Looking like it could have rolled out of Bill Hines' Michigan shop back in the '50s, William DeWitt's '50 Chevy looks absolutely right, plus it has an '84 Corvette drivetrain and suspension under it!
Why don't more people build early '70s "boat-tail" Rivieras? Jon Jardin's Hayward-based '71 has the right idea with shaved handles and emblems, a custom grille, big-inch billet wheels, and tweed and leather upholstery.
Another Cad-this time it's Terry Cook's Pininfarina-designed '60 Eldorado Brougham. Cook claims there are only 54 of these examples left in the world.
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2006 San Francisco Rod,Custom and Motorcycle Show - High Stakes & Hot Cars (cont.)
Upstairs in the main arena, every shade of color could be seen as entrants competed for more than $65,000 in cash and awards. When it was all said and done, Dick Long went home with the d'Elegance Most Elegant Rod award for his '37 Ford cabriolet (built by Zane Cullen at Creative Concepts), while Steve Frediani's '51 Ford earned the d'Elegance Most Elegant Custom honor.
The show's esteemed Hall of Fame ceremony saw the inclusion of rod-show icon Gary "Goodguys" Meadors, longtime show judge George Brancasio, and talented car painter Darryl Hollenbeck, whose mother gave the induction speech (a rather touching moment for all). It was longtime show promoter and rodding enthusiast Blackie Gejeian, however, who nearly upstaged the inductees. Blackie has battled health issues recently and, with back surgery scheduled two days before the show, was not expected to attend. But Blackie has never missed a day of any hot rod show held in the Bay Area since 1949, and he wasn't about to let post-operation recovery keep him away. Resilient as ever, he attended the Hall of Fame and then viewed the show, albeit from his wheelchair.
Indoor shows have always been great places to get ideas for future projects, even if it's just paint schemes and colors. You can walk the aisles and look at the faces of those who are off in some other world while they take in what they're seeing. You can almost hear the, "If I had a little bit of money, I'd sure like to have that one, but I'd just change one thing. ..." After all, everybody likes nice cars.
Over the years, the San Francisco Rod, Custom, and Motorcycle Show has proven to be a safe bet for giving both the public and entrants exactly what they want from a car show. The 2006 event had a full house of attractions that continued its winning ways.
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