Pat Musi’s Pro Mod Dodge Stratus

One thing you may not know about Pat’s Pro Mod: After a few races with Musi and his new Pro Mod, people began to slowly let out the name King Kong V, and once it was leaked, the Pro Mod featured a big picture of the Gorilla on both sides of the car.

Pat Musi's Pro Mod Stratus - Photo from Tony J

Musi vs. Christian: Back in ’02 legendary rivals Pat Musi and Tony Christian had a rematch that ended with Christian winning. Just recently they went at it again, this time Musi was equipped with his new Pro Mod and the tables turned. Musi won by taking two out of the three races.

Pat Musi’s awards: Pat Musi has been a Pro Street Champion 8 different times throughout his years of racing. Now with this Pro Mod, he is at it again. Pat Musi has become the first nitrous fuel injected Pro Mod to break into the 5’s on a ¼ mile track. He also holds the fastest 1/8th mile run with an ET of 3.91 @ 192 mph.

Pat Musi builds the engines in his own race cars - Photo from Tony J

It was a warm, sunny day in southern California, which made it a great day for a model shoot. And with a good looking car and beautiful girl, it made it that much better. Not only is Anne McDaniels a model and actress, she owns her own business. We decided to take her and the Dodge Magnum R/T over by Lake Skinner to get some nice shots.

The Girl: Anne McDaniels
Hometown: Hollywood, CA

The Car: ’07 Dodge Magnum R/T
Owner: Kevin McIntosh

About Anne McDaniels

Name: Anne McDaniels
Hometown: Vista, CA
Hair/Eye Color: Blonde/Hazel
Website: www.myspace.com/annemcdaniels
Height: 5’8”
Measurements: 34c-24-35
Occupation: Model, actress, and fitness model

Background on Anne: “I am originally from Wisconsin but I spent 5 years in New York City before moving to LA, so I am now from Hollywood. My ethnicity is Czechoslovakian, German, and Swedish.”

Likes: “I have many likes, but I love cars, motorcycles, sushi, working out, and traveling.”

Dislikes: “I really do not like people that are trying to put on a show or trying to be fake, there is a lot of that in Hollywood. I also do not like slow drivers… again a lot of that in California, and I do not like getting speeding tickets.”

Hobbies: “I love working out and dancing. I do a lot of fitness videos and next week I am shooting a cardio strip tease video for the Crunch, so look out for that.”

Current Car/Dream Car: “I drive a 2008 black Porsche Carrera, but my dream cars are a black Maserati, a red Ferrari Testarossa, and a silver Jaguar XJ220… there are only 16 made. The Sultan of Bernai has one and I also think Elton John has one, I am going to have one.”

Dream Vacation Spot: “I like being active on vacations and I am learning how to ski, so I would love to go to the Alps to go skiing. I have heard they have the best snow there but other than that I would love to go to Turks or St. Barts. I would lay out and get really tan and have Sex on the Beach, the drink of course – Not!”

Favorite Food: “My favorite food would be M&Ms, just plain chocolate M&Ms in the brown bag. Do not add the peanut butter or the nuts just plain ol’ M&Ms. I also love spicy tuna sushi with brown rice and low sodium soy sauce.”

Typical Weekend: “Well I own a motorcycle rental company and we rent out Ducatis, so I would really like to say I relax on the weekends but I really don’t do any of that. The weekends consists of going to the Rockstone, which is in Malibu Canyon. Additionally I will be either promoting and/or renting out the bikes. It’s fun though, I really do love it and love making money, it’s an aphrodisiac.”

Something you can’t live without: “One thing I could not live without would be medication, just kidding. Probably just being around family and friends would be the proper answer, but honestly, the gym. I love boxing and doing boot camp, it’s an adrenaline rush that helps me get through my day and my week. It helps me achieve my other goals because it puts me in a good mind set.”

Three words that describe you: “Anne McDaniels in three words would be ambitious, outgoing, and dangerous.”

