Engine of the Day

Vernon Maxwell's 1961 Chevy Impala lowrider supercharged engine. Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

Something this clean and shiny takes a whole lot of dedication, time and money. I am impressed. I think it's the red reflections that sets this portrait off. Some of the red color comes from the underside of the hood. I mean, who cares about the color of the underside of their car's hood?

I like to look, but I don't have the energy or the patience to make something like this. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I have done a thorough job of cleaning and polishing a car. For me, there is usually something more important to do, like take a nap, or write a blog post.