The Del Mar Fairgrounds and racetrack are known worldwide as the place "Where the Turf Meets the Surf," but this past weekend at the Goodguys 4th Del Mar Nationals it was more like "Where the rubber meets the road." Over 2,500 1972 & earlier rods, customs, classics & muscle cars filled the pristine ocean side facility with the crowds rolling in like tidal waves off the Pacific. Since its inception, this event has had a buzz like no other in this car crazed region and one of the key ingredients is the selection of the highly coveted and steeped-in-tradition Goodguys "Street Rod d'Elegance" award presented by Eagle One.
The Street Rod d' Elegance title is open to all 1949 and earlier street rods and unlike other prestigious Goodguys awards, there are no prerequisites or demands that the rods be driven. They just need to be beautiful hi quality show pieces which is exactly what turned out in Del Mar. The five d'Elegance finalists included Kent Matranga's righteous Laguna Hills, CA based '36 Ford roadster, Bill Bauce's German '37 Ford (which debuted last year from the potent stable of Portland's Steve Frisbee), Brent Scheider's Pleasanton based bright orange '39 Ford convertible, Dave McGary's tasty mint green '39 Chevy 2 door and from the great state of Texas came Caryn Burch's red '37 Ford coupe, a car she owns outright, right down to the title. When the votes were tallied and the winner announced, it was Burch's Parker, Texas based Lonestar street rod that reigned supreme.
The winner was a huge hit with the capacity crowd - a good looking woman in a stunning hot rod. "I was so darn excited I couldn't stop shaking and squealing," said the jubilant Texan. "I had so many women come up to me after the awards ceremony and offer their congratulations - it was awesome. My feet still haven't hit the ground."
It's been said that behind any great man is a great woman, but in this particular case, there's lots of good men behind Caryn Burch and her red hot rod. Alan Johnson of Johnson's Hot Rod Shop in Gadsden, Alabama built the coupe with their patented award winning fit and finish work. Perhaps their biggest challenge was expertly shoehorning a whopping 502-inch 650 horsepower dual Edlebrock carb-equipped big block Chevy motor into the car's engine compartment. While still in Alabama, the car got a stunning upholstery from heavy hitter Paul Atkins. The concept and design of the car was from the sketchpads of both Chip Foose and Chris Ito with Foose designing the trick interior console as well as outfitting the rod with a set of one-off Foose billet wheels. Foose's neighbor Alan Budnik cut the wheels from solid aluminum. The car is finished off with a brilliant shade of red which is a custom blend from PPG.
How did Caryn Burch come about owning the d'Elegance winner? "I got into cars through my husband Bob," she said. He's really into restored older classics and concourse type stuff. I told him I wanted something like a street rod I could drive around and have fun with. I guess you could say I'm having fun now!"