A Visual History Of Car Customization

CUSTOM CRUISING A Souped-Up Guide to Pimping Your Ride VOL. 1 PRICE: 25c PACIFIC STERO.COM: THE #1 AUTHORIZED RETAILER IN THE INLAND EMPIRE 2013 We all want to be an individual. From the way we part our hair to the laces on our shoes, our desire to be unique is evident. So it's no surprise that we want our cars to represent us, too. Take a look at how people throughout history have made their rides iconic, and what your custom car says about you. THE HISTORY OF CUSTOM CARS LATE 1800's Coachbuilders, who created custom bodies for horse-drawn carriages, had to evolve with the times and began creating custom cars once the automobile was invented. 1920's Car customization was only for the wealthy, with cars like Rolls-Royces purchased as chassis only, allowing for the owner to fully customize the body by a "coachbuilder." 1930's Harry Westergard, known as the grandfather of customizing, begins his 10 year career customizing cars. He created fade- away fenders before they ever existed on a factory model. 1940's HOT ROD Magazines like Hot Rod, Motor Trend, Car Craft, Rod & Custom and Hop Up are published, taking car customization into the mainstream. 1950's George Barris led the custom car movement and is best known for creating the Batmobile by customizing a 1955 Lincoln Futura. The 50's are known for the time of the Hot Rod, with custom car clubs and racing organizations becoming common in the customized car world 1960's The 60's nearly killed customizing simply because factory built cars had taken a cue from customizers. Cars of the 60's were a whole new beast with styles that were more appeal- ing and forward thinking than what customizers could pro- duce with older cars. 1970's With customizing nearly dead, Rod & Custom magazine breathed new life into the industry by refocusing its maga- zine on its original purpose. Other car magazines had shifted to racing coverage and muscle cars, leaving Rod & Custom left to get back to old habits. Coara 1980's MTV brought customization into the living rooms of music fans around the world with ZZ Top music videos featuring his customized Eliminator coupe. 1990's Customizers shifted their focus from cars of the 40's and 50's to cars of the 90's. Customized cars of the 90's were called "rat rods." 2000's Car customization excelled in popularity due to a number of TV shows focused around turning beaters into bling. MTV's Pimp my Ride, featuring "pimping out" forgotten clunkers was just one of the many TV shows taking custom cars to the world. THE HEAVIEST OF PRICE TAGS The gold interior of Ueli Anliker's Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR is the most expensive interior in the world. Sticker price: $11,000,000 Ueli Anliker's Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR Golden steering wheel Gold-trimmed interior Ruby gear stick 24-carat gold wheels, headlights and door sills 25 layers of red paint mixed with gold dust Jewel-encrusted indicators SHOW OFF YOUR PERSONALITY! Pimping your ride isn't just about showing off some bling; for true car customizers, it's about showing off who they are: The Low Rider The Speed Demon The Weight Bearer The Mini Monster The Adventurer HOW TO TRICK OUT YOUR RIDE How would you trick out your ride? Here is how to get started: Enhanced Audio System Amp LED Screens Window Tinting HID Headlights Rims Body Kit Exhaust Kit Alarm Subwoofer Resources http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/westergard-mercury-custom-car-1.jpg http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hot-rod12.htm http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/hot-rod-13.jpg http://www.scionpedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/scion1.jpg http://www.ehow.com/about_5263510_history-customizing-cars.html http://auto.howstuffworks.com/westergard-mercury-custom-car.htm http://image.trucktrend.com/t/concept-trucks/which-scion-sema-truck-concept-do-you-like-best/27008503/2009-scion-xb-by-mv-designz.jpg http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hot-rod15.htm http://voices.yahoo.com/a-guide-customizing-car-2435455.html http://image.automobilemag.com/t/6698900+w750+st0/0611_2+2007_scion_xB+lowrider_custom_1.jpg http://photocarsonline.com/olog/wp-content/uploads/2003/06/2008-custom-scion-xb-christian-rado-_1_jpg Pacific Stereo SOUND INSIGHT