Biggest Secret: “My favorite genre of films are horror films. I love Hostel and Jason and all of those scary movies. My secret is, when I get home from a scary movie, I have to have every light on. Then I run to the bathroom and literally pop out with a gun just because I am scared. I have a wild imagination and I feel this human or entity is going to be hiding. So that is my secret, I love horror movies but I am a complete chicken.”

Kevin’s Vortech Supercharged Dodge Magnum R/T

Something you may not know about Kevin’s Magnum: “Although this Magnum looks like a family car, it is actually far from that. While it does have room for my big family, it also has about 463hp.”

Why he went with a Mopar: “I have always had an interest in late model Hemi’s. I liked the fact that it was an up-and-coming muscle car platform with historic roots.”

Future Plans: “The goal when I got the car was to achieve 500 horsepower. With a Vortech supercharger, SLP headers, Diablosport/RDP custom tune, and SRT components, I reached that goal, so there are no future modifications related to horsepower.

Modifications

5.7 Liter HEMI

• Vortech Supercharger
• Diablosport/RDP Tune
• Flowmaster 409S Force II Cat-Back exhaust
• SLP Equal Length Headers
• SRT8 Brembo Brake Conversion
• Flat Black Powder Coated SRT8 Rims
• Nitto NT555R Rear Tires

The Girl: Audrey Carmel
Hometown: Palm Desert, Ca
The Car: ’68 Camaro
Owner: Greg Curtis

Let’s talk about… Audrey Carmel

Name: Audrey Carmel
Hometown: Palm Desert, CA
Born: 1982
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Hair/Eye Color: Red/Green
Measurements: 34-26-36
Occupation: Model, Go-Go Dancer

Something you didn’t know about Audrey:

Likes/Dislikes: Believe it or not I like doing Yoga, but I HATE going to the gym. But generally I do what I like to do, which is dancing, performing, and modeling – I’m pretty lucky.

Describe Yourself in Three Words: Outgoing, Punctual, and if there is a word for being able to fit yourself in someone else’s shoes and understanding every situation – I don’t know if that’s open minded, but that’s me.

Current/Dream Car: My current car is an Audi TT convertible. She is my baby! I’ve wanted her for a long time and finally I made the big bucks and I was able to get her.

Describe your weekends: It’s generally pretty crazy. Besides doing go-go dancing, I have to do all my hair and make up. If you would believe it, I’m not naturally tan, so I have to spray tan. There is a lot of prep that goes into it. It’s just crazy, I’m all over the place – there has been much sleeping.

Talents: I can sing. I studied for local performance for about nine years from northern California all the way to the south. That was my focus and I didn’t go to a traditional type college.

Something you didn’t know about Greg’s ’68 Camaro:

This ’69 Camaro that is owned by Greg Curtis *was found in warehouse in Riverside about 7 years ago. This car had been restored as a Z28 clone before they bought it. The engine was blown, but the rest of the car was in the same condition as you see it today. Greg’s wife has been driving this car as her daily driver for 6 years, totaling about 12,000 miles. They paid $8,000 for the car and put about another 7,000 in it.

The engine is a 350 bored .030 over to make the current cubic inch of 355. The engine has a stock forged steel crank shaft with Eagle H beam rods and JE flat top pistons. This gave the 355 a total compression of 9.5:1 with the Edelbrock* RPM aluminum heads. The camshaft is a Comp Cams hydraulic flat tappet cam with .480 lift. Remaining valvetrain components consisted of Comp Cams roller rockers, lifters, and push rods.

The engine is toped off with Edelbrock’s RPM intake manifold and a Holley 650 double pumper. The exhaust is Hooker Super Comp*headers with 1 5/8 primary tubes to a 3 inch collector, though reduced to 2.5 inches through the exhaust pipes to two*Flowmaster mufflers dumped at the rear axle. The engine was assembled at Rancho Performance in Temecula, CA and dynoed 405 horsepower at 5,800 RPM, to the crank.

