Hey
Reader

​
Below are the
latest news and updates
from your friends at Kustomrama

---

KUSTOMRAMA NEWSLETTER NO. 203

---

---

Dear Kustomrama Family,

Just as I was getting ready to send out our latest newsletter, some sad news came in that stopped me in my tracks. We've lost Gene Winfield, the King of Cool. It felt right to rewrite this note to honor a man who’s been such a big part of our world.

The King of Cool: Remembering Gene Winfield

The day we all dreaded has sadly come. Gene Winfield, a true pioneer whose hands shaped more than just metal, has passed away. He was one of the original greats, a man whose work touched everything from hot rods to Hollywood.

Gene started out in a chicken coop in Modesto, California, turning sheets of metal into dreams. Over the years, he became famous not just for his incredible custom cars like the Jade Idol but also for his signature paint techniques. His work even made it to the big screen, crafting cars for movies like Blade Runner and Back to the Future.

More than his builds, Gene was known for his spirit. Into his 90s, he was still traveling, chopping, painting, and inspiring everyone lucky enough to meet him. He was a mentor and a friend to many, living out his passion every day.

Every time we visited California, we tried to pop by his shop to catch up with Gene, check out his latest projects, and just spend time soaking in his stories. Trips out there won’t be the same without him. Gene, you’ll be missed more than words can say.

Gene’s passing is a reminder of why we do what we do here at Kustomrama – to keep the stories and spirits of legends like him alive. As we step into this new year, let’s hold onto the legacy of creativity and passion that Gene represented.

Thanks for being on this ride with us, and here’s to remembering the greats and keeping our wheels spinning. Stay safe, keep creating, and let's all carry a bit of Gene’s cool in whatever we do.

​Be sure to click here to check out our bio on Gene Winfield on Kustomrama. (We would love to hear from you if you have any great stories, memories, or photos of Gene and his builds to share.)

Catch you next time,
Sondre Kvipt
Editor, Kustomrama

George Jezek's 1931 Ford Model A Tudor Sedan

By the late 1960s, Kustomrama Contributor George Jezek of Waco, Texas, had his sights set on building a hot rod inspired by Dave Stuckey’s channeled Deuce Sedan, which later became the famous Lil’ Coffin. Finding a real 1932 Ford was out of reach for a hot rodder on a budget, so in 1968, he sold his customized 1949 Chevrolet and picked up a 1931 Ford Model A Tudor Sedan for just $15 from a farmer who had been using it as a chicken coop. He called it the "Poor Man’s Deuce."

Jezek wasted no time transforming the sedan into a late-’60s showstopper. He channeled the body six inches over a custom-built chassis, chopped the top 3 ½ inches, and fitted it with a 350 Chevy small-block backed by a Muncie 4-speed. A Corvair front suspension and a 1955 Chevrolet rear end gave the car a radical stance, while candy blue paint was laid over a silver base for maximum depth.

The look was pure street rod perfection, and by 1972, the Poor Man’s Deuce had made its mark, winning Street Rodder Magazine’s Street Rod of the Year and earning a feature in Street Rodder Magazine, October 1972. It was a prime example of late ’60s hot rod styling, a car that turned heads then and still does today. Click here to learn more about George Jezek’s 1931 Ford Model A on Kustomrama.​

Comment

Featured Events

Grand National Roadster Show 2025

The 75th anniversary of the Grand National Roadster Show, held at the Fairplex in Pomona, California, from January 31 through February 2, 2025, was nothing short of spectacular. Celebrating a rich heritage of automotive culture, this year’s event featured an impressive display curated in collaboration with the Petersen Automotive Museum, showcasing over 50 past winners of the America's Most Beautiful Roadster and Al Slonaker Memorial Award. Adding to the event's allure was the Barris Display, meticulously curated by Galpin Speed Shop, which highlighted twelve iconic builds by George Barris, including the Hirohata Merc and the original Batmobile. While we couldn't be there in person, our correspondent Mike Kosulandich provided nearly 300 photos, capturing the essence of this historic gathering. Click here to dive into the full spectacle and explore these incredible snapshots by visiting Kustomrama today.​

