Chaotic Customs
Flashy new models and futuristic concept cars make most of the headlines at the L.A. Auto Show. But the hot custom aftermarket exhibits that transform Kentia Hall into Aftermarket Hall are the real highlights for serious gearheads and casual gawkers alike — and there are plenty of both in the car-crazed phantasmagoria of Southern California.
The aftermarket showcase is packed with the coolest rims and tuner packages, along with performance-enhancing add-ons and high-tech electronics. Several exhibits bring it all together in extreme packages, featuring an array of ultimate custom rides.
Aftermarket customization is all about hooking your car up with better sound and more power and creating an overall flashier and more personalized look. And it’s more popular than ever, driving a $31 billion industry in 2012, according to the Specialty Equipment Market Assn.
“It’s true that most people show up to see the new cars,” said Brendan Flynn, communications director for the L.A. Auto Show. “But a lot of them, especially the younger ones, visit the aftermarket booths to check out and buy the hot new accessories. [Aftermarket] Hall is just a lot of fun. People love to see extreme examples of what they can do to their cars.”
Custom fit
Even casual auto enthusiasts couldn’t possibly resist the custom creations presented by Galpin Auto Sports, a longtime Aftermarket Hall headliner dedicated to testing the limits of tuner culture. We’re talking more than a dozen highly modified and specially designed vehicles dressed up in the sickest chrome and paint — and outfitted with more horsepower than all the ponies at Breeders’ Cup weekend.
“Our relationship with the L.A. Auto Show has always been excellent,” said Beau Boeckmann, president of Galpin Auto Sports. “It is the perfect venue to show the strength of California’s amazing car culture.”
Check out the 1934 Ford Custom Iron Orchid, designed and built by Galpin to emulate the extreme retro show cars of the 1960s, replete with period-correct parts and hundreds of custom-fabricated pieces.
Also on display is the Mustang Mach IV — a smoking-hot-rod powered by four small-block V-8s — and Galpin’s first coach-built supercar, the Ford GTR1; it’s all sleek aluminum and carbon fiber with a 5.4-liter V-8 that packs more than 1,000 horsepower and a top speed of 225 miles per hour.
Then there’s Galpin’s re-creation of Dick Harding’s famous Ford Back-up Pickup, a reverse truck with its rear upfront — all the better to rock extreme wheelies down the drag strip.
Why? you ask. Silly question.
“Our motto is, ‘Having no reason to do something is the best reason to do something,’” Boeckmann said.
Dub Magazine is back with a typically stellar lineup, including custom rides driven by celebrities. Featured this year in the Dub Live exhibit is El Monstro, the heavily modified Harley-Davidson driven by Emilio Rivera, star of the FX cable hit “Sons of Anarchy.”
“Southern California has always been known as the hotbed for vehicle customization,” said Myles Kovacs, president and co-founder of Dub. “In the Dub Live Area, expect to see the latest automotive trends, technology, celebrity vehicles and the nation’s hottest show cars.”
Tuned up
High-end tuners and performance specialistssuch as RTW Motoring, Bespoke Coachworks and Specialty Car Craft are on hand with high-end accessories and modified exotic, luxury and sports cars from around the world. And Al & Ed’s Autosound tests the limits of the latest mobile technology, from hands-free communication and iPod integration to the most advanced navigation systems, with a long line of its customized rides.
Elsewhere in Aftermarket Hall, Madness Autoworks features an expanded inventory of parts and accessories for the tiny Smart Fortwo and stylish Fiat 500, showing off the vast customization possibilities. Airstream rolls out its latest tricked-out trailers, and BRP Can-Am brings its flashy three-wheeled motorcycles, including the 2014 Spyder RT.
Kids’ stuff
These days, Kentia Hall is more family-friendly than ever. Radio Disney is running the Fun Zone, with face-painting and balloons, and a mobile art gallery features a children’s mural project and live-art demonstrations. Warner Bros. is nearby with a selection of movie vehicles, including Scooby-Doo’s Mystery Machine.
“We have less space for the Fun Zone this year because we had to make room for more exhibits,” Flynn said. “But there are more things for kids to do — a lot more fun activities and attractions.”
The same could be said for the grown-ups.
—Robert Young, Brand Publishing Writer
