The San Francisco Bay Area is arguably the birthplace for car shows that cater to the custom car scene, as it was in 1949 when the first custom show was held in Oakland. Similar shows popped up nationwide soon thereafter, but there has been at least one custom show (and sometimes more) per year held in the Bay Area for more than 50 years.
Rick Perry has lived in the midst of the car show scene for decades. He was the right-hand man to promoter Don Tognotti, who produced and owned the Grand National Roadster Show for many years. He now owns and runs the San Francisco Rod, Custom, and Motorcycle Show.
This year's show, held Jan. 7-9, marked the fifth time the faithful gathered. The site was the historic Cow Palace in South San Francisco, where the show took over the main floor as well as several additional halls at the facility. The show is your basic "full-tilt" deal, so in addition to innovative new creations from well-known car builders, there were also manufacturers and vendors displaying their wares, live bands playing, product demonstrations, and even a nitro-burning, front-engine dragster lit and rev'd up occasionally to wake the dead.
Indoor shows are great places to see some of the latest trends, from color schemes to interior fabrics and general build styles. Last year the show set aside a large room for about 70 so-called rat rods (or jalopies, or fundamental rods and customs, or whatever you want to call 'em). This year, more than 150 suede and hardcore cars filled the buildings behind the main arena, a testament to the genre's continued popularity.
Celebrations of the car-building hobby were held throughout the extended weekend. One of several dedicated rooms featured welders assembling a complete chassis. On Saturday, the Hall Of Fame ceremony inducted four new members--designer/TV star Chip Foose; RP Production's George Hague; customizer Rick Dore; and NorCal customizer Dick Falk. Afterward, many Hall of Famers took part in an autograph signing session that lasted for hours and gave hundreds of spectators a chance to meet heroes they'd only read about for years.
You can only scratch the surface of such a large event by showing highlights on magazine pages. The San Francisco Rod, Custom, and Motorcycle Show should really be experienced in person, with all of its color and grandeur available to the naked eye. For more on the show, including next year's dates, go to www.rpprodinc.com.
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 The show's top custom honor...  The show's top custom honor is the Most Elegant Custom award, which comes with $2,000 cash and a D'Elegance trophy sponsored by Hot Hues. Subtly done, Robert Wolf's chopped and sectioned "Salsa Verde" '48 Buick Special has scores of body mods giving it the air of a concept car. A 5.7-liter GM small-block and 4L60E trans provide power. Merlin Berg did the bodywork, and Jim McFall stitched the custom cloth inside. |
 Built by Roseville Rod and...  Built by Roseville Rod and Custom, Dave Baker's '50 Merc is chopped, hardtopped, smoothed, slicked, and rounded. The custom work is complemented with rod-flavored elements like 17-inch American wheels and a big-block Chevy. |
 Gene Winfield has been in...  Gene Winfield has been in the custom car business since the '50s, and raced on the dry lakes and oval tracks before that. He was on hand selling merchandise, plus he had his wild '60s-era Reactor on display. |
 Some people say post-'64 cars...  Some people say post-'64 cars can't be customs. Longtime Bay Area custom guy John D'Agostino begs to differ with rides like this gorgeous mild custom '66 Olds Dynamic 88, with bodywork by Oz Customs (Oroville, CA). Bob Divine did the upholstery in white pearl with purple piping. |
 Another slick, mild cruiser...  Another slick, mild cruiser is John and Val Thompkins' creamy yellow '64 Olds, which was dressed in a white pearl interior by Devine. John Cardinalli (Antioch, CA) did the bodywork and paintwork. |
 Look to the other side of...  Look to the other side of this '50 Pontiac convertible and you can see the scissor doors that were grafted in place by Kreations, who did much of the bodywork and paint on Ray Castor's Chief. |
 Though the A Brothers, Mike...  Though the A Brothers, Mike and Larry Alexander, closed their Detroit-based shop in 1969, their influence is still being felt in the custom car world. The Deora is a marvel of innovation (the windshield raises and the "frontgate" pivots to gain interior access),... |
 ...and their restored '66...  ...and their restored '66 Barracuda featured recessed door pulls well before Detroit used them. Mike and Larry were both on hand to take pictures and sign autographs. |
 Richard Zocchi has debuted...  Richard Zocchi has debuted a different car at Bay Area car shows for decades, and his latest is this chopped, peach-hued '59 Buick Invicta. The bodywork is by John Aiello, paint by Art Himsl, and interior by Divine. |
 Another of Val Thompkin's...  Another of Val Thompkin's cool customs is this '55 Eldorado convertible, which has bodywork by DeRosa and Son. Art Himsl squirted the two-tone color as well as the exceptional fade. |
 Durling Mechanical did the...  Durling Mechanical did the metalwork--including Packard taillights, rounded trunk corners, and shaved emblems--on Steve Santos' '62 Chrysler. It was followed up with Teknikolor paint and Baker's Upholstery threads, both in Fairfield, CA. |
 Some cars look good without...  Some cars look good without paint, like Romero Marshall's chopped '54 Ford. |
 Al Casatico, from nearby Danville,...  Al Casatico, from nearby Danville, rolled in with his '50 Ford woodie, which utilizes an LT1/700R4 engine and trans combo as well as a Fatman IFS. ETIII wheels help give it a unique look. |
 Howard Chandler calls his...  Howard Chandler calls his gray '63 Thunderbird The Bird. Joe Piehoff did the paintwork after Art Guiterrez finished the bodywork. Howdy Ledbetter created The Bird's interior. |