2011 SEMA Show Can You See The Real Me? Passionate People December 2011
After all...it’s a driven world
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF SUPERCAR SUNDAY
Contents ISSUE 24, DECEMBER 2011 EDITOR IN CHIEF ART DIRECTOR
Tim Cummings
SENIOR COPY EDITOR
Louis Berkman
DESIGN
Tim Cummings
WEB DESIGN
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Jeff Balbien
STORIES BY
Louis Berkman Frank Flipponio Dan Fredman Dustin Troyan
PHOTOGRAPHY
Frank Flipponio
ADVERTISING
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Dustin Troyan
1080 Signs Auto Gallery Auto Trixx All Car Parts, LTD. Lavaggio Universal City Nissan Coastline Motorsport Valley Pacific Hangar Fred Staul-State Farm Maserati Blue Line Ammo Maserati Supercharger Connection Community Chiropractic Papa Jay’s Hot Rods Dent Mechanix Socal Shop Guy Fusion Motor Sports Legacy Awards Western Collision Center
Payments and Deadline Payments are made in advance of printing. Please submit payment with ad submission. Artwork due by the 1st of the month prior to publication month. Preferred payment method is check. We do accept credit cards. Please make checks payable to: Connected Media Group, LLC. 23907 Ventura Blvd., Calabasas, CA. 91302 Questions or comments: Dustin@connectedmediagroup.com 818-516-5053 SIZING: Full Page 8.625” x 11.125” 1/2” Page 7.875” x 5” (if horizontal) and 3.875” x 10.375” (if vertical) 1/4” Page 3.875” x 5” Business Card 2” x 3.5” Artwork Specifications: HI-REZ PDF or PDF/X1-A / CMYK with all high resoulution graphics and fonts embedded Email artwork to: Dustin@connectedmediagroup.com
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from the editor The Symphony of Life. STORY BY DUSTIN TROYAN
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t is always interesting when I sit down to write the Letter From the Editor. What do I want to write about? I always have some idea and over the course of typing it out, it somehow changes. It modifies into something that is only slightly reminiscent of my initial thought. I read it a few times, then the test, I ask Heather to read it and if she likes it, I am good. It is truly an interesting process, to me at least. This time around I was going to talk about the New Year, about finding things to inspire you to achieve and be great. To supply you with examples of such. Usually, this is some brave soul marching up Everest or someone setting a new record in the Olympics, or landing on Mars….something like that. Yes, those are great illustrations and those people are amazing. But today, this moment, I want to write about some other amazing people you may know. Nope, changing again. Damn. I have to start over. What the hell am I going to write about? Keep it simple, stupid…..damn that writers block. So here I go again. I am typing this letter from the editor as Mozart plays in the background. My hope is to provide you with a fun thought, an idea, and perhaps an inspiration to take away from it. To take away something from this brief thought. But what is it that you are going to take away? What is the point that I am trying to make? As Mozart’s Requiem moves forward, my thoughts start to twist and turn. I find myself thinking of a close friend, Chris Stone. It must be the music. He is a composer, an inventor, a software designer, a father, a husband, a friend. Chris speaks seven or eight languages. He has done a lot. More than a lot. I was once in his studio and I asked him to play a little something for me. It was just the two of us. He kind of grinned, and not knowing what to expect, I had a private concert for one. As Chris’s fingers, hands, body and soul coerced the piano, I was elevated to another world. I closed my eyes. It was inspirational
and beautiful. Chris’s soul filled the room and I was a guest to see, hear, and experience the beauty of human ability. In his craft Chris is very well recognized as one of the finest. Chris had a stunning ’48 Packard Convertible and one day he chauffeured Heather and I to Malibu for lunch. There we were, sitting in the back like movie stars from decades ago. On our way to mythical Malibu with not a care in the world and the wind kissing our faces. Chris just drove and we just enjoyed. On the return trip, I was the chauffeur and Chris was in the big sofa of a back seat, all alone, him and his bliss. I do not know what he enjoyed more, sharing the car with us or just being with friends. That is inspirational, in my book at least. Sometimes Heather and I will talk about that day, driving to Malibu with Chris. Chris no longer has the Packard, but we always have that memory. It brings a smile to our faces every time it comes up. For me, there is some personal satisfaction, knowing that
Chris was sharing, but also inspiring. He was filling our tanks with hope, thoughts and dreams. Dreams, which included his dream of restoring a Packard to perfect condition. Dreams of inspiring those around him. Thank you Chris. It is interesting, you never know what a moment may bring. You never know where a thought may lead. You never know what an experience might teach. That brilliant day with Chris, he knew what he was doing. He was sharing with us, he was inspiring us and he was also filling his own cup. Since the Village Coffee Roaster closed, I rarely see Chris. I often find myself thinking of him, as he is truly a special person. He is probably a little understated and he probably likes it that way. I like him that way. I suppose the “take away” from this is that you never know when inspiration is going to hit you. Or, you never know when someone is going to create inspiration, because they can. We all can. We just have to decide to. I hope you do.
