Mickey Lauria and his Total Performance Inc. recently expanded their Florida presence with the grand opening of the new Total Performance store located at Bruce Rossmeyer's Destination Daytona.
Hot rods, from basic kits to complete turnkey rides, are the mainstay of the store, but a full line of automobilia-garage art, apparel, decals, furnishings, etc.-from Moon Equipment, Classic Transportation, and others offers something for every car-crazy person who visits the store. If you are a hands-on hot rod builder or a musclecar enthusiast and are searching for "hard parts," Total Performance Hot Rod Parts is just four miles up U.S. 1 from the store. There you will find a full line of hot rod parts, as well as the full assortment of Year One musclecar parts. If you live in or are visiting Florida, stop by the new Total Performance store at 7500 S. Hwy. U.S. 1, Bunnell, FL 32110, or call (800) 243-6740 or (386) 671-6415.
Arkansas Enacts SEMA Street Rod/Custom Vehicle Bill
Arkansas joined the growing list of states to enact SEMA model legislation to amend the vehicle titling and registration classification for street rods and create a classification for custom vehicles. The bill was approved by the Arkansas State Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Mike Beebe. Under the new law, a street rod is defined as an altered vehicle manufactured before 1949, and a custom as an altered vehicle at least 25 years old and manufactured after 1948. Importantly, kit cars and replica vehicles will be assigned a certificate of title bearing the same model-year designation as the production vehicle they most closely resemble.
The new law allows for the use of non-original materials, provides for special license plates, and permits the use of blue-dot taillights. In addition, the measure exempts street rods and customs from a range of standard equipment requirements and emissions controls (only that equipment required in the model year the vehicle resembles). Vehicles titled and registered as street rods and custom vehicles may only be used for occasional transportation, exhibitions, club activities, parades, tours, etc., and not for general daily transportation.
The model bill will continue to be pursued by SEMA in states that either don't have registration classifications for these vehicles or have laws that are lacking in some way. SEMA efforts are ongoing this year to work with the state legislatures in Florida, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Nevada on this initiative, and to add others to that list in the coming legislative sessions.
Alstotts' '35 Ford Wins D'elegance Crown
Kevin and Karen Alstott's highly acclaimed 1935 Ford roadster received the Goodguys Street Rod d'Elegance award for 2007. The Alstotts accepted the award in front of a capacity crowd at the Goodguys 7th Del Mar Nationals during Sunday's final awards ceremony. This puts an exclamation point on an amazing year-and-a-half run with the unique roadster. In 2006, the car won the coveted Don Ridler Memorial Award at the Detroit Autorama, and then followed that up with the title of America's Most Beautiful Roadster at this year's Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California. With the d'Elegance crown at Goodguys Del Mar, the Alstotts' roadster becomes only the second car in hot rod history to bag all three awards in succession. The only other car to complete the Detroit-Pomona-Del Mar trifecta was Ken Reister's 1936 Ford, Impression.
Built by Midwest craftsman Roger Burman and his crew at Lakeside Rods & Rides, the Alstotts' '35 Ford is a stunning, contemporary, all-steel roadster. In fact, Marcel DeLey, who was inducted into the GNRS Hall of Fame this year, handcrafted the body on the roadster.
Only The Name Has Changed
Parish Heacock Classic Car Insurance President Ford Heacock III announced he has changed the name of his classic car insurance division to Heacock Classic.
"The reason for the change is to simplify our identity so that it is easier to read and remember," Heacock said. "Our silent partner, Bill Parish, is gone, but continues to live in our hearts and inspire our passion for classic cars."
Heacock Classic specializes in insurance coverage for classic, collectible, and vintage automobiles. The company is a division of Heacock Insurance Group Inc.; based in Sebring, Florida, Heacock Insurance is a full-service independent insurance agency, which has been in business since 1922. Parish Motorsports Insurance in Burns, Tennessee, became part of the Heacock Insurance Group in March 2000, expanding its client list to more than 20,000 collector car clients nationwide. For insurance information, call (800) 678-5173, or visit www.heacockclassic.com.