Tag Archives: Rod and Custom

High Street Cars and Coffee – Phoenix , AZ

Plenty of places offer a Cars and Coffee format in the Phoenix, AZ region.  Show up in a vacant parking lot, check out some cars that you aren’t likely to see on too many roads, sip some lukewarm coffee and head back out with most of the day still available to you. You could even watch the departing cars and hope to see a dimwit crash his new car when he punches it on the drive out. See how it is done at High Street for March 2021.Boss 302

Like I say there are plenty of places to check out the cars – until COVID-19 struck. Crowds and social distancing don’t mix.  Some meets have had trouble getting city permits or landowner’s permission. But as things loosen up, the shows go on.

High Street Cars and Coffee

Highline Auto magazine has sponsored a show for a while, most recently at the Scottsdale Fashion Center, but for March 2021 they moved to the High Street complex.  This setup involves a long tree-lined boulevard with plenty of street-side parking for the show cars.  Some adjacent restaurants are open for business as well. Exotic

This month’s show had a nice collection of cars, some music from a DJ, some free Bang energy drinks and a vendor was selling donuts too. Nice vibe but even with security in the area, probably less than 50% were wearing masks.Camaro

Cars at High Street Cars and Coffee

Cars varied from a Koenissegg to Corvettes, McLarens to Porsche’s. There were even some classics and some down-low land yachts. Not to mention an older Bronco along with a Bronco Sport for an interesting comparison.Bronco SportBronco

Not sure if this was a one-time location change or a permanent move.  Spectator parking filled up fast along the east side of the area and many folks had to park in a dirt lot, just FYI.

Do you have a favorite Cars and Coffee event?

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

 

 

 

 

Worldwide Auctioneers Auburn Auction Absolutely Awesome

Even under “normal” situations a car auction company would be ecstatic with a 90% sell through rate. Worldwide Auctioneers must be over the moon to reach that level at their recent Auburn auction.

Yes folks, Worldwide Auctioneers concluded their 13th annual Auburn Auction in Indiana during the 2020 Labor Day Weekend, with 90% of consignments finding new homes. Given the complexity of arranging bids and the fiscal times we are in, that is phenomenal!

Worldwide Sold a 1935 Auburn

As expected at an Auburn auction, an Auburn Speedster set the bar. High sale went to a meticulously restored and multiple award winning 1935 Auburn 851 SC Boattail Speedster with body design by Gordon Buehig and a supercharged engine with a top speed of 100 mph. It sold for $1,072,500. (Like always all prices include the buyer’s premium)

Rick Dore’s Shangri-La

But we fell in love with the sweeping majestic custom that famed customizer Rick Dore built. This beauty was a one-off 1936 Cadillac “Shangri-La” Custom Roadster. It featured a hand-formed aluminum body fabricated by the famous Marcel Custom Metal workers on a short 116 wheelbase. The roof comes off to allow for a roadster look to this lady in Indian Inkwell Blue. It sold for a sweet $550,000.Shangri-La

Another car that we loved was a 1966 Chevelle Pro Street. The paintwork was on point and the attention to detail was as expected, top notch. The Chevy was badged as an SS with a 496 engine and came with a two speed Powerglide. It was strip ready with a roll cage and sold for $41,800.1966 Chevelle Driver Side

A fantastic Model A 1932 Ford was not the typical “Auburn auction” but sure caught our eye. So did the 400 cubic inch engine matched to a 700R4 automatic transmission. Suicide doors and a striking paintjob with pinstriping helped collect $49,500 from the winning bidder.1932 Ford Front View

Worldwide Auctioneers Outcome

The Auburn Auction finalized at nearly $8 million in total sales. Presented as both a live and online event, the Auburn Auction offered options for every controlled health level, with onsite bidding, online bidding available via three different online partner platforms, and absentee and telephone bidding available to pre-registered, qualified buyers.

We enjoyed their January, 2020 auction in Tempe, AZ during all the Phoenix area auctions. Here’s hoping that “regular” auctions return to the scene soon with Worldwide Auctioneers leading the way.

 

Photos courtesy of Worldwide Auctioneers.

 

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

 

 

Great Subscription Offer from Round-Up Publications

The good folks at Round-Up Publications know a thing or two about good deals. Their magazines are packed with deals tighter than five teenagers in a trunk sneaking into a drive-in movie. Remember those?

For a limited time the publisher is offering an exclusive offer.  Get a year’s subscription to not one, not TWO but all THREE of their award winning magazines.  Yes folks, you’d get a year of Classic Car Round-Up and Truck Round-Up. These are monthly issues so that translates to twenty four sets of great deals and car articles.

