Posts Tagged ‘ Award Winners ’

1927 Ford Built by So-Cal Speed Shop Named America’s Most Beautiful Roadster

By Ashley Smissen , February 1, 2012 in E-News, News & Events, Photo Galleries

The 2012 America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) Award went to the Indy Speedster 8, a silver 1927 Ford built by the team at So-Cal Speed Shop. The award was presented on Sunday, Jan. 29 during a special ceremony at the 63rd Annual Grand National Roadster Show.

The Indy Speedster 8 is owned by Bill Lindig of Houston. Lindig purchased the car from its original builder, Jack Howarton, in 2007. So-Cal Speed Shop worked on the car for four years to get it to look how it does today, according to an Autoweek story.

The car features an interior by Gabe Lopez and an Art Chrisman-built engine. The build team included Pete Chapouris, Clay Cook and Jimmy “Shine,” among others.

All 10 roadsters that were in the running for the award were on display in a special area at the Grand National Roadster Show that also included last year’s AMBR Award winner, a 1934 Ford Roadster owned by Daryl Wolfswinkel (read more about that car here).

The other AMBR award contenders were:

1962 Corvette Featured in HRR to Be Auctioned at Barrett-Jackson

By Ashley Smissen , January 10, 2012 in News & Events, Rod Shops

The 1962 custom Corvette “Elegance” built by Johnny’s Auto Trim in Alamosa, Colorado, will be auctioned live at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Saturday, Jan. 21. The Corvette, which appeared on the cover of the July 2011 issue of Hotrod & Restoration, was named one of the “Great 8″ cars at the 2011 Detroit Autorama.

The car, which will be sold without a reserve, features a custom leather interior, LS7 engine, extensive body modifications and a one-off “Champaign Mist” paint job. The Barrett-Jackson website describes the Corvette as “… perfection at its finest. The attention to detail and tasteful custom design is amazing. There are many subtle custom modifications one might overlook due to its seamless sleek design.”

Featured Vehicle: The Award-Winning 1939 Buick

By Ashley Smissen , December 21, 2011 in Rod Shops

When Harold and Ruth Wiley brought in pieces of a 1939 Buick to Kindig-It Design, they were looking to have a daily driver built. The Salt-Lake-City-based shop had already built the couple a 1949 Chevy pickup truck, so the Wileys knew they could expect a high-quality vehicle from the Kindig-It Design team. Little did they know that the Buick that started in pieces would go on to become an award-winning show car.

“The Buick came to us with the original straight-eight [engine] in it,” said Dave Kindig, co-owner of Kindig-It Design. “The body itself was in fair shape. The intention of the owners was not to [have it become] a show car.”

Things changed as the build began. Over the following eight months, the build team (which included a combination of 10 people) worked to turn the body and parts into an elegant daily driver for the Wileys.

Restorer Profile: Why Kindig-It Design Diversified Its Offerings

By Devlin Smith , December 7, 2011 in Rod Shops

Dave and Charity Kindig recently returned from the SEMA Show, their first time at the show as exhibitors.

“We’ve had many vehicles there on display for the last seven, eight years, but this was the first time that Kindig-It Design has ever had a booth at the SEMA Show and it couldn’t have gone any better,” Dave, who owns the Salt Lake City-based shop with wife Charity, said. “I think that we [beat] it by tenfold what I expected to have out of it as far as business and recognition.”

The couple was at the show promoting Kindig-It Design’s new line of door handles, a product that was designed for in-house use but is now being offered to the masses.

“When you’re building these one-off cars, you build hundreds of parts prototypes,” Dave explained. “The door handles [were] put together back in 2006 for a 1956 Chevy. The theme of that car was to smooth over what the original car was, one of those parts included making the door handle disappear into the car yet they still looked like they were chrome door handles. After developing those, the guys and I got together and I was like, ‘I think we could probably sell a lot of these,’ and so we started looking into manufacturing and then we started realizing that this was going to go really well, and went forward with getting a patent on it.”

The door handle parts are manufactured by an outside company and assembled at Kindig-It Design. A few shops are already selling the door handles and Dave is planning to add more parts to the line.

