Tag Archives: classic car

1965 Mustang ‘Sparkey’ Electric Conversion

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There’s no doubt that the roads of the future will include many types of automobiles including gas, diesel, hybrid, electric, and alternate fuel vehicles. But I have to question the wisdom of bringing an electric-powered muscle car to SEMA. Most of the guys walking the show floor still haven’t embraced automatic transmissions or EFI – and I think that getting them to ditch gasoline altogether is going to be a very hard sell.

Still, I’ve gotta hand it to Larry Gareffa for getting his car out there. I saw his 1965 Mustang “Sparkey” on display at the Covercraft booth at SEMA 2013.

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Gil Losi’s 1961 Impala – ‘Under PreSSure’

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There is an old saying that “The only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys.” That’s particularly true for the owner of this 1961 Chevrolet Impala, Mr. Gil Losi.

Back in the 1980s, Gil started a company called Team Losi. Their family business grew to become a dominant player in the R/C car industry during the boom years of the 1980s and 1990s. Gil later sold the business to Horizon Hobby, but he’s not through playing with cars. These days, he’s tinkering with full size ones!

Gil’s latest toy was built by Steve Cook Creations in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I saw it on display at the Meguiar’s booth at SEMA 2013.

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1951 Studebaker Woody by Hill’s Rod and Custom

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When I think of the San Francisco Bay Area, I think of hippies, hilly streets, cable cars, cloudy days and sourdough bread. The last thing I think of is hot rodding, which I associate strongly with southern California.

But if you venture over to Pleasant Hill, California, a little town in the East Bay area, you’ll find Hill’s Rod and Custom and their amazing 1951 Studebaker woody project. I saw this car on display at the Dynamat booth at SEMA 2013.

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Flowmaster 1965 Ford Galaxie by Kindig-It Customs

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While wandering around the 2013 SEMA Show, I spotted this ’65 Galaxie convertible with its famous stacked headlights hiding out in the Flowmaster booth. The car was built by Kindig-It Customs from Salt Lake City, Utah.

The first thing about this car that caught my eye was simply the fact that it wasn’t another 1st or 2nd-gen Camaro. Don’t get me wrong, I like Camaros as much as the next guy, but you can’t swing a set of spark plug wires at SEMA without hitting dozens of F-bodies. They’re everywhere! This car is something different.

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1965 Oldsmobile Starfire Hardtop Coupe

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Back in the early 1960s, Oldsmobile wanted to build a full size sports-luxury coupe to compete with the Ford Thunderbird. They came up with the Starfire, which borrowed its name from the Lockheed F-94 airplane of the same name. Known for its tremendous speed, the F-94 was the first US production jet to come with an afterburner.

Oldsmobile’s Starfire was based on the Eighty-Eight and when it went into production in 1961, it was the most powerful and most expensive car they offered. What made this car special was its 425 cubic inch (7.0L) Rocket V8 engine, which was only used in the Starfire and the Jetstar. With a Rochester 4-barrel carburetor, the engine put out an easy 370 horsepower.

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Inaugural Arizona Concours d’Elegance Exceeds Expectations

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Concours d’Elegance is a French expression that means competition of elegance, and is most often used in relation to automobiles. A concours is essentially a beauty pageant for rare and elegant cars.

There are several examples of these shows in America. The largest and most well-known is the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Monterey, which has been held annually since 1950. A similar show has been held at Amelia Island in Florida since 1971.

Recently, a Concours d’Elegance show was held in Arizona for the very first time. On Sunday, January 12th, 2014, about 2,000 people gathered at the Arizona Biltmore Resort in Phoenix for this inaugural event. The resort, which opened in 1929, is known for its unique architecture and luxurious accommodations and has hosted every U.S. President since Herbert Hoover.

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