The 4th San Francisco Rod, Custom, and Motorcycle Show

Oakland moves across the Bay

By Eric Geisert

Remember when a car show would stay in one place for many years? There has been so much movement in NorCal's Bay Area show scene you need a road map just to figure out where everybody is now!

But the result of all that movement is that only one show now serves rodders in the Bay Area, and that show is the San Francisco Rod, Custom, and Motorcycle Show, produced by RP Productions, and sanctioned by the Nostalgia Rod and Custom Association (a new, national rodding organization that debuted at this show).

For three days, rodders filed into Cow Palace (which opened in 1941 to host livestock events), a site that was used a few years ago for both the 50th and 51st Grand National Roadster Show. This year, RP Productions added thousands of square feet to the old show layout, though the main arena floor was still reserved for the "best of the best." One of the two side rooms was filled with hundreds of custom motorcycles (you can't have a show in San Francisco without custom bikes!), while the other side of the room was devoted to hot rods and customs.

This year's show was really different because of what could be found in the never-used-before back rooms: rat rods. One of the few promoters to embrace that style of car, Rick Perry set aside four huge rooms for every type of rat rod and suede custom in the area, from the well-detailed, glossy show cars to the rusty, dented, wonder-how-they-got-there rides. Set up around the perimeter were various custom culture publications and tiki sellers, including one booth where real tattoos were being applied!

There were also live bands in each of the big rooms, with each band catering to the people they were playing for--something for everyone. And, in keeping with the tradition of Bay Area car shows in the past, a new Hall of Fame was also initiated with 45 charter members being inducted--all shakers and movers from 50 years of Bay Area rodding history. After this year's ceremonies, more than a dozen inductees hung around afterwards and signed autographs for folks who lined up to get them.

The Trendsetter of the Year award, given annually at this show to someone who has in one way or another furthered the custom or hot rod hobby, was bestowed upon John D'Agostino, a custom rod stylist who has been a driving force in kustoms for more than 30 years. His dedication to the hobby includes having at least one car entered in nearly every Grand National Roadster Show since 1968! One of the three cars he had on display at this show, a ruby-colored '41 Packard convertible, took home the Outstanding Nostalgia Rod & Custom award as well as the Joe Bailon Award for its flawless visual appearance.

And judging the huge crowd at the show, it looked like the cars impressed everyone in attendance--the build quality hasn't gone down in the Bay Area at all. With hundreds of customs and rods to choose from, the judges must have had a hard time determining who would walk away with the show's top three awards--the Most Elegant Rod, the Most Elegant Custom, and the Most Elegant Motorcycle award.

The Most Elegant Custom was awarded to Ray Von Uhlit of Fremont, California, for his '51 Plymouth wagon--a highly customized ride that features a Dominator tube chassis, extensive Mickey Galloway bodywork, and a wild Art Himsl paint job. The Most Elegant Rod was given to Charlie Lambetecchio of Fresno, California, for his yellow-and-silver '36 Ford roadster. Both winners have campaigned their rides at shows across the country this past year, and both were Great Eight finalists for the Ridler award at the Detroit Autorama in 2003.

Getting a car show off the ground is a lot harder to do nowadays than it was back in the '70s, but Rick Perry and his crew at RP Productions have turned the corner with this show and it seems that good things are in the future. The effort put forth during this show is evidence that the San Francisco Rod, Custom, and Motorcycle Show is destined to become one of the country's premier indoor car shows. For more on RP Productions' shows, visit their Web site at www.rpprodinc.com.