Ringbrothers Recieve Goodguys’ 2011 Trendsetter Award at SEMA Show

By Ashley Smissen , November 7, 2011 in News & Events, Rod Shops

Jim (left) and Mike (right) Ring stand with Goodguys President Marc Meadors (center) after the award presentation.

Mike and Jim Ring, custom car builders and the owners of the Ringbrothers shop in Spring Green, Wisconsin, were named the dual recipients of the Goodguys 2011 Trendsetter Award. The Rings received the award at the annual Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) Industry Reception, held last week during the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

Ringbrothers is known in the industry for its cutting-edge 1960s muscle car builds, including the 1967 Mustang “Reactor” and the 1969 Camaro “Razor.” Earlier this year, the shop took home the inaugural Golden Builder Award at the 2011 Hotrod & Restoration Trade Show for the 1970 Mustang “Dragon.”

In addition to the Golden Builder Award, Ringbrothers has also received several other prestigious industry honors, including two Goodguys Street Machine of the Year awards, and several Mother’s Shine and Ford Design awards.

Mike and Jim accepted the 2011 Trendsetter Award in front of several hundred of their industry peers, as well as their families. Goodguys President Marc Meadors presented the award.

Ed Iskenderian Named 2012 Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree

By Ashley Smissen , October 26, 2011 in Hotrod & Restoration Trade Show, News & Events

Ed Iskenderian

Ed Iskenderian, founder of Isky Racing Cams, will be honored with the Robert E. Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grand Opening Breakfast for the 2012 Hotrod & Restoration Trade Show, to be held March 23, 2012 at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

“Since reading my first Hot Rodmagazine in the ’50s I remember Isky Cams being synonymous with high performance and quality,” said Buddy Pepp, executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum and co-presenter of the award. ”Ed Iskenderian is the true ‘Camfather.’ I am very pleased that Ed will be honored in Indianapolis in March and I’m certain Bob Petersen would be thrilled knowing that Ed was selected as the 2012 Robert E. Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.”

Iskenderian began working on cars in high school, with his pet project being a Model T Ford roadster. After graduating, he worked as an apprentice tool and die maker, then enlisted in the Army Air Corps, serving with the Air Transport Command flying supplier to the islands of the Pacific during World War II.

After the end of the war, Iskenderian returned to working on his hot rod. The hot rod hobby was gaining traction so it was harder to get parts from the few camshaft manufacturers on the West Coast. While waiting for delivery of a special-order camshaft, Iskenderian bought a used conventional cylindrical grinder that he converted to a universal cam grinding machine and entered the cam grinding business.

Throughout his career, Iskenderian used the latest technology to develop his camshafts. Isky Racing Cams lists him as the first person in the industry to employ computers in camshaft design. This helped him to develop performance and economy camshafts and components for racers and stock/street enthusiasts.

“Isky played one of the most critical roles in the very creation of hot rodding,” said Barry Meguiar, president and CEO of Meguiar’s Inc., who will once again serve as master of ceremonies for the Grand Opening Breakfast. ”To hear him relive his firsthand experiences will be a moment in time for all of us.”

Featured Vehicle: Award-Winning ‘Radster’ 1935 Ford Roadster

By Ashley Smissen , October 24, 2011 in Photo Galleries, Rod Shops

(All photos by Josh Mishler)

With its completely handcrafted body, customized interior and stunning two-toned paint job, it’s safe to say that Kevin and Karen Alstott’s 1935 Ford roadster was built to win awards. When the car, named “Radster,” took home the coveted Ridler Award at the 2006 Detroit Autorama, the Alstotts and the car’s builder, Roger Burman of Lakeside Rods & Rides, were thrilled.

Little did they know that the Ridler win was just the beginning. The “Radster” would later go on to win the 2007 AMBR and AMBSR awards, as well as the 2007 Street Rod d’Elegance title. Only one other car, the Chip Foose-built 1936 Ford “Impression,” has won all four of the industry’s major awards.

