Ferrari, Lamborghini & Porsche Flat and Sexy (Click to see any picture full size) Click for everything @ 2012 SEMA Show from MyRideisMe There's a few booths at the SEMA Show you should never miss. One of them's Giovanna's. Much like last year, their booth is a vast expanse of white carpet frequented by fans of the brand, I'm sure, but primarily by folks looking to get close to the Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche and McLaren  exotics on hand. That's why I was there! Shown above is the Lamborghini Aventador LP900 "Molto Veloce" by DMC. Need to know more? Here're the details on the DMC Molto Veloce Package. I got my first ride in a Lamborghini as part of the Optima Ultimate Street Car Shootout. More on that later, but it was an Underground Lamborghini Superleggera putting out 1500 HP on C116 racing gas. OK, maybe I stopped in to say hello to the friendly booth girls too... Pictured here is the Ferrari F458 Spider. Exotic car, beautiful girl, how can you go wrong? Ferrari, Lambo's and the like aren't my area of expertise, so if they're yours, check out GT...

Traditional to Wild Custom Paint at SEMA 2012 (Click to see any picture full size) Click for everything @ 2012 SEMA Show from MyRideisMe The SEMA Show's all about custom. One thing there's never a shortage of is custom paint. Pictured about is my buddy Keith Charvonia's 1951 Kaiser. I already posted about it here, The New Sick: 1951 Kaiser Kustom and Speedhunters.com took some pretty amazing pictures here: Drag'n Kaiser. In case you didn't read either of those, this "fade" paint job was applied by customizing legend Gene Winfield. The lights of SEMA, outlined by the casino-like red carpet set off the paint, but to really love it, you have to see it in the sun! Stepping up or maybe to the side... with some custom airbrush work: Wow! Everyone's seen skulls painted on just about everything, but here's a new take! In view here is the Terminator skull, a Japanese devil call "Oni", the gas mask dude, barely visible, the viking skull, bird skull and Friday the 13th skull! It's all laid out on a pale blue flame-like background. The other side's just as impressive. Here on the...

1968 Cadillac Coupe de Ville at SEMA 2012 (Click to see any picture full size) Click for everything @ 2012 SEMA Show from MyRideisMe Ever heard the saying, "A postman doesn't go for a walk on his day off"? Well, the owner of this 1968 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, Tim Johnson, is a painter by trade.  Tim's Caddy is a three year build. The long road to SEMA started in early 2010 when his soon-to-be wife Jacquelyn (he wisely married her 2 year ago) picked it up for him as a gift. He's been driving it for the last couple years, dodging (unsuccessfully) rain, puddles, sprinklers and every other kind of moisture due to the bare metal finish. With so many thumbs up for the swirly finish, and cause the Caddy was in such good shape to start with... Finally, just two weeks before SEMA, Tim decided to clean it up one last time to leave it metal with clear. I'm glad he did. Don't mistake this for any "Rat Rod"... The interior's finished and tight, stitched up by his buddy Eric Hunsaker over at Advanced Mobile Electronics in Las...

1963 Ford Galaxie at SEMA 2012 (Click to see any picture full size) Click for everything @ 2012 SEMA Show from MyRideisMe Outside near Ford's drifting exhibition sat this purple-ish beast of a 1963 Ford Galaxie. If you're a Ford fan, when you see, "Holman Moody" your curiosity peaks (or it probably should). Here's a quick summary of the Holman Moody evolution... John Holman moved from the sun of Cali to North Carolina to run Ford's NASCAR team in 1956 and teamed up with Ralph Moody. Soon after, Ford begins to dominate NASCAR amid rumors of cheating. By 1957, still winning, Ford and other OEM's pulled out of racing after the AMA (Automobile Manufacturers Association  banned auto companies from using race wins in their advertising. Seeing an opportunity, John and Ralph formed the "Holman Moody" partnership in 1957, then Moody, with refinance money from his airplane, spent $12,000 to buy up Ford's surplus racing gear. $12k!! Assembling the, eh... leftovers, Holman Moody Fords won their first two races in 1957. From there, with a shop on the Charlotte Douglas Airport they started making all parts needed for race cars, later selling those parts to other racers. Eventually, they...

