Ouch. Today was the first Press Day so expectations were high. And did they hit the mark? ……Welcome, to the MORGUE.
Okay, maybe a morgue is a bit extreme, but there were some serious things missing. Namely, NISSAN. And with the Leaf coming soon, you have to ask… “WUT UP, NISSAN DOODS?” Now, I did get my fair share of automotive fixations, but I was left a little… dead. Ok, another mortality reference. Wups.
Below, are the COMPLETE highlights of the show. Not many, but some cool stuff. I decided to make it easy for y’all to understand how I felt about each one. I call it the “SHOCKSWEETSNORESUCK.” That’s the long version. Let’s just call it the “SHNUCK.” The LA Shnuck Show. Yea, I like it….
And here we go Shnucksters!!!
Over the weekend, it was my buddy Mike’s birthday. So, we grabbed a hold of him and headed to Duke’s in Malibu for some chow via a shiny classic. Only to find more shiny classics!
But, the thing about Mike is that he loves cars and loves to surf. And when someone loves things like surfing that much, then good things happen. Case in point? As we sat down to a cozy nooked table at Duke’s Barefoot Bar, up walked a legend. Ladies and Gents…
Gidget.
Yes, sitting right with us for about 15 minutes was the one and only “real” Gidget from the 50’s. We sat and swapped surf stories, classic cars and life at the beach in the heyday of the Beach Boys. It was awesome.
Now, I’ve been surfing since about ‘91, so by no means an expert, but to have this happen on your birthday was a real treat for Mikey. And he’s been a beach bum forever! But also, Gidget is the reason that my wife, Kathie, started surfing in 1965. (She’s to the left, next to our buddy, Bob. Bob’s a sculptor in the movie business.)
So, it was cool to sit with a legend of the beach, have a veggie burg and cruise the classics.
Wow, the HB Concours show was an awesome success. (Although, it rained as I brought in my cool orange CVS caddy…) Hot Rod Saturday was a bit light but Sunday was a record crowd of car nut jobs! I think the entire city of Huntington Beach showed up! Here’s some of the tasty highlights, but thanks to everyone that came out, like DB, John Callison, Dan Woods, Styles and many more for the sun and cool cars!!
A couple of weekends ago, I got a call from my buddy Chuck sayin,’ “Hey Fireball! Get yer butt over to FLAMES and see some the coolest rods in LA!” So, off I went. And since I hit over a hundred shows a year, I expected to see way cool stuff. And it didn’t disappoint.
But that got me thinking again. Why do I love cars so much? Why do ALL of us love cars?
Honestly? … Most cars are designed by men. Most men appreciate the beauty of the female form. In ALL it’s forms. And car designs… are inspired by women mostly. Shapes and curves, concave and convex surfaces. Textures. There are many other influences, but the designer of the ‘68 Split Window Vette (Harry Bradley) said this point blank… “I designed the Vette after seeing a woman dance and bend backwards on the ground as one of her moves. The most beautiful thing I had ever seen. THAT inspired me.”
This is not sleazy. Nor strange in any way. God has created a situation that allows beauty to inspire us all. From form in nature to the thing that attracts all men most. The human body. Look closely and you’ll see for your self.
Check out some of the rides above with new eyes. Let it guide your soul on a journey of inspiration. And let that journey help you to appreciate design.
An congratulations to Chuck for winning BEST OF SHOW with his “Rodriguez!”
Time for Chocolate…
