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PAGE  6
No matter where they hold it, it will always be known as the Oakland Roadster Show, or the Grandaddy of all Roadster shows, and for good reason; car for car, the quality of craftsmanship is without equal.  Witness row after row of cars so perfectly designed and executed that they appear as if that model car always came like that.  Take a close look at the "Ford" script embossed on the interior of the '33 Ford panel delivery, or the torsion bar suspension of the '32 with the Northstar motor and water-cooled side pipes.  The folks designing these cars are not only master craftspeople, they are practical engineers who have the enviable job of getting to build what they imagine. 
Although we love out Lotuses, it wasn't difficult to round up a group of GGLCers to attend this year's show held at the San Mateo County Expo Center.  My Suburban provided shuttle service from the Carney home to the show, a short trip during which it became apparent that the Sub definitely needed new shocks.  Once inside the show however we were like kids in the proverbial candy store as we "ohh'd" & "wow'd" our way around the displays.
By about the third row I noticed a strange transformation beginning to take place as we became conditioned to seeing perfect car after perfect car.  Cars that if you saw on the street (which ironically you never would as very few of the true "show cars" are driven at all), would instantly draw a crowd, do not warrant a second glance now.  We were becoming jaded with perfection, now looking for something a little more creative to capture our attention. 
I also started to pick out a few new themes; gone are yesterday's obnoxious graphics, monochrome and Easter-egg pastel paint jobs, now replaced by "ghost" flames and custom-blended metallics. 
Also popular are the "repro" rods, those vintage-appearing cars that are actually built using all new parts. These have become so desireable that one company has started reproducing the 1932 Ford Roadster body in steel, and they cannot keep up with the demand !
What is really in though, is an attention to details.  It seems that people are spending more time on the little things; the checkerboard underside of the yellow '32 Tudor, the flames in the carpet of the black roadster. 
Unfortunately billet seems to still be popular, even though it has been commoditized in the usually unique realm of car building.  You can buy billet mirrors, brake calipers, even valve covers, and judging by the number I saw, the billet companies must doing a booming business.  I personally think it looks completely out of place on a 30 or 40s era car, but it does let everyone know that you are an individual, just like all the other billet-heads.
 


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