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The
SEMA Mustang STORY BY STAFF WRITER
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ver since Brandon Menes was a kid, he loved Ford Mustangs. He dreamed of one day owning his own pony car that he could share at car shows and with car clubs. Fast forward to today; Brandon has achieved the goal of owning one of the hottest 2008 Mustangs around. He has spent countless hours upgrading and customizing his Mustang to make it the car of his dreams. He always had a goal of getting his Mustang into the SEMA show and this year it looks like he is making his dream come true. After some very unpleasant experiences at body shops, Brandon was at his wits end. The car was headed to SEMA but it needed some new bumpers and bodywork. He reached out to Dustin Troyan who then
suggested calling Shant at Western Collision Center. Western Collision Center, operated by Shant Meshefedjian, is an absolutely stunning body shop. Western Collision Center offers a new state of the art facility that specializes in high line and exotic car collision repair. Shant knew that to do the best body and paint work you have to have the best products and tools along with years of experience. Brandon was safe at last. When dropping off his Mustang, Brandon discussed with Shant some custom “one off ” touches he wanted to make. Western Collision repaired and refinished his Shelby front and rear bumpers and his Trufiber carbon fiber custom hood. The process of completing the Mustang took
only a couple of weeks and the finished product was absolutely phenomenal. Brandon’s first reaction upon seeing his Mustang was nothing but pure satisfaction. His exact words were, “My Mustang looks exactly how I envisioned it. It looks amazing. I’m speechless”. Brandon’s reaction is what Shant thrives to achieve from all of his customers. It was very important for Shant to express to Brandon; that “Every single vehicle that I work on I treat as if it were my own and expect nothing less than perfection”. www.westerncollision2.com Western Collision Center 12000 Balboa Boulevard Granada Hills, CA 91344-1700 (818) 363-8886
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2011 SEMA Show Shines Spotlight on Speedy,
Silly and Sexy STORY AND PHOTOS BY FRANK FLIPPONIO
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n most any auto enthusiast’s bucket list, you’ll find races you must see like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Indy 500, cars you must drive like the Porsche 911 and original Mini Cooper, and shows and events you must attend like Monterey Classic Car Week and the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Depending on your budget and your station in the car world, that last one might just be the most difficult to cross off. Not everybody knows it, but the largest automotive aftermarket expo in the world isn’t open to the public. The “show” is actually a convention for aftermarket companies, so unless you work in the industry or can bribe your way in, you’ll likely never get to experience what it’s like to be submersed in over a million square feet of insanely modified cars and trucks first-hand. That’s why we’re here, to help give you a glimpse of what you’re missing. While every company packing the Las Vegas Convention Center’s three halls, corridors and parking lots is looking to show off what their business has to offer, the most experienced outfits know that there’s no better way to draw attention to those parts than with an outrageous show car... or a few beautiful models…or both. Some of the resulting creations are so over-the-top that making fun of them is as much a part of the show experience as anything else. So sit back and enjoy a tour of SEMA 2011, from race cars to hot rods, trucks to bikes, sports cars to sport compacts and everything in between. This year, the StopTech brakes booth featured the yellow and blue Turner Motorsport Grand-Am GS Champion BMW M3, one of dozens of race and championship winning cars at the show. The Turner car was wearing pure race StopTech STR-GT calipers that are very similar to the company’s regular ST street calipers you can get for your high performance machine. Honda was showing off its all-new 2012 Honda Civic this year, and in particular the Si performance model. They set loose a handful of tuners to do their worst to it, and they all came back with impressive takes on what can be done with this latest gen compact all-star. While it really stood out because of its wild paintjob, huge rear wing and parachute, what was under the hood of the Bisimoto Civic was the biggest draw – a 1,004-hp engine that eas-
