Another year, another show, another rust bubble in my rocker panel. It was great to be back up in Sacramento for the Autorama this year. It’s been a while since I’ve been out to a big show like Sacorama, and I was impressed by the quality of unique customs that are still being built despite it all. I’ll get right to the good stuff, here are my pics:
Set up day in the Suede Palace.
He’s still got it. Seeing D’Agostino and Zocchi’s new builds is always the highlight of this show. These guys bring it like none other, and they bring it consistently. Their cars aren’t always my first choice of what I’d consider custom fodder, and I can honestly say that I’ve never seen one of their builds where I’d make all the same decisions, but I am always excited to see what they come up with. Stuff like this makes Sacramento a truly special place for me, and it’s an honor to get to see these guys in their prime still putting out amazing cars.
Yes, in case the license plate didn’t give it away, the chop top pink mopar is the Zocchi car and the flawless Caddy is John D’s, how could anyone have guessed?
Meanwhile, in the Suede room, some beatniks had reappropriated Tom “The Giant” Nye’s Art Attack booth sign. This is what Sacramento is all about for me, a goofy, strange place where everyone is on neutral territory. Jack’s still got it too;
Oh shit, did I mention that a clone of one of the best Econolines of ALL TIME was there?
Now, purists will note that this version has a few details different than the original, and that it has a slightly different spirit. To me, this is why Gene Winfield has surpassed custom King and is now something of a Custom deity. Take a second to step back and look at your current build. How would you do it differently fifty years later? Would you make the interior more comfortable? Would you change the exhaust? Did you really love the trim? To me, it reinforces Gene’s genius and proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is the real deal. I was honored to get to check out the new Pacifica!
Take a minute to admire the fascia:
They, despite the radical custom treatment decided to reinstall the stock emblem asymmetrically, making this radical custom look like it may have been just an oddball production prototype. Genius!
Again, at the rear:
Very few cars pull of this level of customization but somehow still seem conservative. The window treatment exemplifies this:
Burnouts on the carpet? Why the hell not?
The exhaust, I am not a fan of. However, I am a huge fan of risk on customs, and I respect the hell out of this decision. Like the dude in Bucket of Blood said, repetition is death:
Nash!
This 1960 Dodge from AUSTRALIA blew me away. I love the details, brightwork, interior; it’s a home run!
Yes, I’m imitating the Watson shadow. Spend some time on Riksters album if that reference doesn’t make sense.
Too much crowd in this building, I couldn’t get a full pic of Noteboom’s wagon. I’ll remind you that this is a free blog, check the HAMB or something it’s out there. 
There was, of course, those giant corn dogs and those wacky cars that this show is known for too:
Purists will note that it’s the wrong year, but I’ll allow it.
Yup.
And so ended one day. The next was Drive-In day at the Autorama, and this very impressive 54 Ford from Australia showed up to brighten the scene. You could still smell the paint drying, this was fresh. Apparently the owner flew in to the US and painted the car himself just a few days ago. I really dig the spirit of this car, even though there are some things I’d do differently this car held my attention for quite a while. I love the drip rails and the chop in general. As a fellow owner of an awkward roof to chop I love the little details of how they made it all work. Also, call me crazy, but my former four-door spidey sense is tingling… I could be way off but something very interesting is going on at the sail panels. I love the heart of this car, and congrats to the owner on a job well done!
Very very nice chop on this:
This is very smart custom work:
Snip snip!
I really dug the panel layout, lots of twists an turns:
And that’s all I got. Congratulations to the award winners, and thanks to everyone who made the show happen.
On a personal note, this is the last post from my tired iPhone 4, and I think it’s a fitting place to close this blog. I imagine I’ll be back on the web in some way, shape, or form in the future, but it’ll be in another format that’s a little less clunky and hard to work with. If you’re still reading this, thank you. It’s been fun.
-Nic
