Advertisement
Autos

L.A. Auto Show: Hot rods, custom cars and Hollywood vehicles on display

1/11
A 1956 Mercedes 300 SC coupe at the Motor Press Guild historic vehicle display at the L.A. Auto Show.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
2/11
A 1915 Dodge Brothers Touring car, right and a 1937 Delahaye, left, at the historic vehicle display.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
3/11
Hot rod builder George Barris poses for photographers with a BatMobile cake.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
4/11
A 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air at the historic vehicle display.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
5/11
A 1953 Dodge Storm Z-250 by Bertone at the historic vehicle display.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
6/11
Dylan Price of Professional Detailers dusts “Hell’s Chariot,” a 1949 Mercury with a 1950 grille that was used in the movie “Grease.”  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
7/11
The Motor Press Guild historic vehicle display at the Los Angeles Auto Show.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
8/11
The grille of a 1964 Chevrolet C 10 pickup.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
9/11
Chalmers Niemeyer of Porsche has an early morning coffee as he looks at a 1919 La Bestioni.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
10/11
Zach Freeman, 11, cranes his neck to look at the gull-wing doors on the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
11/11
Leah, a Chihuahua, casts a nervous eye around as owner Anne Proffit pauses to see a 1953 Cadillac Series 62 coupe originally owned by Rita Hayworth.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
By W.J. Hennigan
Share

While many visitors were falling over themselves to see the newest cars at the Los Angeles Auto Show, more than 60 historic and unique vehicles were displayed outside.

Hot rods, custom rides, and well-known movie cars filled the parking lot in front of the L.A. Convention Center to celebrate Southern California’s car culture.

PHOTOS: L.A. Auto Show model debuts

Advertisement

“We’ve made a lot of changes to the 2013 show, and we feel the Motoring Invitational is one that recognizes the city’s unique car culture and unofficial title as the automotive capital of the world,” said Lisa Kaz, president of the L.A. Auto Show and Connected Car Expo.

There were old Hollywood cars, including the hell-for-leather 1949 Mercury dubbed “Hell’s Chariot” from “Grease,” along with the Petersen Automotive Museum’s maroon 1953 Cadillac Series 62 Ghia Coupe once owned by actress Rita Hayworth.

FULL COVERAGE: L.A. Auto Show 2013

Famed “King of Kustomizers” and industry legend George Barris of North Hollywood showcased replicas of his iconic TV cars: The Munster Koach and Batmobile.

There were also hot rods. L.A. Porsche 911 collector and restorer Magnus Walker showed off his modified 1971 Porsche 911T. A So-Cal Speed Shop in Pomona was on hand with a 1932 Ford “Deuce Coupe.”

More to Read

Autos
W.J. Hennigan

W.J. Hennigan covered the Pentagon and national security issues from Washington, D.C., before leaving the Los Angeles Times bureau in November 2017. While there, he reported on war, counter-terrorism, and the lives of American service members from more than two dozen countries and previously covered the aerospace and defense industry from Los Angeles. Hennigan earned awards from the National Press Club, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, and was a contributor to the Los Angeles Times coverage of the terror attacks in San Bernardino that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2016.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Advertisement