Comment

Hot Custom Car Parts

While digging into the early days of Barris Kustoms for a story, I came across a curious 1944 clipping from The Sacramento Union. Yep, even the "King of Customizers," George Barris, kicked off with a bit of mischief. As a teenager, he and a buddy got busted for stripping parts from a garage—kind of like a real-life scene from American Graffiti! It gave me a little chuckle because, honestly, who hasn't heard tales like this? Above is a photo from his high school yearbook the same year, showing a young Barris already dreaming big. Got any wild stories from your youth to share? Drop them in the comments—statute of limitations considered! Click here for more great George Barris and Barris Kustoms stories on Kustomrama.​

Comment

Are You Ready For The Stockholm Hot Rod Kustom Show?

Get ready for a trip through Hot Rod history at the Stockholm Hot Rod Kustom Show 2025, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the iconic Hot Rod Show with a stunning showcase of automotive culture! Held at Nackastrandsmässan in the old car factory, this event promises to be a vibrant mix of past and present. Our very own Kustomrama contributors, Mats Wallander and Björn Ramsten, will be there, hosting a Kustomrama Stand featuring Roland Larsson’s iconic 1932 Ford Roadster—Sweden's first fully channeled hot rod. Join us for old films, slideshows, and a dive into the roots of Scandinavian hot rodding. Don’t miss out on this historical gathering from March 28 to 30, 2025. Click here for more details and to join the celebration.​

Comment

Introducing The Dave Pettner Photo Collection

We're thrilled to introduce you all to The Dave Pettner Photo Collection, a rare glimpse into Southern California’s golden era of hot rods and customs. A lifelong hot rodder from Compton, California, Dave has spent decades building, painting, and working on hundreds of cars. Lucky for us, Dave also snapped some great photos that he has now shared with us.

First out is this great photo of Dail Southwick’s 1960 Chevrolet Impala, a mild custom with a unique 1953 Chevrolet grille and a single-headlight conversion. This snapshot, developed in November 1961, showcases the sleek front-end treatment and white tuck-and-roll interior reflecting in the rear window, a hallmark of early ‘60s styling.

Dail, a true car guy, was well-known in the scene, but his story took a tragic turn. In 1964, he joined the Army, and just a year later, he passed away of natural causes. His custom Impala remains a reminder of the era and the passion that fueled it.

A few photos from The Dave Pettner Photo Collection are now live on Kustomrama! Click here to check them out and explore more incredible snapshots of California’s thriving custom car culture in the 1950s and 1960s while we work our way trough the collection adding more photos along the way.​

Comment

Join the Kustomrama Team:
Help Us Bring Car History to Life!

Do you love custom cars and hot rod history? We’re looking for passionate folks to help us turn our rare photos and stories into engaging videos for YouTube, TikTok, and beyond!

If you have video editing skills, storytelling abilities, or just a passion for automotive history, we’d love to hear from you. This is a chance to be part of something exciting and help keep hot rod and custom car culture alive in a new way!

Interested? Reply to this email or contact us at sondre@kustomrama.com​

March is here, and time is flying—so we’re keeping it short, sharp, and full of energy! The Kustomrama March 2025 Playlist is packed with raw power, featuring tracks like Salvation by Rancid, On The Loose by Split System, and Get Found by Bass Drum of Death. Click here to check it out and give it a spin before the April list is out.​

Comment

Per Ivar Kolgrov’s Mercury Spotted in 1967 Film

While attending the Blast Off rockabilly club in Oslo, musical artist Per Øydir tipped us off about a hidden gem in an old NRK film. "En dag I November," filmed in 1967, captures a day at Youngstorget in Oslo, market vendors, classic cars, drunks, and local youth. But what really caught Per’s eye was a familiar custom cruising through the footage—none other than Per Ivar Kolgrov’s radical 1948 Mercury Convertible! Recognized as one of Norway’s earliest customs, Kolgrov’s Mercury turned heads with its canted quad headlights, tube grille, six round taillights, and a removable steel top with a Plexiglas sunroof. Built between 1961 and 1964, the car was a sensation, leaving many wondering how it ever passed Norway’s strict vehicle licensing regulations. Thanks to Per for the tip, and click here to check out the film on NRK. Click here for more photos and the full story of Kolgrov’s Mercury on Kustomrama.​

Comment

Dolphins of Long Beach: Can You Help Us Uncover More?

