Jan 31: Oakland roadsters

Some events have gone on forever and others just seem like it. But there is one in the car world that has gone on for a good long time and and the prestige it brings to its winning car is enormous, at least amongst people who care about these things. Way back in 1950, as the California hot rod scene was getting established and the California custom car scene was in its infancy, the National Roadster Show was started, but it quickly morphed into the Oakland Roadster Show. If you look closely at the poster above from the second year, you can just make out the type of cars that this show attracted in the very beginning, while the pic below shows it evolving into the roadster and custom car event, that it has continued to be up until the present day......

Interesting, but the point of this blog is to highlight two custom roadsters shown at last week's show, that prove that the art of custom coachwork is still alive and well in the good ol' US of A.

After Shock by Rick Dore Customs (watch for an upcoming blog) takes a late '30's Ford and transforms it into this gorgeous piece of rolling sculpture, that could have come from any of those famous European design houses from way back in the 1930's. This is not your typical, but well loved, big motored, big wheeled, American Graffiti mobile........

Not a line wrong on this car. If I had the money, would I be looking for Rick Dore's phone number? You can see that this car has gone beyond a mere nip and a tuck of an old Ford in order to create something unique.

Very, very nice, but the winner was its equal (and since it won, I guess more than its equal).......

This is the aptly named '36 Mulholland Speedster and if you have noticed that very prominent Packard grille, I guess you know the inspiration for this custom roadster. Again, another beauty, that could easily have sprung from the pen of one of Europe's best......

Now, customizers have always been extremely creative, usually making a car that was highly individualized, but isn't that what customizing is all about? But with these lovelies, they have transcended mere customs and moved into works of art (how poetic).  

Yes, the Oakland Roadster Show is the granddaddy of custom shows, but lest you think that its original purpose has been forgotten.......

Not a chance, as this show still showcases the very best of the hot rodder's art, which still remains the heart and soul of this famous old show.

Until next time.......