The sleek, teardrop-shaped car is eye-popping in its perfection - the closer you examine it, the more perfect it becomes.

And Rich and Paige Udell of Swan Lake have ridden this street rod to fame over the last two years, winning the most prestigious hot-rodding awards in North America. The Udells and "The Instigator" have been featured in hot rodding magazines around the world, along with dozens of television programs.

The highly modified 1934 Chevrolet Sedan, scarlet and black, has appeared in advertisements, on billboards and posters and promotions and even on sporting-event tickets across the country.

"It is a piece of hot-rodding history now," says Rich Udell. "It has had more ink, more television and more exposure than any car in the last 20 years".

The ride culminated last month in Cincinnati, Ohio, where The Instigator was picked as the overall international champion at the International Show Car Association's annual competition.

That was the pinnacle for the Udells, who have been gradually improving on a series of hot rods since the early part of 1990s.

"This is the fourth or fifth car that we've had," Rich says. "Each one got a little better and a little better, until we got to this one".

For Rich, it was the culmination of a lifetime interest.

"I graduated from high school in 1963, and I was the epitome of 'American Graffiti,'" he said, referring to the classic George Lucas hot-rod movie. "That's all we did was mess with cars. Basically, it's been a passion throughout my entire adult life".



Posted by: Jim    Source