If you get our weekly Hemmings Muscle Machines newsletter, you'd see that we're currently geeking on a certain 1940 Ford coupe hot rod, built and owned by one David Pearson. Yes, that David Pearson – the legendary stock car driver. Not only did Pearson drive one of our favorite race cars, but he drove during our favorite period of NASCAR: the late Sixties.

So, it's fair to say that we want that '40 coupe, but we also want to now build a fastback Torino cut to look like David Pearson's famous Holman Moody #17 car. Ugh. Too many ideas, not enough cash on hand. But look, what kind of car nuts would we be if we didn't have a fairly insane wishlist of cars we need to build? Tell you this much, though: we'd build a Pearson car and drive it every day for a year. Welded-up doors, cage and all. Sure, turn signals and head/taillights, but also shorty headers and even shorter pipes. The fun part would be figuring out how to run it as a commuter car without getting pulled over every 3.5 miles and kicked out of the neighborhood for firing it up before 8 a.m. every weekday.

Anyway, if you're wondering why we'd even consider such absolute nonsense, just watch this great old film of real-deal stock car racing at the legendary North Carolina Motor Speedway in 1969. And, once you process all the awesomeness you just witnessed, tell us you wouldn't want to go search for your next Torino, too. Just put this video on loop on that TV hanging from the ceiling out in your garage, then call us when you find the car you want to build. We'll do the same thing and let's meet up and drive 'em to the grocery store together...