2014 OUSCI Recap- Robert Jackson's 1967 Volvo Amazon

Our look back on the field from the 2014 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational, presented by KN Filters, continues with one of the more unique entries we've ever had- Robert Jackson's 600-horsepower, LS3-powered 1967 Volvo Amazon. Jackson came into the OUSCI by winning the GT2K (under 3000 pounds) class at the Texas Motor Speedway Ultimate Street Car Association event. Robert initially wasn't sure his car was right for our competition, but with assurances from Event Director, Jimi Day, he found the USCA events and the OUSCI were almost tailor-made for builds like his Volvo (which is not the first Volvo to compete in the OUSCI).

In addition to the Texas qualifier, Robert also made the trek up to the Michigan USCA event, so he had some good familiarity with both the format and many of the competitors heading into Las Vegas. He wasn't the most-experienced driver with the fastest car, but he had a good feel for who he was and what his car was capable of doing and was satisfied with the overall outcome. Unlike several of the other competitors we've heard from, Robert didn't have any significant mechanical hiccups during the weekend, including cruising the Vegas Strip on the Detroit Speed Road Rally, which always makes for a more enjoyable experience and speaks to the quality and reliability of his work.

As expected, the Amazon scored exceptionally well in the Lingenfelter Performance Design Challenge, where it scored in the top-10 of the field. On the track, Robert wasn't among the frontrunners, but he didn't expect that would be the case. He did enjoy the diversity at the OUSCI. "I loved the rest of the cars in the field and personally, I don't think that it could be much better than that overall, considering the overall popularity of certain models," says Jackson. "Sure, there were a lot of Camaros and Corvettes, but I think the overall ratio of them and other cars was right for the public's overall interest."

While all the cars in the field were impressive, when we asked Robert to pick one, Jonathan Ward's latest derelict creation, a 1948 Buick Super 8 convertible, came to mind. "How could anyone not be surprise of impressed with that car?" asks Jackson. We also ask competitors if they can offer advice for future competitors, but Robert is going a step further. "I am building two other cars for next season's events and we may have up to six cars in our small community that may be participating overall," says Jackson. "I have encouraged them that the fun and opportunity experiences alone are more than enough to make you want to jump in. They would also probably never have the opportunity to run on the tracks or run against a better group of people overall."

We can't wait to see what Robert is working on for 2015. If you'd like to see a sneak preview, maybe he might share some photos on his Instagram account- @iamtheonlyreal1