Rock, rides and GAS
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The auto industry is alive, well and rocking in Van Nuys. Galpin, the world’s most successful Ford dealership (according to Galpin) held a party Saturday night at its Roscoe Boulevard HQ. At least 2,000 people showed up to celebrate Galpin Auto Sports, one of the shiniest jewels in the company’s crown. The bar was sponsored by Absolut, the event was catered by Wolfgang Puck, and the entertainment came from rapper Xzibit plus a rock supergroup, Camp Freddy.
This motley crew included guitar hero Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction and a spell with the Red Hot Chili Peppers) and drummer Matt Sorum (of Velvet Revolver, and formerly of Guns ’n’ Roses), with guest spots by Macy Gray, Cypress Hill, Ozzy Osbourne and Slash (pictured below with Galpin Auto Sports President Beau Boekmann).
Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) is the vehicle customization facility that capitalizes on the success of the MTV series ‘Pimp My Ride,’ in which GAS oversees all the various remodeling, personalization and, well, pimpin’. In its showroom was a relatively understated Jaguar XK convertible with baby-blue carbon fiber trim and matching oversized wheels, but there also were more outlandish creations, including some from the godfathers of the Kustom Kulture scene: Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roth, George Barris and Von Dutch.
Roth’s Orbitron was at the party. This bubble-canopied car was made in 1964, disappeared for many years, then re-emerged in Juarez, Mexico, used as a trash bin in front of an adult bookstore. GAS acquired it and has restored it to its former glory (the car, not the adult bookstore).
The other big show machine was GAS’ Scythe, with aggressive looks to match its sharp name. GAS claims this to be ‘the most radical custom car of the modern era.’ Based on a 2008 Mustang and designed by Ed ‘Newt’ Newton, its twin-supercharged, 5.0-liter V-8 produces 1,005 horsepower. It’s a fully functioning vehicle replete with an air suspension and other cutting-edge technology, such as a voice-activated computer. Those who missed the party can see it on display at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show.
If all this seems a bit like too much hedonism, the Boys & Girls Club of the San Fernando Valley, Wheels for Humanity/United Cerebral Palsy and Friends & Helpers were beneficiaries of a silent auction of various musical instruments and memorabilia signed by the likes of Neil Young, Coldplay and the Rolling Stones. ‘These are three local charities I really believe in,’ Boekmann said. ‘We’re still counting, but we will have raised way over $50,000. When times are tough, it’s important to realize that many people’s lives are worse than ours and they need help the most.’
In the current economic climate, then, why do this now? ‘We’ve been planning for three years,’ Boekmann said. ‘Yes, it has given me sleepless nights, but the Orbitron and Scythe were completed, and we wanted to invite our community, to show them what we do. This has fulfilled all my hopes and dreams. Sometimes the worst times make it the best time to do something like this.’