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ily allowed this Civic to claim best in class honors. For those who like older cars better, Mark Stielow had his perennial favorite Red Devil Camaro back at the show, this time with updated brakes and a few other tweaks designed to help Mark claim another Optima Ultimate Street Car award. The major manufacturers have really started to embrace the SEMA Show and besides Honda’s massive display, there were also exhibits by Hyundai, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Mazda, Kia, Toyota, Scion and Lexus. Mazda used the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Miata to unveil its MX-5 Super20 concept, as well as a new MX-5 Spyder concept that looked an awful lot like the Porsche Boxster Spyder. Scion and Ford did like Honda did and had several tuner versions of their new micro iQ and Focus respectively. The bestin-class Scion iQ was the one done by Jon Sibal that featured a matte gray exterior and massive wheels spotlighting a humongous BBK that would probably stop the little runabout on the proverbial dime from speeds up to 200mph. Toyota showed off its first ever Daytona 500 Pace Car Camry, and Lexus debuted its new F-Sport GS, plus a Five Axis version of that all-new GS that wowed everybody and made the phrase performance Lexus look like less of an oxymoron. At the Ford display, the Blue Oval was celebrating 100 years of Ford Racing. Amidst the legendary Ford powered race cars on display was a large selection of Ford Focus tuner cars and concepts. While every one of them had some great details, the two that got singled out by Ford in its design awards presentation were the COBB Tuning race car and the Roush street car. Muscle cars are always a staple of SEMA, and this year it was once again Mustang vs Camaro vs Challenger, with Mustang seeming to edge out the competition in terms of number of vehicles on display. One that stood out was the new signature blue Richard Petty Mustang, which will go into limited production soon, ala Roush, Saleen and Foose. GM countered with a green chrome Camaro that looked like a life-size toy and was fittingly placed on a giant Hot Wheels track. Those were some of the highest profile organized efforts from the OEMs, but everybody gets in on the fun at SEMA. Walking the halls you could pass an old-school
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RAUH-Welt Porsche 911, Bigfoot monster truck, a chrome Audi R8 used in Tron, a sick DTM-like D3 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe, Monster Tajima’s Pike’s Peak record-setting Suzuki, Chip Foose modified classic Mercedes 300SL Gullwing and a Kia-loving giant hamster all in the span of a few minutes. Throw in sights like a wagon-wheeled Yeti pickup, a candy-colored tattoo artist’s ice cream truck, blown big block MINI, and a Flying Tigers-inspired “Runamucka” hot rod, and you’ll probably agree that the SEMA Show in Las Vegas really needs to be on your bucket list too.
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Can you see the real me? STORY BY LOUIS BERKMAN
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his month is something of a milestone for me. It was five years ago that how I would live the rest of my life changed forever. In November of 2006 after eighteen months of fighting with my insurance company, I underwent major bariatric surgery, a duodenal switch (DS). It was eminently successful, allowing me to lose 200 pounds (unfortunately a little too quickly) and reclaim my future. Of course the changes that resulted from this tremendous loss of weight are ALSO tremendous. I am no longer in constant pain. I actually forget to eat on a regular basis. I no longer bear a striking resemblance to Jabba the Hut. I get to be like everyone else; something that has never been a part of my history. Perhaps the biggest change is how I comport myself with others. After I lost the weight all of the self-effacing humour I had used to deflect comments no longer applied. Do you know how hard it is to come up with all new material? I still haven’t been able to do it. I suppose this is part of being like everyone else. Most people’s physicality, while variable, falls within a normal range. When you are an outlier you have a whole different situation. Imagine spending your life always seeing that “deer in headlights” look from strangers as you walk towards them. Fitting into most public places like restaurants and movie theaters was an exercise in frustration. I am still an outlier as far as my height is concerned (I’m 6’8”) but my width is no longer a problem. I don’t know if I will ever be truly comfortable in my own skin. What has REALLY changed is how I relate to food. Now that food is sustenance and not medication I can finally be almost objective about it. I still enjoy preparing food, just not eating it so much. As a result of my surgery what I consume is now more related to what I can tolerate than what I have traditionally eaten. This is another big part of being like everyone else.
