Competition's Getting Hotter at World of Wheels [GALLERY]
The middle of winter in the upper Midwest is cold, snow covered and dreary. And like most things here, our cars are put into hibernation mode. Unlike the West Coast and the South, our car culture takes a break from November through April. On the plus side though, the downtime allows us to plan our builds and tinker without having to worry about missing the next show, cruise, or track day.
Each year our first sign of winter being almost over is the World of Wheels show taking place in mid-February. The juried entry show is an eclectic mix of 350 rat rods, traditional rods, muscle cars, tuners, and race cars from the entire Midwest. Every year you’ll find hidden gems within the show.
This year I was invited to display my Nissan 370Z with Meguiar's and serve as a brand ambassador. Partnering with a brand adds an interesting element to being at a car show – you’re no longer only showing your hard work and efforts, but you’re also showing off your sponsor's product. So it becomes less about you and more about the successful relationship you have with the company you are displaying with.
This year the show had a wide range of build types. From junkyard rat rod builds to half million dollar Chevy Bel Airs and everything in between. Some builds will compete for the prestigious Riddler award in Detroit a few weeks later. What I found impressive was the rarity of some of the vehicles: a 1969 Nissan Gloria (Japanese Spec), an AMC SuperGT race car, a Shelby Mustang modded to feature vintage Shelby front and rear features.
Compared to years past, I found that builders were paying more attention to detail and quality. The trend seems to be that the builds are becoming more "designed" and cohesive. Part of that trend might be due to the influence from local builders such as the Ring Brothers and Troy Trepanier.
Milwaukee World of Wheels also has a “Pinstripe Legends” display. Each year they have pinstripe and lettering artists from the upper Midwest put on demos and spend all 3 days painting signs, panels and ephemera. At the end of each day the artworks are then auctioned for charity. Doing airbrushing and artwork myself, I find it a great time to share ideas and techniques with fellow artists.
I always tend to gravitate toward cars with thought, creativity and uniqueness in their builds. We've all been to shows where someone comes in with a beautiful six-figure build price car who will of course out-score pretty much everyone else. Sure they’re beautiful, but there’s not much to relate to in them. They lack personality and will rarely ever see asphalt under their tires. World of Wheels featured quite a few builds that lacked big budgets but excelled at stunning ingenuity and use of materials. Best of all, these builds are meant to be driven.
Here’s a few of my favorites from the 2016 Milwakee World of Wheels:
1. Walt Grannen's 1923 T-bucket custom
Covered in exquisite airbrushing by Denise at State of the Art Design and custom fabrication work by the owner and Dan Swisher, this T-bucket excelled in the details. The frame, underbody and engine all feature airbrushed flames and fireflies smaller than your fingernail.
2. 1934 Ford Pickup
What was eye catching in this build was the metal and fastener work in the interior. The seats, tunnel, steering wheel and door cards were all hand fabricated aluminum. The fasteners, while functional, were used as visual elements. The same use of fasteners was carried out throughout the flawless gloss black body and frame.
3. Chevelle drag racer
This car has seen a lot of press from Summit, Ride Tech, Autometer, and others. What makes this car special is that it was a home build featuring a hand built tube chassis painted an electric metallic purple. The carbon fiber blower hat is a one-off piece on an engine that is built with the same functional detail as a Swiss watch. The body has been shaved and smoothed, including the custom firewall.
4. Righteous 1929 Ford Rat Rod
This fantastic rat rod sported bold flourescent green wheels and pinstriping which contrasted nicely with the patinaed body. Copper was used for all of the fluid transfer tubing, as well as the steering arm – continuting to add to the overall aesthetic. And it wouldn't be a Wisconsin rat rod without the Shlitz tallboy as an overflow tank. What makes this rat rod stand out above the others? The cohesive build design. It isn’t kitsch or overstated in my opinion. Everything seems to have the right material, the right patina, and just enough paint and pinstripes to make it pop.
5. Pro-Street Chevy Bel Air
Featuring a custom tube frame painted the traditional Bel Air teal, carbon fiber wheel tubs, and a beautifully restored dash, this is a winning track car that would also look at home in a concourse show. Including newest-of-the-new technologies such as Blu-tooth gauges and sensors, carbon fiber hood and electronic fuel injection.
Overall 2016 World of Wheels was a great show that featured very unique builds. And since it’s Midwest's prelude to summer, it was a great way to get the toys out, reconnect with old friends and make new, and get a sneak peek of what to expect this summer.
