Welcome again to America’s premier custom car show series. Like last year, we’re featuring some high-end rides at the Donald E. Stevens convention center in Rosemont at the World Of Wheels 2012. What a magnificent display of car and motorcycle designs here! Plenty of exhibits, wheel makers, wild displays and select celebrity guests spice up this show. You’ve still got a chance to see this event with stops scheduled this month in Omaha and Boston. It may be in a town near you so watch out for next year’s show schedule. Meanwhile, here’s our look at some of the best in Chicagoland.
Here’s an amazing 1959 Imperial Roadster concept car at World of Wheels. This is pieced together from a stock four door using a custom chassis. The powertrain is hot, with a 6.1 SRT Hemi V8 in that engine bay. A 518 automatic transmission directs power to a Viper independent rear end. It’s a what if production of a luxury Chrysler spots car. This 10,000 plus hours project is my favorite of the show.
These Chevy Nomads have soared in collector interest recently. Perhaps most valued are the 1957s, as shown by this example. Like the Bel Air, this wagon shares an iconic front end, chrome treatment and the famous tail fins. It’s a great platform for custom work, just like any Tri-Five Chevy.
The Ford Motor Company is very much a part of the current muscle car war. Their latest offering bears the legendary Carroll Shelby name with a horsepower rating of 650! The 2013 Shelby GT500 is the most powerful production V8 car in the world, according to Ford, with a convertible version introduced at the Chicago Auto Show last February. Here’s a customized 1967 model featuring beautiful paint work and a smokin’ engine bay. Now that’s how to transform a Cobra!
The peak year for muscle car performance was 1970, when big block power ruled and rides like the Ram Air IV GTO Judge, Mopar Hemis, and the LS6 Chevelle SS 454 hit the strips. It may not be an LS6, but here’s one Chevelle looking great in two tone, with its stripes and eye-poppin’ chrome rims.
There exists a tremendous group of enthusiasts for the woodies, or wood-bodied trucks and cars. To restore and/or customize one is a big, expensive job due to that wood. In 1941 Chrysler introduced the Town & Country. Here’s a 1946 Ford in “Just Green” single stage paint, camel leather interior, beautiful maple frame and inset panels and powered by a DOHC 4.6 L Mustang Cobra Motor. This is my number 2 pick of the show. About 1950 was the peak for the true-wood design. By the mid-1950s Buick and Plymouth dis-continued their woodies, but Ford and Mercury pressed on with these great creations. By the 1960s you might say the party was over, with cheap simulated wood employed by manufacturers. The current Ford Flex, my daily driver, features grooves along its body sides to hint the classic woodie appearance in a very tasteful way. For our coverage of that car at Chicago’s 2012 auto show click here. This 1946 is a work of art embracing a time long gone, and surely a hit at the car show circuit.
To compete with Corvette, Ford introduced their personal luxury 1955 Thunderbird as a two-seater with removable hardtop and ragtop configurations. In 1958, the public desired more passenger and cargo room, so Ford made a risky design change to four seats. This “square bird” was a gamble but a big success. Still, the first generation “baby birds” command greater value and collectable interest. This customized first year example has one of the sharpest paint jobs I’ve seen. The chromed out wheels, engine bay and striking front end completes the package.
Trucks in all sizes graced the show floor, including this 1966 Chevy custom job. Interest has been on the rise for pickups with collector values trending a little higher.
Here are a few pre-war Ford examples.
The sweeping grill first captures my eye on this 1940 hardtop, and the 1937 Cabriolet runs with a fuel injected Chevy small block. I generally don’t like seeing a Chevy motor in a Ford body, and it’s very common. Why does that happen? Usually, it’s just cheaper. It takes more effort and time to have to find parts for a Ford engine. Still, this Cabriolet is a beautiful piece of work, or art. Plenty of time and money went into its build. Yes, the use of a Chevy motor may trouble a lot of Ford guys like myself. But since it’s World Of Wheels, the ultimate show of customs and a total blast, I’ll let it slide this time.
The World Of Wheels custom car show series will continue through April 2012 in various cities. Refer to AutoRama’s website for further information.