Now when I cook I have a whole different set of requirements that must be met. Is the meat component cooked well enough? Are the vegetables cooked enough; undercooked vegetables are impossible for me to eat. Is there too much fat; something I NEVER used to worry about before. Oh my god! My concerns really ARE like everyone else’s I wish I could say these changes have taken place over time. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. The changes occurred almost immediately after my surgery. Here I am five years later still dealing with them. When I told my surgeon that 54 years of dietary habits don’t change overnight his response was “after I’m through with you they will.” He was right. I suppose this will always be the case. On balance, the DS was the right thing to do. I am certain I would not be here right now if not for the surgery. I will always have food issues; this is who I am. The great thing is that I will be around for quite a while to complain about them.
BREAKING NEWS!!! Papa Jay’s Hot Rods would like to announce their new Division, Maxed Out Fabrication. Here at PJHR we are completing our frame table. With this addition to our shop. we will now be able to produce precision custom and hot rod chassis. We are tooling up to produce chassis for the 64-70 Mustang as well as many popular GM body styles.This table will also adapt to the monocoque and space frames. As many people already know, we manufacture our own version of the Mustang II front crossmembers. We will be producing our own unique and traditional a-arms. These will be available for sale by early February. www.papajayshotrods.com 818-776-8592 info@papajayshotrods.com 18214 Parthenia St. Northridge, CA 91325
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just to look at cool cars and see other people like themselves. DT: What cars would you like to own or build? SC: I had a 69 Dodge Daytona and I miss that car, I’d still like to build a pro street clone. I want a full road race Challenger with a small block V8 that revs to 10,000 rpm to drive on the street. And because of my great job I get to build all the other cars I ever wanted. I have owned some of the baddest mustangs ever.
Passionate People with Steve Carpenter INTERVIEW BY DUSTIN TROYAN
Dustin Troyan: Steve, you are known all over the car community, who exactly are you? Steve Carpenter: I have been involved in the car customizing culture in California since 1986. Started with mini trucks then pro street cars, old lead sled caddy’s….. I drove my cars everyday, work and play. I went to every car show and cruise night I could. I did not buy a new car until 2005 and it was the new Mustang and that’s how I landed at Galpin Auto Sports. DT: At what age did you become a car guy, how did it happen? SC: I think I was around 10, my dad was the editor of Popular Hot Rodding and Super Chevy magazine and I would spend every day after school in our garage working with him on projects. I remember we were building a V8 Vega project, when it was done he taught me how to drive it! I had a cool dad. I was hooked from that point on. I lived for hot rods and speed and still do. DT: What cars have you owned and which
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was your favorite? SC: Big question, I have had over two hundred cars since the age of 14. I have loved every car I have ever owned, but there were a few stand outs: 69 dodge Daytona tubbed; a blown big block Chevelle; wide body 240Z with 600hp turbo car; 56 ford Fairlane gasser, and my 57 lead sled caddy. I love cars!!!
DT: People say that you are one of the most innovative Mustang builders around, what would you say? SC: That I am flattered. There are a lot of Mustang builders out there that do great work. I think what makes me different is that I have a team of people around me that lets me experiment on Mustangs, like wide bodies, themed cars, Boss replicas and anything that we feel will make a statement. I love to be different and the hardest part is making it look good to the general public. I live for it. DT: Anyone that knows you knows how passionate you are, where does that passion come from? SC: Lots of alcohol… just kidding. Everybody has their thing that they love, some people it’s their hobby or kids or job, etc. When you hear them talk about it you can tell how much the love it. Cars and the custom business is all I have done and known my whole life and I am still learning new stuff everyday. I lay in bed building cars in my mind every night to help me sleep. Been doing that since I was 10.
