Traditional Hot Rod and Custom Car History If you've never heard of the "Hirohata Merc" it's about time you did. The car started as a low-mileage 1951 Mercury Club coupe owned by Bob Hirohata. In 1952, Bob caught a glimpse of the chop Sam Barris put on his Mercury and that's all it took for Bob to drive the Mercury to Barris Kustoms for a full custom treatment. In the end, Sam Barris, brother George Barris and Frank Sonzogni transformed the Hirohata Merc into a Kustom Legend. Read all about it at Kustomrama.com. Link to the full story: Bob Hirohata's 1951 Mercury Kustomrama is a Wikipedia dedicated to traditional hot rods and kustom cars. It is an online encyclopedia covering all aspects of our kulture. Everyone is welcome to contribute and start new and interesting topics on the Kustomrama Wikipedia. Check it...

In 1964 Ford launched an icon: Mustang. Riding two years of blistering sales, marketing dollars funded a project to put rising stars Sonny and Cher behind the wheel of brand new, nearly consecutive serial number, 1966 Mustang Convertibles. To match the sporty but mainstream Mustangs to the flamboyant rockers, George Barris and Barris TV and Movie Cars were hired to customize the pony car. A great Train of Thought, or so it would seem... Ford, their red-hot Mustang, George and a few Barris Kustom tricks should have been a Good Combination. Here at MyRideisMe.com, United We Stand in saying, these cars failed! Sold as a pair, they fetched over $150,000 (including fees, maybe a win?) at the 2010 Barrett Jackson Auction with George Barris himself on the block to add his, "I Got You Babe" to the auctioneers urging that when it comes to these two collectible cars, Its the Little Things that make'm bring big bucks. Watch the full 6 minute auction if you'd like: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qip5x7crHI[/youtube] It's hard to decided which of the "custom" treatments I liked least. I guess we'll start with the empty ice cube trays...

With all the talk going on about the AMBR winner at the Grand National Roadster Show, I wanted to take the opportunity to show you some of the other great award-winning cars on display. There must have been well over 100 awards given out during Sunday's award ceremony! This is not including awards given out  in the Suede Palace (those cars don't run in competition with the others, it's more of a  low-shine exhibit if you know what I mean.) To start with, this sweet 1952 Chevrolet Coupe won the George Barris Kustom D'Elegance Award. I dug it for it's cool green paint by Gene Winfield as well as it's cam shaft front grill. There were lots of nice wagon's at the show, as I'm partial to wagons they really drew my eye. This 1963 Falcon Squire stood out to win in it's 1955-1979 Conservative Wagon class. I'd heard about this 1932 Ford roadster, dubbed the Platinum Bomb, as it was progressing. I hoped it would take home first prize, but it only got class recognition (this is, however, the most competitive class in the entire show!) Built by...

Car Drawings vs. Hot Rod Design   Over the last decade, we've seen explosive growth in the hot rod and custom car industry and hobby as a whole. This can be attributed to the popularity of television shows like Overhaulin', American Hot Rod and others, as well as Powerblock TV, the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Events, and of course, access to great personalities like Chip Foose, Stacey David and others. This brings in new enthusiasts, and naturally, more project cars!   Not since George Barris snapped thousands of photos and wrote hundreds of articles promoting the hobby back in the 1950's and '60's have we seen so much attention on our hobby, and it's amazing to witness. Yet, while there's all of this excitement, many of these new fans and participants are feeling lost when starting a project. It can be a daunting task to say the least, but when taking those first steps, having the right footing can make all the difference in the world.   Naturally, any success in a project requires a plan, and building or modifying a car requires very careful thought at this stage. I've...