But WAIT there’s more. You also get a year’s subscription to Auto Round-Up magazine, the star ship of the fleet from the publisher. This comes out every two weeks so you’ll get 26 issues delivered to your door.

Round-Up Magazines

With that many magazines, your mailman will need a back brace. Plus you’re bound to find at least one amazing deal on one amazing car or truck or …

Besides the great ads for cars and trucks, there is always a mass of parts and supplies offered for sale.  So don’t delay and get your order in. Operators might not be standing by, but the electrons of the WWW – world wide web are. So hop to it!

Here is the link for ordering this awesome set of magazines.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

 

Lowrider Guadalupe Style Down and Low

A while back the Intimidators Car Club sponsored the Guadalupe Car Show. The dusty streets of Guadalupe, AZ were shut down for this event filled with lowriders of all dimensions and plenty of fun activities.Guadalupe Car Show

Lowrider

We’ve always been enchanted of the craftsmanship involved in these rides. Whether it is old school or a newer vintage car and truck the workmanship is spot on. Of course you expect some awesome, vivid paint jobs and terrific stances from these lowriders. But best of all is the camaraderie and friendship that the owners exhibit amongst themselves and the various car clubs.Guadalupe Car Show

Guadalupe

It is an interesting venue as Guadalupe may be one of the poorest and most disadvantaged towns in the Phoenix metro area, but for this one day that doesn’t matter.Guadalupe Car Show

Low Rider Old SchoolGuadalupe Car Show

Personally we favor the old school Impalas, but this show proves that any car is a contender for the lowrider lifestyle. Mix in some paint, a killer suspension, maybe some engraving and plenty of compressors and battery power and you are set to jet! It may seem that we hit a number of lowrider shows but hey, we have eclectic tastes and always enjoy the rides and friendships.Guadalupe Lowrider Car Show

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Hot Times and Cool Cars in Phoenix, Arizona

The Arizona Indoor Custom Car Show

While it may be hot in Arizona in the summer, the car show scene is even hotter. Plenty of shows move to the pine country and higher elevations of Arizona but the Arizona Indoor Custom Car Show adheres to their name and just holds the car show indoors in air conditioned comfort.AZ Indoor Custom Car Show

AZ Indoor Custom Car Show FordThis year’s show was held at the Phoenix Convention Center in downtown Phoenix. So while it might have been hot outside, that didn’t detour car owners and the public from checking out some awesome rides. And holding it on Saturday , June 15th, just before Father’s Day was a nice touch and a perfect excuse to see a car show.AZ Indoor Custom Car Show Truck

Indoor Car Show

While there is a huge showing from the lowrider clubs, this show had a little piece of everything in all the car categories, plus cycles and trucks galore.  They had a section for pinstripers to style away and a few vendors offering up their wares. Of course there were some food options and libations for the adults in the crowd. This is the fifth year for the show and I think they are on to something, don’t you?AZ Indoor Custom Car Show Golden

There were hundreds of cars and trucks spread out on the floors of the convention center. So check out just some of our favorites from the show and join us in hoping the temperatures cool down fast. But keep the cars and trucks red hot.AZ Indoor Custom Car Show Raised

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Green from Goodguys Spring National for St Patrick’s Day

Well the Goodguys Rod and Custom folks are wrapping up their Spring Nationals show today, on St Patrick’s Day. In honor of this day, it seemed appropriate to give you a glimpse of some green. No not cash but vehicles.

Green is always a tenuous choice for car owners. Too much and it screams out, too subtle and you risk being drab- olive drab.  So enjoy some of these highlights and let us know what you think..

 

Resto Mod or Resto Blah? You Decide

If you listen to some automotive pundits, the hottest trend is a resto mod car.  Well that term has been around for years and we’ve been seeing cars built on a resto mod for years in magazines and at car shows.  So we can’t be sure that it is a NEW trend.

Resto Mod

A resto mod is taking an older car and while restoring it, also modifying or modernizing it.  That typically means changing out the power plant to a bigger, more efficient and modern engine. The LSX variants are a popular choice right now as are new crate engines.  Typically you replace points and condensers and double pumping carbs for fuel injection with electronic ignitions.  Most builders will also readily take out a four speed and swap in a low rpm overdrive automatic.Resto Mod Corvette

So what has fueled the rise in resto mods?  The market, my friend the market.  Many affluent buyers see their cars as trophy’s to plop in a garage, hire a guy to detail it and drive it (cautiously) to a cars and coffee event once a month.  After all if you just plunked $400 large on a resto mod Corvette are you willing to park it at the local grocery store while you pop in for a gallon of milk?