James Slawson recently reached out after uncovering a rare Long Beach Dolphins car club plaque while working on his man cave. The plaque belonged to his grandfather, William McGrath Slawson, and James' father always told him it was a rare piece of hot rod history. Now, James is hoping to learn more about the club and connect with anyone who might have additional records or photos. The Dolphins were a Long Beach-based car club active under the SCTA in the 1940s, focused on dry lakes racing. Membership wasn’t easy, you needed a verified project, had to attend three meetings, and even pass a Long Beach Police Department inspection before sporting the club plaque. If you have any info, stories, or photos related to the Dolphins, let us know and help keep this chapter of hot rodding history alive! Click here for more info and photos of the club on Kustomrama.​

Comment

Mystery Solved! Rob Reid’s Lemon T-Inspired Build

After sharing a photo of Cliff Rich’s Lemon T in the Kustomrama Newsletter, we received an intriguing lead from a reader who had come across a recent photo of a similar-looking Model T in primer. The whereabouts of the original Lemon T remains unknown, but according to rumors, it is believed to be hidden somewhere in the Vancouver area. Now, thanks to Rob Reid, we might have an answer. Rob, who also is a subscriber to the Kustomrama Newsletter, reached out to confirm that the primered Model T in question is actually his tribute build. “I had an old picture of the Lemon T and set out to make a hot rod with the same stance,” Rob told us. Built in the Vancouver area, the project took around 1,700 hours to complete, and today, it sits in his man cave, now in a stunning metallic finish. So while the original Lemon T remains lost to time, its legacy is very much alive through builds like Rob’s. Thanks, Rob, for helping solve this one! Click here for more info and photos of the Lemon T and Rob's T on Kustomrama.​

Comment

The Lil’ Coffin Restoration at Starbird’s Shop

Larry Wolfe recently sent us some great behind-the-scenes photos from 2008 when he and Jerry Titus visited Darryl Starbird’s Museum and Shop in Afton, Oklahoma. At the time, Starbird was in the process of restoring the legendary Lil’ Coffin back to its original 1962 configuration. Larry recalls, “Darryl had just gotten parts back from the chrome plating shop, and there were parts scattered all over the floor.” The Lil’ Coffin, a 1932 Ford Sedan originally built by Dave Stuckey in the late 1950s, went through multiple transformations over the years before Starbird took ownership in 1967. From a radical show rod to the Monkey Ward Delivery, then the Fabulous Phaeton, the car saw many iterations before being restored to its most famous look in the 2000s. A huge thanks to Larry for sharing this glimpse into Lil’ Coffin’s journey! ​Click here for more info and photos of the Lil' Coffin on Kustomrama.​

Comment

How much is our automotive heritage worth to you Reader?

At Kustomrama, we're driven by passion, not paywalls. As a volunteer-run Encyclopedia, we're dedicated to keeping the history and legacy of traditional hot rods and custom cars free and accessible to everyone, everywhere. From server costs to content collection, every aspect of our mission needs fuel. Whether it's $5, $20, $50, or any amount you choose, your donation keeps the engine of history running.

​Click here to tip today and be a part of preserving this unique legacy for future generations.​

I appreciate your support!

Best regards
Sondre / Kustomrama Founder / Keeping History Alive

What is Kustomrama?

Kustomrama is a comprehensive online encyclopedia passionately dedicated to the preservation and sharing of traditional hot rod and custom car history. With a mission to keep this vibrant history alive for generations to come, Kustomrama offers an extensive repository of knowledge, featuring over 11,716 pages filled with information and more than 30,000 photos showcasing hot rods and custom cars from around the globe. Our goal is not only to document but also to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the hot rod and custom car community, ensuring that the stories and innovations of yesteryear enthusiasts are accessible to everyone.

