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The Lakeville, Minnesota-based wagon, which was featured in the November '05 issue of Custom Rodder, made appearances at several Goodguys events last summer. It was chosen as a CRotY finalist at the 14th Heartland Nationals in Des Moines, Iowa.

As you'll recall, 2005 marked a change in the Custom Rod of the Year competition, which in the past was held exclusively at the Heartland Nats. The new system selected one finalist at six different events across the country. The Goodguys judging committee then voted on a winner, which was announced on the organization's Web site on Sept. 30. They called Wahl's woodie "a contemporary, yet timeless, custom rod woodie wagon, the likes of which we've seldom seen on the Goodguys scene." We'd have to concur.

The lumber longroof faced some pretty stiff competition, too. The five other finalists were Gil Losi's '67 Buick Riviera, Ronnie Staples' sectioned '50 Ford, Steve Frediani's '51 Ford convertible, Mike Terzich's '56 Olds, and John and Jim Meyers' '57 Chevy. For more information on the finalists, the award, and the 2006 Custom Rod of the Year competition, log on to the Goodguys Web site at www.good-guys.com.

From Paper To Metal It's always cool to see custom artwork come to life "in metal." Artist Dan Picasso contacted us recently to say that Larry Thompson of Great Falls, Montana, was building the '54 Chevy he penned in the November 2003 issue of Custom Rodder. We touched base with Larry to get the details.

"The Chevy was started a few years ago as a full custom, but I had no set plan for the car," Larry said. "Before the car was very far along, Dan's artwork was published in Custom Rodder. I loved the design and blew up his artwork and gave it to Mike Johnson of Phantom Kustoms here in Great Falls. He loved the design also, especially the frontend. He built the front headlight brows with electrical conduit over '55 Chevy headlight rims. We changed the design slightly by using a '55 Pontiac rear bumper in front. We made a few other changes from his artwork, but I think overall it captures the 'evil' look he came up with.

"When finished, the car will be painted purple metallic with a white pearl top. The interior will be traditional white tuck 'n' roll. Engine and trans are Chevy 350/350 with Oldsmobile rocket valve covers and air cleaner. The Chevy is sub-framed with an '81 Buick Regal clip and rearend," Larry said. "My dream is to drive it to Paso Robles, as I have been a spectator for the past four years."

We're impressed, Dan's flattered, and with any luck, many of you will get to see Larry's cool cruiser in Paso or at another show someday soon.

Down Under Factory Custom Sometimes we're convinced that Australians have way more fun than we Americans.

Artist Jason Rushforth turned us onto a radical custom concept car that GM's Holden division recently unveiled at the 2005 Sydney Motor Show. Inspired by the iconic 1953 FJ Holden, the Efijy is a $1.5-million creation that shows what kind of custom OEM designers can create when given the opportunity.

Press materials stated that the Efijy was "a passionate side project" for Chief Designer Richard Ferlazzo and some Holden Design team members who were "otherwise dedicated creating the all-new 2006 Commodore." The car is "obviously not intended for production," they said.

Too bad, because the swoopy, "retro chic," Soprano Purple coupe is a knockout. Riding on a lengthened Corvette chassis, the Efijy sports a 645hp supercharged LS2 V-8 engine under its "bonnet," and a rear-mounted, electronically controlled four-speed automatic. The 20x9- and 22x10-inch billet wheels look like something Foose might whittle.

A proximity sensor opens the door automatically as the driver approaches, revealing cream leather tombstone-shaped seats with integral belts. Other interior features include a drop-down, touch-control LCD screen and pearlescent, Bakelite-look push-button transmission controls.

"Efijy is aimed at the legions of custom car and hot rod enthusiasts out there whose appetites aren't generally met in the concept car arena," Ferlazzo said. "Most importantly, it sends the message that the same people who have sensible day jobs designing entirely practical cars have the passion and inspiration to create something as outrageous as Efijy."

Chop, Section & Create Ron Covell has helped countless car enthusiasts become better fabricators and craftsmen through his extensive line of how-to books, videos, and DVDs, not to mention his many metalworking workshops. The latest in his line of instructional materials is this "Chopping and Sectioning" video/DVD, a 100-minute production in which Ron Covell and Joe McGlynn collaborate on a project inspired by the famous Rod & Custom Dream Truck. In the comfort of your own easy chair or garage, you'll see top chopping, body sectioning, and hood pie cutting shown in unusually clear detail, with an ongoing commentary that brings out many of the fine points of such in-depth sheetmetal projects. While this is big-time metalworking that can intimidate many hobbyists, Ron and Joe show how it can be done with basic tools in the home shop.

For more information on this DVD or other instructional materials and tools, contact Covell Creative Metalworking, 106 Airport Blvd., Ste. 105, Dept. CRM, Freedom, CA 95019; (800) 747-4631. You can also check it out online at www.covell.biz.