DT: Do you turn wrenches? SC: Use to do a lot of my own work. When my crazy mind wanted to put twin turbos and a mid engine in a mini truck or an Indy Car motor in a Datsun 240 Z, I had to start finding people that specialized in the craft. I hoped they shared my vision as well as my passion. So now, I have a person for every crazy idea I come up with.
DT: What is the fondest memory from all of your car endeavors? SC: Driving up to Paso Robles CA with my dad a few years a ago. We were going to the weekend Rock-a- Billy event. He was in his 53 Bel Air Merc looking sled I was driving my 57 Caddy custom. First time we ever did anything like that.. our cars were a hit and we both knew all these people... We had the best car weekend together...Just like I was a kid working in the garage.
DT: What is your favorite thing about the car community? SC: The people. Look at Supercar Sunday in Woodland Hills, some of the best of the best in the business come out every Sunday
DT: What would you tell the kids growing up who want to be in the industry? SC: Love all cars or find your thing in this industry that you love and learn all you can. Don’t be afraid to take risks.
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How cool is Scott Pruett? STORY BY DAN FREDMAN
How cool is Scott Pruett? Well, if you happened to attend the Pebble Beach Wine Classic last year in Carmel and ran across him calmly pouring wine behind the Pruett Vineyards table, you’d have learned that he’d had quite an eventful day. Earlier, he and Memo Rojas had taken first place in the Daytona Prototype class of the Grand Am Rolex Series at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Upon completion of the race, Pruett made a mad dash to the airport, where he caught a plane across the country to pour Syrah at the premier wine event in the country. Who says you can’t have it all? It’d be a safe bet that Scott Pruett is the fastest winemaker in the world. When he’s not racing or working as a consultant for Lexus, Scott is back at home in his vineyard in Auburn, California, making wine. This shift from velocity to viticulture is not without precedent: Speedsters Kevin Buckler (of The Racer’s Group), Richard Childress, Randy Lewis, Mario Andretti, and even Jeff Gordon have their own labels, but it’s rare to find any driver as hands-on as Scott Pruett. “Racing is the opposite end of spectrum from wine,” says Pruett. “In racing you can make things happen in a good or bad way, forcing things when necessary to try to change the outcome of a race instantaneously. With wine, my biggest challenge has been slowing down. If you’re not quite sure what you’re doing, give it a week or two and the answer will become obvious. When the grapes are ready for harvest, they tell you; when the wine’s ready to be bottled, it tells you. In racing, I’m thinking second-tosecond, minute-to-minute, but in wine, I’m thinking season-to-season or year-to-year.” Pruett’s mentor has been Brian Mox, who makes wine for Randy Lewis in Napa; in the last few years winemaker Fred Schrader (of Schrader Cellars) joined the advisory team as well. They help with vineyard sources and in making sure that everything goes smoothly, but ultimately the decision making and heavy lifting falls to Pruett. “It’s been incredible working with Brian,” says Pruett, “and the last three years with
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Fred have been great. It’s like driving for Ganassi or Penske. Those teams are the best and they make it possible for me to be the best. At Pruett, I am the winemaker, I do bottling, labeling, corking , everything. I absolutely love the raw purity in that level of involvement. In racing, our goal is to win, to break records, and achieve more than anybody else can. I have that same feeling about winemaking, that challenge of making the best wine possible from the finest grapes I can obtain. I’m not in the business just to say “hey, I make wine”. The wines Scott makes are impressive now but improve with each release as he gains more experience as a winemaker. I tasted two of his current releases and was impressed. The 2009 Pruett Vineyard Lucky Lauren Cuvée is an estate-grown blend of 75% Syrah and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s got a deep dark, brooding purple color that hints at the wine’s creamy texture. Aromatically, it’s all about the berries, leading to a long, full-bodied finish. The blend of Syrah and Cabernet is something you usually see in Australia (shades of the Aussie V-8 Supercars) but Pruett planted his vineyard specifically to this blend. The Cabernet brings backbone, edge, and refinement to the blend, leaving the Syrah to provide the black pepper and cleavage. Smooth, velvety tannins on the finish allow this wine to stand alone or serve with a bacon cheeseburger (with grilled onions, of course). In the Lucky Lauren Cuvée fruit, structure, and acidity balance each other, resulting in a terrific bottle of wine. There’s a sense of a calm authority to the 2008 Pruett Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Even though it’s made in an easy-to-drink style, there’s underlying complexity popping up after the bottle has been open for 30 minutes. Instead of using fruit from his own vineyard, Pruett sourced Cabernet from the Darms Lane Vineyard in Napa Valley. The wine is zaftig and elegant, with dark fruit flavors supporting the lush mouth feel. This is a fun bottle to drink now – no need to stash it in the cellar.
