Gary "Chop-It" Fioto took home Best Custom honors with his ultra-radical bubbletop custom. Based on a '55 Ford...
...it features Cadillac grille and bumper components, '60 Chrysler taillights, skirted front and rear wheels, a space-age interior, and a wild six-carb small-block Chevy. King of the bubbletops...
...Darryl Starbird, tells us it has the largest bubbletop he's seen to date.
One debut at Fresno was Gil Losi's striking '67 Riviera, which we featured in last month's Custom Rodder. Built by Steve Cook, the Riv has surprisingly few body mods, which shows how radical the car's stock design was. There's black leather inside, a warmed-over 430 under the hood, and custom-built 18-inch wheels that mimic Buick stockers.
Invitation Only Every Car Was A Winner At The 46th Annual Fresno Autorama
Everyone who participates is a winner. That's a phrase often used to encourage youngsters in sports leagues--a way to bolster self-esteem and focus attention on the activity, rather than the end result. Unfortunately, as we grow older and more jaded, we often hear those words with a cynical ear. Not everyone can win, we think to ourselves; someone is always going to lose. Our world-weary perspective seems especially true in the competitive arena of indoor car shows.
The Fresno Autorama, in Fresno, California, is different, though. Unlike other shows, where entering your car is mostly a matter of paying your money and filling out an entry form, the rods and customs at this event are hand-selected. That's right, in order to find yourself and your car on the Fresno Convention Center show floor in March, you have to receive a personal invitation from The Man himself--Blackie Gejeian. This is unique in the world of indoor car shows. Considering Blackie's stature in the business, not to mention his sharp eye for cool cars, it also means you'll only find winning, A-list creations at the Fresno Autorama. To borrow a cliche, this show is all killer, no filler.
For this year's 46th showing of the Autorama, Blackie personally invited more than 160 cars and 30 motorcycles from across the country. An invitation from Blackie generally means he has already seen your car at another show, and chances are you were one of the top dogs there. Every entry is treated as a winner, too. Each vehicle is placed on the floor in a manner that creates variety (make, model, color, and build style) down each row and throughout the entire show. Additionally, Blackie is known for awarding the largest trophies of the indoor season. Everyone is recognized, brought on stage, and acknowledged, and Blackie (again) awards you personally with your own piece of immortality--your own trophy. The rank-and-file trophies measure 48 inches--that's 4 feet--in height.
Even among all these winners, however, there are cars that rise just a bit above the pack. The Fresno Autorama recognizes them with two awards of significance: Best Rod and Best Custom. Not surprisingly, this year's Best Rod went to Ken Reister's '36 Ford roadster, the Ridler award-winning car designed and built by Chip Foose. Best Custom was awarded to Gary "Chop-It" Fioto for his absolutely wild bubbletop creation based on a '55 Ford. Also honored this year was George Barris as Builder of the Year.
To say that everyone at the Fresno Autorama goes home a winner is a bit misleading; it's more accurate to declare everyone who even shows up a winner. Take a look at this collection of photos to see what we mean. Regular Custom Rodder readers may recognize many of these cars from previous event coverage, but you'll probably agree that most are worth a second look. After all, that's what Blackie thinks!
Dale Kintzley brought his brilliant '62 Bonneville down from Kennewick, WA. Features include a full-boogie 455, air springs, Wilwood brakes, 18- and 20-inch Colorado Custom wheels, and a unique tailgate party table that slides out of the custom trunk opening. It's the custom-mix orange paint with white highlights, however, that commands your attention.
Val and John Tompkins own this radical '55 Eldorado. Besides the section job and roadster conversion, the bodywork (by Frank DeRosa and Son and Oz's Kustoms) includes a neat frenched front bumper with molded lower pan. Art Himsl squirted the two-tone color; wheels are 18-inch Wheel Vintiques wires.
Steve Frediani really understands what it means to create a traditionally influenced yet thoroughly modern custom. His Steve Stanford-designed '51 Ford convertible has a 2-inch top-chop, '70 Torino windshield, lengthened doors, and wedge-sectioned front fenders, plus a full custom frame with air springs, a 351 V-8 with Pantera heads and Imagine Injection EFI, and an AOD trans.
Dick Jackson originally built his Little Bastard '57 Thunderbird while working at George Barris' shop in the late '50s. He rebuilt it in 1998, maintaining the original mild custom look with copper paint, gold scallops, and a padded white top.
Speaking of slick mild-custom cruisers, check out Val Tompkins' creamy yellow '64 Olds. John D'Agostino had a hand in designing this car, which features John Cardinalli body and paint accented with white pearl upholstery by Bob Divine.
Leo Reyes' chopped '54 Buick is yet another slick creation from the Oz's Kustoms shop. Tasteful custom touches like frenched lights and shaved trim are covered in House of Kolor Candy Tangerine paint, and accented with a white Carson-style top.
A refined, contemporary approach gives Ken and Claudia Nesmith's '52 Olds Holiday hardtop a classy look. Deep Cranberry paint covers a smoothed body with frenched lights, custom signal lenses, and a custom grille in a molded opening. Underneath there's a Camaro front suspension, four-wheel discs, a fuel-injected LT1, and 17-inch Budnik wheels.
When you start with a '62 Chrysler, there's no need to get radical with bodywork. Durling Mechanical shaved the emblems, rounded the trunk corners, and installed '56 Packard taillight lenses in Steve Santos' Newport. That was followed up with turquoise paint by Teknikolor paint and white threads by Baker's Upholstery.
It may be very mild, but Chuck and Joyce Togstad's '55 Mercury convertible sure is slick and stylish. The bright red exterior is dressed up with wide whites and wires; a fuel-injected Ford small-block resides underhood.
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