Kustoms Come Alive
From historic custom cars that withstand the test of time to drunken debaucherie on the grass. The Long Beach Motorama has it all. Sure there may be bigger shows, and last year the Motorama competed with the largest one-day charity car show in the World. But as they say, it isn’t the size of the show it’s the magic you do with it. Trace Edwards and crew can sure put on a great show. Not only were the Showcase of Kustoms a gathering of some of the most influential customs ever assembled but the lobby of the Whale painted Long Beach Convention Center Hall was littered with significant displays.
This year as a new member of the Mercifuls Car Club, the event was more than simply a; “walk around and enjoy the sights” but also a great time to hang out with new and old friends alike. We [the club] had two members’ cars inside the building Jack Petitts ’57 Pontiac in the central hall, and President Jerry Rushings Altered Race Car in the outer ring. Outside, let’s see; there was Wally Cotton’s ’57 Fairlane, De Hall’s ’59 T-Bird, John Shipman’s ’40 GMC Truck, Gary Hardin’s ’56 Chevy, Gordon McIlione’s ’58 Caddy, Bill Torre’s ’58 Fairlane, Gary Morin’s ’56 Mercury Montclair and Jack Petitt brought his ’70 Nova on the grass too. A pretty good showing if I do say. Also in attendance was Mike, Jeff, Chuck, and Kyle. We yucked it up quite a bit and then picked our “Club Choice Best of Show” winner. You see, each club in attendance chose a car on the grass Saturday as a best-0f-show winner. We chose Jack Fields’ ’60 Starliner built/painted by Starlite Rod and Kustoms. I’m diggin’ the return of crazy paint jobs and the guys at Starlite do some of the best. There is a write up in the August 2011 issue of Rod and Custom Magazine on this car and more on Krazy Paint!
I met up with friends Brett Barris and Mitzi Valenzuela who were busy manning their booths in the perimeter of the central hall.
Peruse through the photos I hope you will be as inspired as I was with the event, and make room for it again in September next year!