The Pruett wines are produced in limited quantities and are unlikely to be found at your local wine shop. Fortunately, you can order directly from Scott & Judy Pruett at www.pruettvineyard.com, where you can also join the mailing list and be the first to know about new releases. Adds Scott: “Lexus commissioned a special limited-production bottling for the LFA. I made 174 bottles, all numbered and signed. Lexus says that you get a free bottle when you buy their supercar, but I prefer to think of it as, “you buy a bottle and we throw in the car for free!” At $375,000 per bottle, it’s the most expensive wine in the world, but it comes in a very nice package.
HISTORY OF CLASSIC CHEVYS
OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA STORY BY JOAN CONOVERS
In 1975 Steve Kershuk, our founding father of Classic Chevys of Southern California, got the urge to get a group of ‘55, ’56, and ’57 Chevy lovers together to form a club. He sent out a letter to all the prospective members he could think of. The first meeting of what is now known as CCSC was held on January 14, 1976. At that meeting the club was named, dues were established at ten dollars per year and a board of officers was elected. As is only fair, Steve was elected as our first President. At the end of 1976 there were seventy (70) members. By September of 1979 there were one hundred twenty four (124) members. On October 11, 1987 there were only fifty three (53) ACTIVE members and seventy one (71) INACTIVE members. Election of officers for 1978 was held at the November 1977 meeting. Back then there was a two year term limit on holding any board position and Phil Nagel was elected as the new President.
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The club, as you would expect, started out looking for lots of members. All you had to do was pay your ten dollar dues and you became a member. In the March 1978 newsletter the new President, Phil Nagel, explained a by-law change restricting membership requirements, seeking a more active member participation (this restriction has since been changed back to the original “no restriction requirement”, so we now, as then, have a few members none of us have ever seen.) In looking through the early club rosters, I found out why we are CLASSIC CHEVYS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA instead of something like San Fernando Valley Classic Chevys! Steve had sent letters all over California and got members from Los Angeles, Duarte, El Monte, Bellflower, Downey, Torrance, Wilmington, Santa Ana, Santa Barbara, Garden Grove, Palmdale, Long Beach, and nineteen (19) other Southern California communities.
Granted many of those long distance members are long gone, but the name Classic Chevys of Southern California fit perfectly at the time. We’ve done pretty well, too. We’re still together, and we are recognized as one of the best, most active clubs in California, north or south. As a matter of fact just recently we had a very well attended (50 members and family) club picnic held at Rancho San Antonio Boys Town of the West, which is our charity. Boys Town has a spectacular facility and our lovely picnic area encouraged the driving of our classic cars there......and drive them we did. We had approximately 25 classics all parked in a row on the beautiful grassy field...perfect for a Kodak moment. Our main event every year, for the last 29 years, has been our car show which is hosted and run by the club members, demanding a lot of hard work by most of the active ones. May 6th, 2012 will be the 30th anniversary of this car show, which will be held once again at the Rancho San Antonio Boys Town facility. Our show raises funds to help the boys at Rancho San Antonio, and gives us an opportunity to help a wonderful organization while giving us a great excuse to enjoy something we all love very much....’55, ’56 & ’57 Chevys. We also have the privilege of gathering in Rancho’s multi-use room every month for our meetings. In our 36 years of existence we have never tired of looking at and enjoying our cars, and we’re grateful for that commonality with a fun group of people. And believe it or not, a few of our members have enjoyed those “pretty cars” for almost all of those years.