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Very few car shows last more than a couple of years. The vagaries of life, the fickle nature of the public, even changing tastes can kill even the most popular events, but recently the Sacramento Autorama held its 74th annual event.
Held at the Cal Expo, the Sacramento Autorama hosted over 500 world-class customs and handed out 400 awards, including cash prizes. How does a show stick around this long? Hard work, great vehicles, a unique flavor.
Supercharged HEMI power and meticulous construction made this Plymouth stand out.
“This weekend was a celebration of Sacramento’s deep history of hot rodding and automotive culture,” said John Buck, owner of Rod Shows and producer of the Sacramento Autorama. “Everyone who came out enjoyed hundreds of incredible customs, hot rods, trucks, motorcycles and more. It was a spectacular show and we can wait to celebrate the 75th Sacramento Autorama next year.”
California has a rich history with cars and shows of this magnitude. You may not see cars of this ilk cruising Main Street too often, but they are steeped in a long history of West Coast custom-car culture.
Jimmy Hervatin's ’52 F1 Ford pickup won the coveted Custom d’Elegance award. Power comes from a 324-inch Oldsmobile — no LS swap here!
The show’s prestigious Custom d’Elegance award was presented to Jimmy Hervatin’s 1952 Ford F1 pickup. This incredible build, named “Lit Up,” is meticulously based on a painting of the same name by artist Keith Weesner. Handcrafted by Hervatin himself, the truck was chopped six inches, sectioned and lowered on a brand-new frame. The reshaped body features custom running boards, shaved door handles and a new bed.
Power is unusual, too. It’s a 1954 Oldsmobile 324. The truck is finished in a light blue pearl basecoat, tri-coat pearl white and dark red flames loaded with gold flake. Hervatin received $5,000 from ARP Fasteners.
More Award Winners
The West Coast Challenge Car Show Series (presented by ARP Fasteners) crowned its Grand Champion at the event. David Maxwell was presented with the Best of the West award for his futuristic Kindig-It Design-built 1953 Corvette “TwelveAir” Concept, beating out 10 other vehicles that competed in at least three of five select car shows in California, Oregon and Washington.
Somewhere, Harley J. Earl, the father of the Corvette, is smiling.
Unlike all ’53-55 Corvettes, which were roadsters, this one has a fastback roof with thin A- and B-pillars. The name comes from its unique V12 engine.
Maxwell received a $12,500 prize, while second- and third-place finishers Cliff Mattis (1957 Chevrolet Convertible) and Carlos Martinez’s (1964 Chevrolet Impala convertible) received $6,500 and $3,500, respectively.
The second- and third-place winners in the West Coast Challenge class.
For the second consecutive year the show crowned the World’s Most Beautiful Lowrider. The award went to Eric Wisterman’s “Breaking Bad”-inspired 1962 Chevrolet Impala. The dazzling light-yellow lowrider was built by Wisterman and Jim Basgall, and featured murals depicting scenes and characters from the popular show by Albert Herrera, pinstriping by Alan Signs, a custom interior by Daniel Moreno, and hydraulics by Mike Ishiki. Wisterman received a $5,000 prize presented by ARP Fasteners.
Other significant awards included the four historic “Big B Awards.” Jerry Logan won the H.A. Bagdasarian World’s Most Beautiful Custom Award for his immaculate 1952 Chevrolet Fleetline hardtop.
It’s not often you see a 1960 Edsel custom. This was the last year for the ill-fated brand and only 2,846 cars were produced.
The Sam Barris Memorial Award, named in honor of legendary custom car builder Sam Barris, is selected by members of the Barris family. They chose Maxwell’s “TwelveAir” Corvette as the car featuring the best metalwork, alignment of body panels, and paint.
Ponch and John from the TV show “CHiPs” drew massive crowds.
The Joe “Candy Apple Red” Bailon Memorial Award was designed and created by Bailon, one of the nation’s premier custom car designers and builders. This year, the award was presented to Nick Dias’ beautiful blue 1947 Cadillac.
The last of the “Big B Awards,” the Dick Bertolucci Automotive Excellence Award, is given to a vehicle manufactured before 1973 that the family of the late hot rod and custom builder Dick Bertolucci felt exhibited the best craftsmanship in assembly, fit, finish and detail. The Bertolucci family selected Mattis’ “Inspire 57” 1957 Chevrolet Convertible for this year’s trophy.
Sunday’s popular Pinstriper Charity Auction raised nearly $10,000 for UC Davis Children’s Hospital.
It will be interesting to see what amazing things happen next year at the 75th annual Sacramento Autorama.