1932 Hot Rod Ford Roadster at SEMA 2012 (Click to see any picture full size) Click for everything @ 2012 SEMA Show from MyRideisMe   What better way to kick off the cool rides at the SEMA Show than with a classic hot rod from Pomona's SO-CAL Speed Shop?   This classic hot rod, staged front-and-left-center in Ford's massive balcony display, runs one of Ford Racing's wicked "Coyote" engines. Blown and fuel injected the nasty little 5-liter pumps out 625 HP through a 6 speed. The 1932 Ford Roadster blends iconic hot rod with technology.   The knockoff Halibrands riding on a SO-CAL "New Traditionalist" chassis lends that, "don't mess" attitude backed up by the "one giant scallop" salt flat inspired paint job. Alternative Automotive Technologies in Troy, MI handled the paint and final assembly with build partners, Detroit Street Rods looking on. Champions Moto, a custom motorcycle company and fashion label also from Socal, rounded out the team.   The technology comes from, of course that nasty Coyote under the hood, but also air conditioning for the hot and heated seats for when it's not.   The combination was good enough...

Best and Worst of SEMA 2012 In many ways, the picture above symbolically tells the SEMA show story... Especially the last day. I shot this Ford Mustang giving one lucky passenger the ride of their lives! Maybe, like the passenger, there was a little bit of, "Damn! I'm glad it's over!" I've spun around, everywhere, my head's a smoky haze of friends, new and old connections and feet-tires worn out to the belts! Yet I know... like every year... come next November, I'll be ready to do it again! It's SEMA! What is the SEMA Show? If you're reading this blog, you probably already know... but for those of you stumbling onto this page from a Google image search, let me explain: SEMA's nearly everyone and everything automotive on the planet jammed wall to wall, believe it or not, into the 3.2 million square feet of the Las Vegas convention center. It's massive! All mixed together, you've got nearly every car and truck represented. You'll find OEM's like Ford and Chevy with their custom creations and new models mixed in with the best custom car builders like Chip Foose,...

Porsche, BMW, Mercedes and Audi on the Grass Pictures and words by Gary Lieber Being a Car Guy, August is always my favorite time to be in the San Francisco Bay area. The Monterey Peninsula is just an hour away, and for the 3rd week in August Monterey becomes the center of the car universe. Every day that week there is something going on, from the Pebble Beach Concours Run-up, to the Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca Raceway, to the many Concours and cars shows that are going on. This year I decided to attend one of the newer Concours, “The Legends of the Autobahn”. This Concours style car show is only 4 years old, but still has a local, intimate flavor to it. The Concours is held in Carmel Valley at the Rancho Canada Golf Course. The venue is just a few miles from the beautiful Pacific coastline and Pebble Beach, which provides a breathtaking background to view the cars. The Concours started out as a BMW club event, and over the years has grown to include the local Porsche, Mercedes, and Audi clubs, too. This year...

NorCal Hot Rods and Custom Car Show Pictures Words by N/Koljian with photos by N/Koljian, John Lemoine & Alan G It starts out in Ocala, FL in March and moves its way across the map hitting cities like Michigan and Washington ‘til it arrives in Antioch, CA for the grand finale. This year’s Billetproof kept up to past standards by being the blowout show to end a great Northern California car season. Being that it’s the last big show of the year, Alan Galbraith and the boys from the Dragoons Car Cult set out to make this a show to remember. With a car count of 850 plus and a spectator total exceeding 3000, well, you do the math. We showed up early, and I mean early, to catch the roll in. The sun was just peaking over the hills of Antioch and there was already a stable of rods 2 to 3 city blocks deep and MyRideisMe.com captured all that went down at the 16th Billetproof in 2012. (Skipping the story? See all of the photos from 2012 Billetproof right here: MyRideisMe.com's 2012 Billetproof Antioch Pictures - Or...