The transmission is a Turbo 350 with a shift kit and has a TCI 2500 stall converter. This gives the Camaro the ability to launch well and works good on the street without overheating the transmission.The rear end is the original 10 bolt with a 2.70 gear; the Camaro can cruise at 80 mph at 2700 RPMs. Though Greg does plan to install a 12 bolt with a 3.08 gear in the near future.

Believe it or not, this Camaro also has A/C. The front drive system is a March unit with billet aluminum pulleys and brackets. To keep the small block running cool with the A/C during the summer heat, Greg installed an aluminum radiator with 2 cooling fans. This keeps the Camaro at 180 degrees on a 110 degree day.

The interior is all original except for the carbon fiber dash and all Auto Meter gauges. The wheels are Weld Rod Lights and are fitted with BFG 235/60/15 in the front and 295/50/15 in the rear.

Enjoy the video shoot below!

The Girl: Ashley Bates, 19
Hometown: Pomona, CA

The Car: 1993 Mustang Cobra
Owner: Steven Anderson

Rain, Rain, Go Away

So how often does it rain in Southern California? Well, not that often. So rarely, in fact, that this is the only model shoot so far that we have been forced do indoors. We typically try to shoot the model with the car outside, because it makes setting up the shots much easier. When moving around a car indoors, each shot needs to be adjusted for lighting, though in the end it was a successful shoot that didn’t require a ton of additional time.

Steve had always wanted a 1993 Ford Mustang Cobra and while this is his third Fox-body Mustang, it is his first Cobra. Steve found this car on eBay and he emailed the seller to ask what the reserve price was. The seller told Steve that she would sell it to him for eight thousand dollars. He couldn’t pass it up, so Steve mailed her a check without even seeing the car in person.

Let’s talk about…Ashley Bates

Name: Ashley Bates
Hometown: Pomona, CA
Ethnicity: Italian
Website: http://www.modelmayhem.com/678967
Hair/Eye Color: Brown
Height: 5’9”
Measurements: 34-26-34
Occupation: Full-time Psychology major, part-time model

Something you didn’t know about Ashley:

Career Aspiration: To become rich and famous, someone people know.

Likes: I like to go bowling with my friends, that’s always fun. I also like to play the drums and rock out.

Favorite Food: Anything that is sweet. I love to bake cookies, cakes, and brownies.

Describe Yourself in Three Words: Fun, Funny, Girly

Something I can’t live without: My Dogs!

Dream Car: I just saw one today, a beautiful Maserati.

One of your Secrets: Well, if I told you that, it wouldn’t be a secret, would it?

Describe your weekends: I like to snowboard, and I am pretty good.

Something you didn’t know about Steven’s Mustang Cobra:

Engine:
• Stock 302 block balanced, blue printed, and o-ringed
• 331 Stroker Kit (Keith Kraft)
• Canfield aluminum heads (ported and polished)
• Anderson Ford Motorsport B-41 blower cam
• Speed Pro 1.6 roller rockers
• Canton 7 quart oil pan

Intake:
• TFS Track Heat intake (ported @ Flowtech)
• Accufab 75mm throttle body
• UPR power pipe
• Vortech S-Trim Supercharger
• Vortech Mini-Race bypass
• SCT BA-2600 mass air meter
• S & B air filter element

Fuel:
• Racetronix 42lb injectors
• Walboro 255lph fuel pump
• Vortech T-Rex inline fuel pump
• AIS methanol injection system

Ignition:
• MSD 6BTM ignition
• MSD Blaster 2 coil
• Taylor 10.4mm ignition wires
• 3g alternator upgrade

Exhaust:
• BBK ceramic shorty headers
• Magnaflow catted H-pipe
• Mac cat back system

Suspension:
Maximum Motorsports subframe connectors (welded)
Maximum Motorsports solid steering shaft
Maximum Motorsports adjustable lower control arms
Maximum Motorsports camber caster plates
Maximum Motorsports coil over kit (front only)
Bilstein shocks and struts

–Sounds good to us.