NOS Resto

In years past a car was restored to look factory fresh and showroom new.  That meant seeking out the correct parts, hoses and connectors to bring back a stove bolt six cylinder engine to restored status.  When showing your car at a show, you would worry that the judge would deduct points for using the wrong shade of glossy black on your radiator fan shroud.  Plus owners would hunt down dealer installed options so they could have the most accessories on their car.

Rest Mod Blossoms

But the resto mod craze has changed all that. People don’t want a big old Auburn and might not even have a long enough garage to store one. Fewer folks have actually driven in a Duisenberg (let alone know how to spell it) and even the cars of the fifties are languishing as the market ages upwards.Resto Mod Corvette

Let’s be honest. The ride on a 64 Corvette pales to what you get on a new C7 Corvette. And that resonates with new buyers. They want and enjoy cars that have Bluetooth, push start buttons and navigation screens. The fruits of technology is not just under the hood.

So resto mods force the classic car market into a quandary. Do you take a beat up classic and spend the years and buckets of money to restore it to a 100 point restoration with NOS (New Old Stock) parts?  Recognize that you’ll have put way more money into it than the market will ever price it at?  Or do you shuck it all, swap in a new chassis, blend in lots of bling and a new 700R4 transmission and a crate engine from GM?

More and more the builder will go where the money is and create a resto mod.  Years from now history will decide if the builders were revolutionary or heretics.  You can decide for yourself now.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

 

Drag-U-La Selling at Russo and Steele

If you are a certain age, you’ll remember the TV hit- The Munsters. This comedy featured some famous bits and even some neater cars, like the Drag-U-La. It seems strange that the producers would allow purpose built cars that would last for only a few episodes. But we’re glad they did.DragULa Front End

Drag-U-La

The story line was that Grandpa had to build a dragster to race and win back Herman’s “The Munster Koach”. So Hollywood had George Barris produce the car/casket vehicle. While Barris has been known for claiming credit for builds that are barely linked to his firm, this one was designed by Tom Daniel under his auspices. Richard Korkes took on the build and used an actual coffin for the “body”.

The original car moved among sellers after the series and a movie ended. At one point it was owned by Planet Hollywood. The Volo Car Museum had it for a while before flipping it. By then it had a 302 engine and an automatic transmission.DragULa Passenger Side Close Up

Drag-U-La Recreation

So why are we talking about a custom car from the 60’s? Because auction house Russo and Steele has a recreation of the Drag-U-La on their docket for this weekend. We had a chance to part the crowds at a recent Cars and Coffee and check it out on the flat bed tow truck.

Drag-U-La’s Design

This version has the reliable 350 ci engine and a two speed PowerGlide automatic transmission. With such little weight, only functional rear brakes were installed. Just like the original, the exhaust pipes sweep up to look like a church’s organ pipes. The seller claims plenty of “vintage” car parts but also indicates the have “custom made vintage air cleaner”.DragULa Passenger Front

This front engine coffin will certainly be a crowd pleaser when you pull up, but the single seat does limit the ability to hop onto the HOV lanes. Hopefully this is a car you would “die for?”

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Wes Rydell’s 1940 Oldsmobile “Agnes”

1940 Oldsmobile Front viewWes and Vivian Rydell have commissioned some great classic cars over the years.  Earlier this year at the Del Mar Goodguy’s show, their 1940 Oldsmobile “Agnes” was selected for the 2016 Street Rod d’Elegance  Award.1940 Oldsmobile Hood Up

1940 Oldsmobile

This rod had languished for a spell before finally being completed by Rad Rides by Troy.  We took these shots when they displayed it in Scottsdale, AZ at the Spring National Goodguy’s Show. They have won this award twice before, including in 2014 with their controversial 1935 Chevy Phaeton.1940 Oldsmobile Right Side

Madame X

Now we can’t wait for the 2016 SEMA Show, where they will be unveiling “Madame X”, a 1939 Cadillac coupe.  It is a takeoff on a concept design based on a 1935 Cadillac 60 Special Sedan originally designed by GM stylist Art Ross. So this car was never built until Chip Foose opted to take on the build.

SEMA 2016

Of all the unveilings scheduled during the SEMA Show, this is the most anticipated with some sneak peeks offered recently.  Can’t wait to see it in person on Tuesday!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Silver leaf-a new use

You probably have seen a car, typically a classic, with some gold leafing. You know the look! It is a muddled gold look that still radiates and sparkles. Sometimes painters will use silver leaf for the same look.silver leaf

Well New York artist Dove Bradshaw has come up with a new way to use silver leaf as an art medium. She put silver leaf on a museum wall and has let it stay exposed to the elements. So over time and exposure to the elements, it should change it’s appearance.Art work silver leaf

Now we’ll leave it to our readers to say whether it is art or not. But if you can put it on a car, why not a museum wall? You can check out the artwork information from the Phillips Collection here.