We had lots of cars and trucks to ogle while at SEMA. Here is a link to our eBay Motors blog on this exceptional 66 Chevy Stepside.
66 Chevy C 10 Stepside
The owner was the second owner of this truck and took his time finding a local shop in Henderson, NV to do the restoration. Hard to believe in stock shape it came from GM like this.
How can you NOT love the stance on this beast?
Here are some additional shots of the truck. Enjoy and let us know your favorite view.
Last night, viewers of Fast N’ Loud saw Gas Monkey Garage’s Richard Rawlings sell a 1965 2 door Impala that had been “restored” to a Tennessee casino for $75,000. That started a series of commentary on the “interweb” (as Rawlings refers to it) on whether it was fairly priced.
Now I am not a huge fan of “reality TV” car shows, mainly since many are far-fetched and stray quite a bit from the truth. And many of these builds, rushed for dramatic tension to meet unrealistic and unnecessary deadlines, show the outcomes of the haphazard workmanship. As the saying goes; “Fast, Good and Cheap – you can’t have all three”.
Richard Rawlings
Gas Monkey Garage, with Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufmann, has received some great publicity through their show on the Discovery Channel and had an interesting run offering the Chevrolet COPO Camaro. In January they sold a Ferrari at Barrett-Jackson that they had previously repaired on the show. If nothing else, Rawlings and crew have some great publicity working for them.
1965 Impala
We’ve seen Gas Monkey Garage’s work before, and haven’t seen this car in person, but seriously doubt that this car was close to being a $75,000 car. The show documented some rust issues by the window moldings, and the sun visors kept flipping down during the test drive, It didn’t appear during the show that any of the chrome or trim was reworked and the glass wasn’t swapped out. Ironically this car was originally bought from an impound yard after the owner failed to claim it.
Turns out the casino already give it away for a promotion and the new owner first tried to sell it on eBay. The auction started in late August and ending on September 4, 2014. But it only received six bids and stopped at $19,100; way below the reserve price. The owner claimed to be selling it to pay the taxes on the prize, a common issue with prize winners and the IRS.
Craigslist
Now the owner is offering it up on Craigslist for $33,500. The description still has some typos but with the hype from last’s night’s show, wonder if the seller will get his new asking price. Good luck!
What’s your opinion of the car and it’s value? Let us know.
Escondido’s weekly car show, “Cruisin Grand“, wrapped up their summer of events this past Friday with one last show. It started back in April and we covered the start as well. There are just some awesome cars and trucks at this weekly show that you won’t see anywhere else.
Escondido
Escondido, California may be best known for being home to the San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park and is a short inland drive from San Diego’s cool tropical climate. But every Friday night, downtown Escondido heats up with a neat car show-cruise.
The main drive is reserved for classic cars and trucks. A few side streets are blocked off as well. bands play on various corners and an emcee/DJ plays some oldies and keeps the crowd entertained. But the real draw has to be the cars.
15 Year Anniversary
This is the 15th anniversary year for the free show that pulls in cars from across the SoCal car scene with their theme nights and club sponsorships. The final week is Nitro Night which is a huge draw and even picks up some national magazine coverage.
Escondido Downtown Merchants
Many restaurants stay open specifically for the Friday night cruise and there is a terrific kettle corn lady along with other food and drink vendors. It takes a large group of volunteers and some cash to keep this event safe and fun and they all do a good job!
It is worth the drive, if you are there on a Friday night next summer!
Here are some additional cars to feats your eyes on. Which is your favorite?
Toyota’s Scion brand is prepping for the upcoming SEMA Show in a big way by teasing out two sketches of some customized, tricked out Scion’s. Scion will showcase in Las Vegas at least two models; a Slayer Mobile Amp tC themed after trash metal band Slayer and a Riley Hawk Skate Tour xB named for the pro skateboarder.
Scion
Scion’s have always branded and positioned themselves as an entry market for coming of age drivers and buyers and offer many ways to customize the cars right off the dealer’s lot.
Last year Toyota had some neat racer inspired cars plus a “Tanked” Highlander which we showcased here. Now we’ll have to be sure and check out the Scion cars this year!
Slayer
You’d expect a Slayer dedicated show car to focus on the music and you wouldn’t be wrong.
The music is going to be pumping out of this tC for sure. Slayer is a California formed heavy metal band and has won two Grammy awards. It will be interesting to see if any of the four band members make it out for the debut of this Scion.
Riley Hawk
Riley Hawk’s ride, an xB, will present a flashback to the 70’s van craze. His ride will have shag carpet, bubble windows and wood paneling on the interior. Can’t wait to see it in person at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. There is bound to be enough room for his skateboard in this tricked out Scion!
Riley Hawk is the son of Tony Hawk, who revolutionized skateboarding on the West Coast. Riley is only 21 years of age and is already an award winning skater, but suspect Dad had to explain what shag carpeting was about!
SEMA
The sketches are a bit limited in presenting what the final version will look like, but can’t wait to see the outcomes in a month at the SEMA Show. We’ll keep our eye peeled for more progress updates.
Encinitas, California is located just a short hop up the San Diego coast and offers a laid back surfer vibe. It is known not only for the surfing action and fish tacos, but also local one of a kind shops and furniture showrooms. But twice a month during the summer months the downtown streets come alive with a classic car show.
Thursdays are for Cruising
On the third Thursdays in the summer, from May through September, the Encinitas downtown group sponsors this car show along historic Pacific Coast Highway 101.
Along with the cars, bands can be heard performing and of course cars are always cruising the main drag. Plus many adjacent bars and restaurants are open with specials offered for the onlookers.
