Grand National Roadster Show of the 70's

The Indoor Show Floor At The Oakland –Alameda Coliseum Also Incorporated The Basketball And Concert Arena. This Space Provided An Outstanding Space To Display All Roadsters, Sans A Few Commercial Booths. The Natural Light From The Upper Level Windows Really Enhanced The True Colors Of The Entries.

This First Generation Camaro Drag Car Carried Its Psychedelic Paint Scheme To Include Ribbons, Murals And Wild Striping. In The Background Is Ken Sylvestri’s Flip Top Corvette With Similar Paint Graphics.

Another Crazy Show Only Vehicle Was This Hard Hat Hauler Built By Barris Kustom From An MPC Model Car Kit. The Chrysler Hemi Engine Has Three GMC Blowers Stacked On Top Of It. The Basis For The Body Was A 1923 Ford Model T Roadster. The Four Foot Hard Hat Was Formed Out Of Aluminum.

John Siroonian Had Amazing Success After He Started Western Wheel Company In Fresno, California In The 1970’s. He Then Assembled An Amazing Collection Of 1932 Ford Street Rods Including This Gorgeous Deuce Touring Built By Don Thelan.

Many People Will Remember Ralph Garcias Chopped 1940 Ford Coupe From The Early Cruising Scene In The Classic Movie American Graffiti. Built By Tom Hocker And Barris Kustoms In 1953, The Car Was First Shown At The Roadster Show In 1953, Then Went Through Several Changes Before Appearing In The Movie.

Following Some Success With The Andy’s Instant T Kit Car, Brizio Built An Instant Deuce, A 1932 Ford Roadster With An Independent Twin Dropped Axle Front Suspension. After Some Experimenting With A Mazda Rotary Engine, Brizio Settled On The Familiar And Reliable Small Block Chevrolet.

Richard Greene’s 1914 Ford T Is Another Great Example Of A NorCal Driver Quality Street Rod Could Hold Its Own At Any Car Show. Details Include A Small Block Chevrolet Mated To A Four Speed Tranny Cooled By A 1915 Ford Brass Radiator.

Drag Racer And Brizio Employee Ray Callejo Went The Full Street Rod Route With This Beautiful Black 1914 Ford Model T C Cab, The Second C Cab Built At Brizio’s Instant T Factory. The Steve Archer Body Was Covered In Multiple Coats Of Black Lacquer. Current Owner Tom Cutino Found The Car In Major Disrepair And Is Almost Finished With A Frame Off Restoration.

Here Is Another Beautiful Street Roadster From Tom Prufer, This Time A 1929 Ford Model A With A ’32 Grille And Mile Deep Black Paint. The Engine Was A 289 Ford Sending Power To A Chromed Jag Rearend. Tom Has Shown 26 Different Cars In The Roadster Show Since 1958.

Did This Guy Own A Chrome Shop? Yes! Joe Ross, Otherwise Known In Hot Rod Circles As Joe The Chromer, Built His 1923 Ford T Roadster Around A Very Healthy Ford 427 Cammer Motor. And, Of Course, The Chrome And Brass Plating Was Used Liberally. The Car Was A Strong Contender For The AMBR Award In 1975.

Wayne Sasabe Entered His Beautiful Candy Tangerine Red ’66 Corvette. A Multitude Of Body Mods Included Extended And Raised Fenders, A Stainless Steel Grille, ’66 Continental Taillights And Chromed Rear Suspension.

Portland, Oregon’s Lonnie Gilbertson Returned To The Roadster Show With His AMBR Winner From 1971 After A Total Rebuild. Painted In Pearl Yellow With Murals Of The Oregon Landscape, The Car Had New Chromed Independent Suspension And Zenith Wire Wheels. It Became The Third Car To Win The AMBR Twice, And The First Car To Win After A Total Second Generation Rebuild.

Drag Racer Bob Sbarbaro Used A Combination Of 1966 427 Cobra Parts And Fabricated/machined Components. The Result Was This Beautiful 1923 Ford Model T Touring Car And The 1976 AMBR Award, The First Touring/phaeton To Win The Nine Foot Trophy.