Custom Mini Bike Show in Phoenix, AZ Story and Photos by Rob Zoller A brisk 90 degree day in the Phoenix Valley pulled the hibernating zealots from their AC’d lairs to attend the event of the year. We rolled in and were pleasantly surprised to see the event already up and rolling. There was a “Mini” swap meet which drew our immediate attention and after a few great scores we turned our gaze onto the plethora of “customcool” mini bikes. There was everything from the mild to wild with Ron’s yellow racer taking top honors for speed demon, there were choppers and bobbers, stocks and mods, all were welcome. Of course we eventually wandered over to the park just across the street for some spontaneous drag racing and exhibitions of speed which drew the inevitable attention of the Phoenix PD… Everyone scattered except for the sacrificial lamb, I won’t divulge his name (Chip). We were pleasantly surprised to find that we were welcome to peruse the parking lot as long as we didn’t touch the grass… GAME ON! There will be a follow up show and drag race in...

Hot Rods and Custom Car Show Pictures from Skoty Chops Custom Showcase 2012 Words & pictures by Nick Koljian - CLICK to zoom Alameda, CA has a little old place called the Forbidden Island. It's a well known tiki lounge right in the heart of the historical Bay Station shopping district. It’s quite the retro oasis and has been a staple in Alameda since April of 2006. Many compare the dreamy decor to the Enchanted Tiki Room in Disneyland from the glowing puffer fish to the tiki statues and Tahitian velvet paintings. The Forbidden Island also is well known for serving up award winning, world famous and classic exotic cocktails and for the past 5 years serving up a little diddy known as The Tiki Car Hop. So let the gang from MyRideisMe.com take you on a little Polynesian treat where tiki island tradition meets mainland hot rod culture. Grab yourself a scorpion bowl, relax and enjoy East Bay Sinners CC Tiki Car Hop @ The Forbidden Island in Alameda, CA. This being my first trip to the car hop, I didn't know what to expect. Outside the Forbidden Island vintage rides...

Hot Rods and Custom Car Show Pictures from Skoty Chops Custom Showcase 2012 Words & pictures by: Have you ever heard the old phrase "You have to see it to believe it." Well that old phrase stands true to a local car show that has been going on for the past 4 years in Redwood City, CA. That show is Skoty Chops Shootout custom car show. Along with the show, Mr. Wim puts on his Brush Stroke for the past 3 years. So with that type of 1-2 punch you can't go wrong! Skoty Chops is one of most well known fabricators in Northern California and pinstriper Jaime "Wim" Trevino is one of the steadiest hands this side of Los Angeles. You combine the two and you get a pretty impressive showing of custom cars and pinstripers. Seeing is believing, that's why MyRideisMe.com show hounds, the Lens Junkies Nick Koljian and John Lemoine were on the spot bringing you Skoty Chops Shootout and Brush Stroke #4. Time in and time out, a Skoty Chops show will bring in some of the south bay's best customs, bombs, classics and hot rods...

Failed Bonneville Hot Rod Take-over at the Nugget   What do I mean failed? Well, compared to shows at the Nugget years ago, this one was a bust.   First off, it's been raining on and off since we rolled into Wendover. It'd be easy to say that the show was small because of the weather, but my buddy Keith kept saying, "Well, the cars have to be parked somewhere!" For me, I kept snapping photos. If you see a blurry spot on a pic, it was mother nature's fault.       Looking closer, we noticed most of the parking along the casino was blocked off. The normal parking spots along the road were filled with the first-come-first-served hot rods, but as new roadsters and heavily chopped coupes rolled in, they found nowhere to park. I bugged the casino manager, "What gives?" He explained that after the show last year where there were too many cars and too many people, the fire marshall shut them down. Sorry, I call BS. I think it's more likely that the casino's management blocked off more hot rods from filling their parking...