Before the Alstotts recruited Burman and his team to build their car, they researched what it took to build an award-winning custom car by interviewing various car show judges and studying features of past winners. As a result of their research, the Alstotts chose to build a 1935 Ford roadster, and then contacted Burman at his Rockwell City, Iowa, shop to see what ideas he could come up with for the build.

At first, Burman wanted to build a fenderless 1935 roadster, something that hadn’t been done up until that point. Although Kevin Alstott loved the idea, he eventually decided that he wanted this build to be a fully fendered car. (Burman did end up building a fenderless yellow 1935 roadster for the Alstotts that also did well on the show circuit.)

With the plan in place, Burman and his team at Lakeside Rods & Rides got to work. It took two years and a team of 18 to build the striking award-winning roadster.

Goodguys Announces Winners of Six Major Awards

By Ashley Smissen , October 12, 2011 in News & Events

The winners of the six Goodguys‘ Regional Terrific 12 awards were recently announced, including the winners of Custom Rod of the Year, Kustom of the Year, Muscle Machine of the Year, Muscle Car of the Year, Truck of the Year (pre-1952) and Truck of the Year (1953–1972).

“A Terrific 12 Award is the highest honor Goodguys offers to recognize automotive excellence,” representatives for Goodguys said in a press release.

Finalists for the awards were chosen at various Goodguys events throughout the season, with a winner being chosen from that group of finalists.

“This method benefits participants of all regions from across the country … instead of limiting the award to a certain region and certain event,” Goodguys said.

The Goodguys 2011 Kustom of the Year went to the 1936 Ford belonging to Ken and Jan Wall of Mukilteo, Washington. The car started out as a five-window coupe but was customized by Ken over a period of 10 years. The car features a custom two-piece windshield, doors from a 1936 roadster, a Carson-style top, molded 1937 Ford headlights, hidden hinges, a redesigned grille, one-off tapered running boards, and ribbed Desoto bumpers. The Walls’ 1936 Ford was chosen as a finalist at the 24th Pacific Northwest Nationals in Puyallup, Washington.

Michael Tarquinio’s 1932 Ford Roadster Named Goodguys’ 2011 Hot Rod of the Year

By Ashley Smissen , September 20, 2011 in News & Events

Michael Tarquinio stands with his Zephyr-inspired 1932 Ford roadster.

The low-slung 1932 Ford roadster owned by Michael Tarquinio of Pittsburgh was named the 2011 Gearstar Hot Rod of the Year at Goodguys’ 1^st WIX Filters Speedway Nationals, held last weekend in Indianapolis. In its first year, the event attracted over 2,500 rods and customs, according to Goodguys.

The roadster, named “Second Wind,” was first built in the 1970s but sat dormant for nearly 40 years before being discovered in a Pennsylvania barn. The car, which features many Zephyr touches, was built by Tarquinio and his friends at G.I.S. Automotive . It made its debut in January.

The roadster’s body is painted in PPG’s “Washington Blue” and sits on a pair of So-Cal Speed Shop rails. Under the hood sits a polished 1957 Oldsmobile J2 engine with a Stromberg six-pack and rare aluminum heads. Other features include a Tremec five-speed transmission, polished banjo-style rear end from Winters and one-off artillery-style wheels by Wheel Smith that feature hubcaps and trim rings from a 1940 Zephyr.

1939 Buick Wins 2011 America’s Most Beautiful Street Rod Title at West Coast Nationals

By Ashley Smissen , August 30, 2011 in News & Events, Rod Shops

A four-door 1939 Buick owned by Harold Wiley was named the Goodguys 2011 Flowmaster America’s Most Beautiful Street Rod last weekend at the 25^thGoodguys West Coast Nationals in Pleasanton, California. This marks the first time a four-door car has taken the title, according to Goodguys.

The two-tone Buick was built by Kindig-It Design of Salt Lake City and blends traditional classic lines with a low-slung modern street rod stance. The design team didn’t alter any of the car’s factory lines in an effort to keep it as stock as possible, according to Goodguys. Highlights of the car include an updated factory chassis, a RideTech air suspension and 17-inch “Smoothie” wheels by Intro that feature custom retro center caps that were designed in-house by the team at Kin-Dig-It.