Andy Brizio Followed His 1970 AMBR Winning Instant T Roadster With This 1914 Ford Model T C Cab Panel Truck, Complete With Another Art Himsl Ribbons And Graphics Top Coat. The Truck Is Now In The British Isles Garage Of Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham.

Walt And Debbie Anderson Displayed Their Chrysler Powered Top Fuel Car. The Car Featured A John Shoemaker Chassis With A Full Aluminum Body.

The AMBR Winner In 1977 Was Jim Molino’s Candy Man. This Was The Third Andy’s Instant T Roadster Sold, To One Miles Foster. Foster Wanted Some Changes From The First Two Instant T Cars Produced; A Torsion Bar Front Suspension, A Corvette Independent Rear Suspension And No Pickup Bed Or Turtle Deck. After A Handful Of Owners And Many Changes Jim Molino Bought The Car In 1975 For $1500. His Crew Then Went Full Show On The Car Including A Himsl Candy Red Paint Job. Still Not Satisfied, Molino Blew It Apart Again In 1976. The Results Are What You See Here. The Car Now Resides In The Blackie Gejeian Collection.

A Ski Boat In The Roadster Show? Yes, And It Happened On A Regular Basis During The Late 1970s And 1980s. Jim Cerini Showed His 1971 Hondo Flat Bottom Drag Boat.

Many People Credit The Late Richard Zocchi For The Resurgence Of The True Custom Car In The Late 1970s And Early 1980s. His Cool 50 Mercury Full Custom Was Done In The Usual Zocchi High Quality Style, And Featured In The July 1978 Issue Of Street Rodder. Richard’s Nephew Found And Restored The Car, Keeping It In The Zocchi Family For The Foreseeable Future.

The Vending Machine Mimicked Two 1950s Coca Cola Red Vending Machines On Wheels. It Was Built By Indiana Native Sons Steve Tansy And Glen Yeary. The 327 Chevrolet Engine Sported Four Four Barrel Carburetors That Lead To Eight Individual Exhaust Pipes. Glen Still Has His Creation In His Garage In North Carolina.

A Golf Cart Styled And Named For Sir Elton John? George Barris Thought Why Not. Piano Key Upholstery, Sunglass Windshields And Lots Of Gold Trim.

The Late Custom Painter Paul McElley Found A Jewel In A Hayward, California Backyard, When He Purchased The Joe Bailon Mystery Ford In 1974. All Though Not Painted The Same Colors As Original, The Cars Restoration Was True To Its 1958 Build. In Its Original Tangerine And Pearl White Livery The Car Won The Custom D’Elegance Award In 1958, Tying With Bill Carr’s 1955 Chevrolet, The Aztec. Why Was It Named The Mystery Ford? Other Than The Roof, Every Panel On The 1951 Victoria Was Modified. Many Could Not Tell What Year, Make And Model Joe Bailon Started With, Hence The Mystery. The Car Is Currently On Permanent Display In The Oakland Museum.

Dick Dean And George Barris Added Their Touch To The Array Of Weird Show Vehicles When They Created The Fire Bug In 1978, From A Wrecked Volkswagen Microbus. Many Of The Parts Seen Were Created From Scratch. The Red Fur Interior Had Four Bucket Seats And A Ford Model T Steering Wheel. The Engine Was A Stock 1970s VW Unit.

The Craziness In Show Only Vehicles Continued In 1975 With Another Larry Dunn Creation Called Rosemary’s Baby Buggy, Obviously Named After The 1968 Horror Flick Staring Mia Farrow. Built Around An Early 1800s English Baby Carriage, This Beast Featured A GMC Blown 327 Chevrolet Engine.

Another Wild Creation From The Minds Of Dan Woods And Ed Newton Was The Ice Truck, Shown Here In 1970. This Go Kart Looking, Slammed To The Ground Chassis Had Full Independent Suspension, A Blown Buick V6 And Much Chrome. It Now Resides In The Stable Of Jay Ohrberg At California Show Cars.

Bob Cecchini Took A Very Pedestrian Honda Motorcycle And Built The American Express Show Bike. Motorcycles Were A Very Popular Addition To The Variety Of Vehicles Displayed During The 1960s And 1970s.