Classic Cars and Trucks
Now being a surfer city you just know Encinitas will dust off a few woodies for the show. But all varieties of classic cars and trucks come out for this once a month laid back car show.
Pacific Coast Highway
The car show spans the 101 Highway, from D to J Streets, along with some adjacent parking lots from cooperative shops. Portions of the Ppacific Coast Highway 101 hug the coastline of California.
Unlike other local events there is no signage reserving the on street parking for the classics so you often get a mix of classic Detroit Iron next to a plastic swoopy car! Awards are given out but there is more interest in the cars presented than the picks and awards.
Cruisers
Now parking for the public is a bit intense so if you go, plan on your own “cruising event” looking for a parking spot, but you’ll be rewarded with a sweet show. The season, alas, has ended for the Encinitas show, but you can relive the fun times with our pictures. Enjoy the snapshots and let us know your favorite.
During the summer, downtown El Cajon, CA sponsors a free car cruise-show each Wednesday night. There is a theme each week spotlighting select cars or car clubs. The main street through downtown is reserved for classic cars and trucks. A DJ spin some classic rock and folks have a chance to see some great looking cars.
You get all variety of cars and trucks and best of all some will cruise the streets so you can see them in action.
This tricked out rod was done with a sense of humor and style.and it obviously is not a trailer queen as evidenced by these deals on the rear window.
Cruisers
Did we mention cars cruise down the streets?
Where else can you see a Camaroand a Rolls Royce at the same event?
Enjoy the pictures and it is not too late to take in this show if you are in the San Diego area on a Wednesday night! It runs through October 29, 2014. Many restaurants stay open and there are usually some sidewalk vendors as well.
Here are some selected pictures of some classics? Which is your favorite?
SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) is the car show of all car shows, held in Las Vegas each year. But because SEMA Show is a trade show, only qualified attendees may go past the security guards.
Friday Night Cruise
But one of the secrets of SEMA is the cruise out on Friday night. For years the Las Vegas locals would hang out at the driveways of the Las Vegas Convention Center to see the cars and trucks roll out from the convention floors.
A few years back, SEMA latched on to this phenomenon and made an official event for the cruise starting at 4 PM on Friday, the last day of the SEMA Show. Last year was a hoot as we mentioned in this article.
SEMA does it right with bleachers brought in specifically for the cruise. Mix in a DJ, an emcee and some personalities like Chip Foose and you have all the makings for a fun event.
And nowadays every event needs at least pone drone sighting!
SEMA Cruise 2014
SEMA just announced that for this year, the vehicles will cruise over to a lot at the “Linq Promenade“, where the public is invited for one last change to check out the cars. SEMA is calling this event the SEMA Ignited and promises to be a nice event with manufacturers getting one more chance to promote their products, cars and gear.
While not all the thousands of vehicles inside the SEMA Show go out in the cruise, those that do make for an awesome display of lights and sounds.
Here’s just some of our favorite car shots from last year’s Cruise
Drew’s Garage in Tempe, AZ is featured in the August, 2014 issue of Performance and Hot Rod Business. Our friends at the publication did a nice feature on this local garage.
Here’s a link to the six page article.
We recently featured Drew’s Garage with this article on Larry Fitzgerald’s 1968 Dodge Charger. Here’s the link as well.
In the article. the owner Drew Tennant discussed the origins of his shop and how showcasing his cars at Barrett-Jackson and Goodguys Rod and Custom helped his business grow. It is interesting to read that most of his employees are auditioned and hired from out of state.
Boyd Coddington built a great variety of award winning cars. This Southern California icon left us way too soon. But fortunately his cars remain to showcase his vision and talent.
Ron Pratte Collection
Ron Pratte collected plenty of cars over the years and will be selling them at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Arizona in January. While specifics haven’t been finalized, it is thought that all his cars will be sold. Here’s a link to our first article about Ron Pratte selling off his cars.
Pratte never has opened his car collection to the public but we got an exclusive peek a few years ago.
Boyd Coddington
Amongst his collection, Pratte owns the largest collection of Boyd Coddington built cars. Coddington earned fame after winning an AMBR award but many first heard of him on a reality TV show, American Hot Rod – that set the theme for car building TV series.
In Pratte’s collection are a stylistic version of the classic 57 Chevy – Chezoom, a homage to a 32 Delahaye called the Whatthehaye and the AlumaTub.
All three cars reflect Coddington’s iconic style, long sweeping lines and smooth bodysides.
Here’s a link to an article we contributed to eBay Motors on these Boyd Coddington cars.
Ron Pratte has been a prolific classic car collector and is known for the size of his private collection and his generosity in buying “charity” cars, with the proceeds going to specific charities.
Arizona Auction
Recently Barrett-Jackson confirmed the swirling rumors that Ron Pratte was selling his entire collection next January at their Scottsdale, AZ auction at Westworld.
Ron Pratte Collection
Ron Pratte stored his cars behind closed doors in Chandler, Arizona and only rarely allowed outsiders to see these cars. These pictures are rare glimpses of some expensive and profound historical cars.
Here is a link to an eBay Motors article we recently wrote highlighting three vehicles from Ron Pratte’s collection that presumably are selling. What do you think they’ll sell for? Subscribe to this blog for a future update on another part of his collection.
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Slayer
Thursdays are for Cruising
Along with the cars, bands can be heard performing and of course cars are always cruising the main drag. Plus many adjacent bars and restaurants are open with specials offered for the onlookers.
El Cajon
and it obviously is not a trailer queen as evidenced by these deals on the rear window.
and a Rolls Royce at the same event?
