Vernon and Chris Bishop of Valley Center showed that burnt metallic orange still looks good on almost everything, especially on their 1931 Ford 5-window coupe.
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Not all of the young people were on the spectator side of the ropes. Patrick Chambers, 15, with the help of a lot of friends, turned what he called a `thousand dollar beater' into this eye-catching show truck in only nine days' time. They were 16-hour days, to be sure, but the grin on Patrick's face says it was worth it to get his first vehicle roadworthy.
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Back to the '60s, as lace paintwork makes a big-time comeback on Brandon Wegerle's 1963 Dodge 880 sedan. There is plenty of silver metalflake underlying the lace panel, too.
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WSU sports fan John Davis of Wichita decked out his classic 1930 Ford coupe in Shocker regalia and rounded out his display with a collection of period-authentic tools.
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Remember that gorgeous '48 Chrysler woody convertible? Owner Buster Hobza thoughtfully posted this picture of the car as found in the vent window of the finished showpiece to illustrate just how far a project sometimes must come. `You start with this,' the caption reads.
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The postwar years produced some of the most impressive automobiles ever designed and produced in America's factories. Buster Hobza of Kingfisher, Okla., underscored that with his beautifully restored 1948 Chrysler New Yorker Town and Country Convertible. Credit for the amazing finger-joint woodwork goes to Dennis Bickfo
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Bruce and Judy Ricks of Sapulpa, Okla., picked up the first place Magnificent 7 trophy with their stunning 1956 Ford `Suncammer' convertible. The car, which collected the 2011 Ridler Award, perhaps the most prestigious achievement in custom car building, is powered by an original 427 SOHC Ford drag racing engine.
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Dan Jacobs brought his customized '39 Chevy coupe known as the `Predator' to the Starbird-Devlin show. Legendary father-son customizers Troy and Jack Trepanier, and Chip and Sam Foose all were involved in producing this beauty.
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The 1956 Fords have really caught on with customizers, with Dan and Kathy Coleman of Arvada, Colo., chosing a 2-door Club Sedan of that vintage for their styling palette. Finished in a flawless burgundy and powered by a 347 cubic inch Ford Racing engine, the car claimed third place in the Magnificent 7 competition.
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Need to haul a small load across an expanse of salt really fast? You might want to check with Norris and Lois Andersen of Jamestown, Kan. Their 1949 Studebaker pickup has been clocked at just over 219 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
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There is rare and then there is the powerplant in the Magnificent 7 winner's engine compartment -- an original Ford 427 SOHC hemi-cammer racing motor, with a one-of-a-kind cast aluminum intake mounting Autolite inline 4-barrel carbs.
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An old-school, fat-fendered street machine was one of the contenders for the Magnificent 7 awards. Ed Pogle of Enid, Okla., entered it in the judging.
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Wichitan Tim Mahoney took a slightly different approach to the old gasser class drag cars, converting his '53 Chevy 2-door into a quarter-mile contender. But instead of the expected smallblock V-8 engine under the hood, he chose to stick with a hopped-up Stovebolt 6, fitted with a trio of carbs.
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Four-year-old Kayden Scheer was fascinated by Scott C. Hall's display of antique motorcycles. When Hall told him to climb aboard this vintage 1913 Harley-Davidson, Kayden declared, `I know how to ride this big one!' This year's revamped show offered a kids' zone, where youngsters could build their own snap-built model kits for free.
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Dave Major of Benton is known to have a fondness for unusual, tiny European cars, and his 1969 French-built Citroen 2CV is no exception. The little front-wheel drive machine features flowered upholstery, a roll-back sunroof and a `trunk' that doesn't quite match the otherwise swoopy design of the car.
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Tim Mahoney's engine of choice for his H/Gas class '53 Chevy -- a straight 6 with plenty of carburetion. He scores points for creativity.
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Dane Stember of Wichita built this nifty '27 Ford coupe, eliminating several inches of unneeded metal from the roof to give the hot rod a more stylish profile. Out of garage space and looking to start another project, he slapped a for sale sign on top of the air cleaner.
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Four-year-old Kayden Scheer was fascinated by Scott C. Hall's display of antique motorcycles. When Hall told him to climb aboard this vintage 1913 Harley-Davidson, Kayden declared, `I know how to ride this big one!' This year's revamped show offered a kids' zone, where youngsters could build their own snap-built model kits for free.
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Don and Shirley Konecny's 1948 Anglia sported a bright Pontiac Solstice Yellow paint job and a vintage 327 Chevy engine topped by a set of Hilborn injector stacks. The finely finished sedan rolled in from Conway Springs for the car show.
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Another Wichita car that stopped spectators in their tracks was Harold Slates' immaculately finished 1957 Chevy convertible. Tucked under the hood is a fuel-injected 360 horsepower LS1 V-8 mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, all mounted in an Art Morrison custom chassis.
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Wichitan Bill Johnson's 1962 Corvette, finished in a beautiful metallic rose hue, illustrated what an elegant, understated two-seater is all about. Cruising the streets doesn't get much more stylish than this.
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Known as `The Little Jewelk,' this car fooled some folks into thinking it was a Kaiser-Darink sports car. Built by Garner Jones in the early 1950s and now owned by Don Garnett of Lubbock, Texas, it is actually a '51 Ford chassis outfitted with heavily modified Cadillac, Buick and Chevy body parts.
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Intimidating is the only word for this massive hand-built engine designed and built by Tyson Garvin of Joplin, Mo. Designated the R12, the highly polished billet aluminum powerplant displaces 960 cubic inches and can produce anywhere from 1,440 horsepower on pump gas to 5,400 horsepower on race gas running 50 pounds of boost. Garvin says the engine could be used in anything from a racing boat to driving huge industrial water pumps.
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It is highly unlikely that Deven Ramsey's radical 1997 Toyota Tacoma could be brought any closer to the pavement. Still, he somehow figured out how to tuck some massive 5-spoke wheels up under the super-smooth, low-down bodywork.
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Also making a strong statement was Greg Poteet's super-clean 1963 Chevy C10 pickup out of Augusta. It demonstrates what a lot of attention to detail, inside and out, can do for an otherwise basically stock appearing vehicle.
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