February 2011 Gauge Magazine February 2011 Gauge Magazine Issue | Page 7

Page 7

THE MAGAZINE ROOM
In The Beginning
Shows this time of year are limited to mostly indoor shows. With the exception of a few shows in the Southwest region,
stateslike Texas, Arizona and California. The weather in the rest of the states and Canada is a little cold and the roads are
covered in snow and ice or salt that no one likes even on their daily drivers.
The longest running indoor show that I know of is the Grand National Roadster show in Pomona, California originally
known as the Oakland Roadster Show. This show has been going on for over sixty years and brings out some of the
baddest rides in the industry. The next longest running show is Autorama held in Detroit, Michigan the automotive
capital of the world. Autorama is part of the Championship Auto Shows that produce 15 indoor shows a year that
include World of Wheels, Cavalcade of Customs and Autorama.
These indoor shows started a craze of Show Cars that looked funny and silly to some, but are legendary cars and
builders today. People like Big Daddy Ed Roth best known for the Beatnik Bandit, The Outlaw and of course the cartoon
character Rat Fink. Television and the show scene wouldn t be the same without King of Kustomizers George Barris
who is known for the Bat Mobile, Munsters Coach and the original Green Hornet. Barris is one of the most well known
builders, however there are many others that turned heads like Gene Winfield, Joe Bailon, Darryl Starbird, Larry Watson
and Dean Jefferies to name a few. If you ever want to learn where the sport of customizing came from, look up a few of
these legendary names and witness some wild and crazy vehicles.
Until next month:
Buy your wife and girlfriend something special, order your parts from Gaugestore.com and buy BLT a Jumbo Jack from
Jack in the Box!
Dan Double D Davis
Editor ‒ Gauge Magazine