A car that never fails to draw a crowd is this 1918 Detroit Electric, owned by Robert and Feryl Giesen of Wichita. The immaculately restored vehicle features sumptuous interior appointments and a tiller-style steering system.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Robert Schippers' 1967 Chevelle looked as if it had the wheels run off it, but it was set up to show every detail of its construction, with mirrors giving showgoers a look at the spotless undercarriage.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Finished in understated gray with black fenders, Wayne Peterson's 1934 Ford extended cab pickup ranked as a true "phantom" -- a vehicle that was never built until hot rodders decided it needed to be built. It was just a short drive from Clearwater to downtown Wichita for Peterson's unusual hauler.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Even bigger than the 1/8 scale Monogram model kit that many gearheads built as kids, the real-life "Big T" made the journey north from builder/show promoter Darryl Starbird's custom car museum in Afton, Okla.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Vintage "gassers" with their straight front axles and Moon-style tanks mounted on the nose-high front end, are catching on again. This '49 Chevy gasser is powered by a hefty V-8 and belongs to John Sinfellow of Wichita.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Cheryl Schulte brought her husband Gary's 1960 Chevy Impala show car to the event as a way to thank all the "car showing friends and family" for their kindness after Gary's death last year.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Another take on the "gasser" look was rendered by Tim Mahoney of Wichita. But his '53 Chevy runs a straight-6 cylinder engine topped by triple carbs, instead of a traditional V-8.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Greeting visitors to the 53rd annual Starbird custom car show at Century II was Dave Puhl's Phaze II. The radical custom, an all-metal-bodied concept, is normally on display at Starbird's Oklahoma car museum.
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Salinan Rick Fitzgerald's '27 T roadster is a true old-school hot rod with all the right touches -- a flathead V-8 and vintage wire spoke wheels with whitewalls, all rolling fenderless.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Set-up for the three-day show began Wednesday evening, with hot rods, street rods and pickups rolling into Century II's exhibit pavilions according to scheduled times, parking in assigned spots.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Vivid metallic blue paint and understated silver striping ending in a roll of flames on the rear fenders sets the theme for Jim Noel's '66 Chevy II hardtop.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
One of the show-stoppers at this year's Starbird show was Jim "Bones" Noteboom's "Zoot Zooter" show car. The gorgeous green '37 Packard roadster hails from Hemet, Calif., and is a combination of classic lines and subtle customizing.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
"Teen Angel," Bill Moore's custom 1952 Mercury, basks in the glow of sunset outside Century II on Wednesday, awaiting its time to roll through the big overhead doors and set up for the show. Moore brought his ride from Frontenac in southeast Kansas.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Another beautifully finished blue showpiece was Dan Slusser's immaculate 1959 Chevy El Camino. The snappy blue paint is nicely accented by toned-down silver-gray bumpers and grillwork.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Truck lovers quickly recognized the "Get Shorty" project truck put together by Custom Classic Truck magazine. The display board for the gold-scalloped '71 Chevy pickup boasted, "Every piece of sheetmetal ... has been altered in some way or another!"
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Darryl Starbird, left, greeted some show participants as they checked in for the three-day event, his 53rd custom car show in Wichita.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Wichita's John Provenzano had heads spinning with his rotating display featuring his fully detailed '57 Chevy Bel Air convertible in bright blue, with the top partly open for those spring days that are just around the corner.
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Norm Grabowski has always built cars with character and his "Grabowski's Kinda Frish Fish" delivery van reinforced his often-zany take on hot rodding. Here, he visits with a showgoer about the truck, which has corrugated steel roof and side panels, plus beautifully burnished wood inlaid in the rear door.
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Rick Cardwell displayed his 1954 Pontiac Chieftan two-door in a cool silver over silver-blue paint scheme. Fitted with lakes pipes and chrome wheels with center bullets, the Pontiac retains its flathead 6-cylinder powerplant.
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Easily the most unusual vehicle entered in the show, Wichitan Charlie Womack's fully restored 1870 Victorian doctor's buggy got its fair share of attention from folks used to considerably more horsepower in their rides.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Mary Knox of Andover enjoyed showing off her spectacular 1952 Ford Fordor. Husband Gary built the glowing orange-gold car for her as a grandkid hauler, substituting a Ford Lightning pickup engine for the original flathead V-8.
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Legendary California customizer Gene Winfield was on hand, meeting and greeting visitors and selling memorabilia. Winfield opened his first hot rod shop in 1946.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Kevin Murphy of Hutchinson proves that you don't have to find a Chevy or a Ford mid-'50s pickup to build a head-turner. His '57 Dodge is finished in an appealing satin black-over-green two-tone finish and features a nicely detailed interior.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
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