The October 2026 Gauge Magazine issue brings together three completely different custom builds, some of the biggest events in the automotive scene, and another Gauge Girl feature.
This month’s featured vehicles range from Goose Bellows’ massive 1994 Ford Bronco Centurion “Buckin’ Behemoth” riding on 58-inch tires to Robert Gillerstrom’s completely reworked 2006 Chevrolet Colorado “Antidote” and Corey Raybon’s turbocharged, bagged 2021 Honda Accord Sport 2.0 “Built 2 Inspire.”
We also hit the road for event coverage from California, Texas and Ohio with the MOONEYES Christmas Party Show & Drag, the 15th Anniversary of Lone Star Throwdown and the 65th Annual Cavalcade of Customs. Rounding out the October issue is Gauge Girl Spensah, photographed by Chris Gosda.
There are lifted Broncos, and then there is Goose Bellows’ 1994 Ford Bronco Centurion “Buckin’ Behemoth.”
Built over roughly six years around deployments, moves, work and everyday life, Goose’s four-door Centurion has evolved into a build where nearly every modification creates the need for another.
The enormous 58-inch tires required a custom subframe and Atomic Axles. Getting into something this tall required hydraulic steps. Carrying the spare tire became its own engineering project, complete with a lift system. Even the rear cage became part of the build, transforming into a moving KICKER audio system.
The Oxford White body is finished in Patriot Liner, while exterior changes include a McQueen Prototype Designs fiberglass cowl hood, KH Metalworks custom grille and a one-off Road Armor Intimidator bumper. Inside are four Corbeau Trailcat seats, a Desolate Motorsports Baja console and an extensive KICKER audio system featuring five KXMA-series amplifiers, twelve 11-inch tower speakers and four 12-inch Solo-Baric subwoofers.
And Goose still isn’t calling it finished. Future plans include a ZF5 manual-transmission swap and the possibility of 2.5-ton military axles with four-wheel steering.
Photos by Chris Gosda.
See Goose Bellows’ 1994 Ford Bronco Centurion “Buckin’ Behemoth” feature and full photo gallery: https://gaugemagazine.com/featured-vehicles/1994-ford-bronco-centurion-buckin-behemoth/
Robert Gillerstrom’s 2006 Chevrolet Colorado “Antidote” started as a $5,000 truck that Robert actually managed to leave alone for about a year.
Then the cutting began.
Five years and more than $30,000 later, the Colorado has become a completely reworked mini truck with a custom air-ride chassis, 20-inch BAD Wraith billet wheels, Black Diamond Pearl paint, hand-laid graphics, a rebuilt bed and an extensive Sundown Audio system.
The name “Antidote” has its own connection to the truck’s history. The Colorado originally came from a member of Sickness, leading Robert to sum up the name with one line: “There ain’t no cure for sickness, but there is an antidote.”
Under the hood, the Colorado still retains its 2.8-liter Chevrolet four-cylinder with a K&N intake and hydro-dipped components. Robert already knows that part of the build may eventually change, with either an LS V8 or turbocharged four-cylinder swap among his future plans.
Robert also credits his wife Christina, his best friend Corey “Checkmate” Raybon, his Freaks of Nature brothers and sisters, and everyone who helped push the Colorado from an ordinary truck into Antidote.
Photos by Cheri Delgadillo.
See Robert Gillerstrom’s 2006 Chevrolet Colorado “Antidote” feature and full photo gallery: https://gaugemagazine.com/featured-vehicles/2006-chevrolet-colorado-custom-truck-antidote/
Raybon’s 2021 Honda Accord Sport 2.0 “Built 2 Inspire” doesn’t fit neatly into one corner of the custom-car world—and that is exactly the point.
He has been involved with custom vehicles since 1996, when he started building mini trucks and attending shows with his dad. Over the years, lowriders, air-cooled Volkswagens, import tuners, mini trucks and the big-wheel dub scene all left an impression on him.
Built 2 Inspire brings pieces of those influences together in one modern Honda.
Corey purchased the Accord new in 2021 for about $33,000. For its first year, it was simply transportation. Then modifications turned it into a bagged, turbocharged street car with a much stronger performance focus.
An accident changed the direction of the project.
Instead of rebuilding the Accord exactly as it had been, Corey used the opportunity to reinvent it. The performance hardware remained, but the next version put much more emphasis on paint, graphics, fabrication, interior detail and presentation.
That history is also where the name comes from. Built 2 Inspire represents the vehicles and styles that inspired Corey throughout nearly three decades in the custom scene—and his hope that the finished Accord can do the same thing for someone else.
Photos by Cheri Delgadillo.
See Corey Raybon’s 2021 Honda Accord Sport 2.0 “Built 2 Inspire” feature and full photo gallery: https://gaugemagazine.com/featured-vehicles/2021-honda-accord-sport-2-0-built-2-inspire/
The featured vehicles are only part of the October 2026 Gauge Magazine. This month’s event coverage takes us from Southern California hot rod culture to one of the biggest custom-truck weekends in Texas and a Cincinnati indoor show Gauge Magazine has been covering for more than two decades.
The MOONEYES Christmas Party Show & Drag 2025 brought one of Southern California’s most recognizable automotive traditions to a new home on December 20, 2025.
After spending two decades at Irwindale Speedway, the Christmas Party moved to the Pomona Fairplex and In-N-Out Burger Drag Strip. The location changed, but the unmistakable MOONEYES personality remained.