What is the Kustomrama Newsletter?

The Kustomrama Newsletter is our vibrant bridge to enthusiasts of traditional hot rods and custom cars, offering a direct line to the latest entries and features in the Kustomrama Encyclopedia. As a free publication diligently curated by the Kustomrama team, we aim to deliver rich insights and fascinating stories right to your inbox on a weekly basis. Each issue is packed with summaries of new stories, in-depth articles, and captivating photographs that celebrate and document the evolving world of hot rods and custom cars.

Received this newsletter from a friend? You're just a click away from joining our community! Click here to sign up for your own free subscription and never miss out on the newest discoveries and articles from the extensive archives of Kustomrama.​

Please Help Us Spread the Word!

Do you know someone with a passion for traditional hot rods and custom cars? Friends or family who revel in the rich history and vibrant stories of these automotive marvels? By forwarding this email to them, you're not just sharing a newsletter—you're inviting them to become an integral part of our dedicated community.

At Kustomrama, we believe in the power of collective storytelling. An astonishing 90% of the material we publish is sourced directly from emails and contributions from our newsletter subscribers. This vibrant exchange of photos and stories allows us to continually enrich and expand our encyclopedia, creating a more comprehensive and engaging experience for everyone involved.

The more enthusiasts join our mailing list, the broader our network of stories and contributors grows. This means more fascinating tales, more rare photographs, and a richer history for us all to share. So, in forwarding this newsletter, you're not just spreading the word—you're helping to preserve and celebrate the legacy of hot rods and custom cars for future generations.

Join us in this exciting journey. Forward this email to those who'd cherish it as much as you do, and let's build an even stronger Kustomrama community together.

What is the Kustomrama Member Community?

At the heart of Kustomrama, beyond the vast encyclopedia of traditional hot rods and custom cars, lies our vibrant Member Community. Each "COMMENT" button embedded within this newsletter serves as a portal to a collaborative space where enthusiasts like you can engage, discuss, and dive deeper into the stories that fuel our passion.

Our community platform welcomes contributors and supporters to share their insights, offer feedback, and contribute to the evolving narratives of the hot rod and custom car culture. Whether you're looking to provide additional information, share a personal anecdote related to a story, or simply express your enthusiasm for a piece, your voice is invaluable to us.

Interested in becoming an active participant in shaping the history and stories of hot rods and custom cars? Click here to join our community today. As a member, you're not just joining a forum—you're becoming part of a dedicated collective committed to preserving and celebrating the rich legacy of automotive culture.​

What is the Kustomrama Marketplace?

The Kustomrama Marketplace is a curated classified section for traditional hot rods and custom cars. It's the go-to place to buy, sell, and explore vehicles, parts, and memorabilia. For a $100 fee, your ad will be featured on Kustomrama, in our Monthly Newsletter, and across our social media, reaching over 100,000 enthusiasts. Click here for more information.​

I have some stories or photos that I want to share with you. What do I do?

We're always on the lookout for fresh stories and photos to enrich the Kustomrama Encyclopedia and share with our community. If you have material related to traditional hot rods, custom cars, or any piece of history you believe deserves a spotlight, we'd love to hear from you!

Getting in touch is easy. You can simply hit the 'reply' button on this email to start a conversation directly with us. Prefer a different method? No problem! Email us at mail@kustomrama.com with your stories, photos, or any inquiries. Alternatively, if you're a member of our vibrant community, you're welcome to submit your material directly to our Member's Community platform.

Your contributions play a crucial role in keeping the spirit and history of hot rodding and custom cars alive. Whether it's a personal anecdote, a piece of automotive history, or a series of photographs, your shared materials help us all to celebrate and preserve the rich tapestry of this culture for future generations.

Help Us Keep Hot Rod And Custom Car
History Alive

Kustomrama is dedicated to documenting and sharing the history of custom cars and hot rods for future generations.

Your support helps us continue this mission.

DONATE NOW

Join our Family