Traditional hot rods, chopped customs, lead sleds, classic pickups, Volkswagens, lowriders and muscle cars filled the grounds. Drag racing added an entirely different dimension to the event, while live music, vendors, pinstriping and a pinup contest helped make the day about more than rows of parked vehicles.
The December timing also brings its own personality. Christmas decorations appeared throughout the show field, mixing holiday displays with the traditional Southern California hot rod and custom-car culture that has defined the event for years.
Photos by Cheri Delgadillo.
See the complete MOONEYES Christmas Party Show & Drag 2025 coverage and photo gallery: https://gaugemagazine.com/mooneyes-christmas-party-show-drag-2025/
After the cold and rain that hit the previous year, Lone Star Throwdown 2026 delivered the Texas weather everyone had been hoping for.
Held February 20–22 at the Lone Star Expo Center & Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Conroe, the 15th Anniversary of Lone Star Throwdown brought builders, clubs, vendors and spectators together for three days of custom vehicles.
LST has earned its reputation as one of the biggest weekends on the custom-truck calendar, and there was no shortage of trucks in 2026. Lifted Ford Super Dutys, slammed Chevrolet and GMC pickups, C10s, mini trucks, duallys, SUVs and detailed show trucks covered the grounds.
But Lone Star Throwdown has grown into much more than a truck show.
Gauge Magazine photographers found restored classics, imports, hot rods, motorcycles, side-by-sides and off-road builds mixed throughout the weekend. Indoors, hand-picked vehicles and elaborate displays raised the presentation level even further, while outside the constant flow of vehicles cruising through the grounds kept the show moving.
From paint and billet components to engine bays, suspension fabrication, custom interiors and audio installations, LST continues to be one of those events where slowing down and looking at the details pays off.
Photos by Chris Gosda and Cheri Delgadillo.
See the complete Lone Star Throwdown 2026 coverage and full photo gallery: https://gaugemagazine.com/lone-star-throwdown-2026/
The Cavalcade of Customs 2026 returned to downtown Cincinnati March 13–15 for its 65th year, filling the show floor with hot rods, customs, trucks, muscle cars, imports, motorcycles and detailed indoor show builds.
For Gauge Magazine, this year’s Cavalcade was a little different.
We weren’t only there photographing the show.
Gauge Magazine also had a booth promoting Slamology 2026, giving us a chance to meet enthusiasts throughout Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky before Slamology’s move to Edgewater Sports Park in nearby Cleves, Ohio.
While we talked with people at the booth, photographer Jason Carroll covered the show floor. His gallery captures everything from traditional hot rods and vintage pickups to mini trucks, imports, motorcycles, race cars and highly detailed customs.
The truck side of the show was especially strong, with vintage Chevrolet and Ford pickups, patina builds, lowered customs, show trucks and mini trucks spread throughout the building.
Cavalcade also represents a long-running connection for Gauge Magazine. We have been photographing and publishing coverage from the Cincinnati show for more than two decades, giving us a chance to watch styles, vehicles and generations of builders change while the basic reason people gather around custom cars remains remarkably familiar.
Photos by Jason Carroll.
See the complete Cavalcade of Customs 2026 coverage and photo gallery: https://gaugemagazine.com/cavalcade-of-customs-2026-returns-to-cincinnati-for-its-65th-year/
Rounding out the October 2026 Gauge Magazine issue is this month’s Gauge Girl, Spensah, photographed by Chris Gosda.
The 35-year-old corporate trainer from Fort Mill, South Carolina, describes herself as spontaneous, energetic, friendly and loyal. When she isn’t modeling, Jeep events and off-roading are high on her list.
Her Jeep is also her most prized possession, and Daytona Jeep Beach tops the list of shows she wants to attend. Ask what makes her motor rev and her answer covers plenty of Gauge territory: fast cars, big trucks, SUVs and Jeeps.
Her dream ride goes in a different direction—a 1991 Mazda Miata with a V8.
Spensah’s interests away from vehicles include country music and getting out on the backroads. Her idea of a perfect date is a backroad drive followed by lying under the stars in the bed of a truck.
And her future plans are about as direct as it gets: build badass cars and live at the beach.
The October Gauge Girl feature includes Spensah’s complete interview and full photo gallery photographed by Chris Gosda.
Photos by Chris Gosda.
Meet October 2026 Gauge Girl Spensah and see her complete interview and photo gallery: https://gaugemagazine.com/gauge-girls/gauge-girl-october-2026-spensah/
From Goose Bellows’ massive 1994 Ford Bronco Centurion “Buckin’ Behemoth” and Robert Gillerstrom’s body-dropped 2006 Chevrolet Colorado “Antidote” to Corey Raybon’s turbocharged and bagged 2021 Honda Accord Sport 2.0 “Built 2 Inspire,” the October 2026 issue shows just how many directions custom vehicle building can take.
The event side covers just as much ground. We head to Pomona for the MOONEYES Christmas Party Show & Drag, Conroe for the 15th Anniversary of Lone Star Throwdown, and Cincinnati for the 65th Annual Cavalcade of Customs.
Add October Gauge Girl Spensah to the mix, and the October 2026 Gauge Magazine brings together custom trucks, imports, hot rods, classics, racing, mini trucks, off-road builds and the people behind the automotive scene.
Check out each feature above, browse the complete photo galleries, and flip through the full October 2026 issue of Gauge Magazine.
The post October 2026 Gauge Magazine | Custom Cars, Trucks & Shows appeared first on Gauge Magazine.
