sunday at the harbour

Last sunday, I met with some friends for a little cruise around town. Before they arrived, I took the opportunity to take some pics of the 1949 coupe as it was one of the very first sunny days this spring. Played a bit with photoshop to give it a slight photorealistic painting feel. I'm not sure if it really worked out, but it was a great day.

back in 1947

Kyle, the seller of my Chevy Coupe, sent me these incredible pics of his grandfather's car. It's a 1940 Ford Convertible his grandpa owned in his youth. The photos were taken in Los Angeles in 1947. Kyle is planning to build a '40 Ford along the lines of his grandfather's old convertible, which is a great way of inspiration for a really unique and traditional family kustom.

new photos

Last weekend, I took it out for the first ride around my garage. Big fun, good times!

got his kicks on route 66

If you're into old iron, you certainly dig that touch of magic and mistery that surrounds abandoned car wrecks. As Switzerland is a crowded little place on earth, everybody tries to avoid any kind of littering. Thus, there hardly aren't any old cars rotting away next to a small backroad or anywhere in the nature. Maybe that's why I just love those photos of giant junkyards boasting with piles of rusty metal. And I love even more the pics of abandoned hot rods or kustoms. Just like I prefer them over stockers, their bones seem to tell the more interesting stories. Their modifications give a hint to their past, to what their previous owners were up to. For example, when I see a gasser influenced car like this '56 Chevy, I'm starting to think of the street races he may have won, about the engines he had installed. Just the kind of stories that would make for a cool road movie along the lines of Two-Lane Blacktop. Pics from wheelerdealer.

welcome to switzerland

From sun to rain in five weeks. This is the unlucky fate of my 1949 Chevrolet Coupe I've just imported from so-cal. But apart from the bad weather, everything worked perfectly. Smooth sailing, as they say. I'd like to thank Kyle for selling me his car and for helping me out with getting the car to the Long Beach harbour. And thanks to my buddy Marcel for trailering the car to my garage. During the next weeks, I'll do some mods to get it street legal in Switzerland and I must admit, I hardly can't wait for summer!

the cheaters open house #4

Get ready for the upcoming Cheaters Open House! It's gonna be held on May 17 to 18th from 9 AM to midnight at their workshop in Etoy. Check out the flyer for directions. If you haven't been there before, have a look at my pics from the killer 2006 edition, one of the first entries on lowtech, btw. Some teaser photos...




and one of my artsyfartsy attempts. See you there.

a new kemp in town (coming soon)

As some of you may know, I recently sold my '63 Belair to fellow gearhead Alex from Basel, who is working on a mild kustom '57 Pontiac Chieftain. Since some time, I was looking for a 49 to 54 Chevy Coupe, preferably a 49 or 50 in stock condition. My plan was to build a kustom in the early 50s style, maybe with a chopped roof as the biggest modification. Well, just when I laid my eye on two cars here in Switzerland, I came across an advert for a chopped 1949 deluxe coupe, owned and built by Kyle Phillips from San Diego, California. At first, I was struck by the beautiful roofline that I'd never seen before like this on a chopped deluxe or business coupe. Most of the chops on 49 to 54 Chevys are done with a two door sedan. So, I decided to use the pics from that advert as an inspiration for my own project. Just a few days after this idea, a friend of mine came up with a new idea: why not import that very '49 coupe from the states? I must say, I liked that thought and I started to collect some info on shipping and everything needed to get the car to Switzerland. Whatever, to make a long story short, the coupe is on its way to good old Europe. And as I hardly can't wait for the car to arrive, I decided to kill some time with writing the longest entry on this blog ever. Stay tuned...

out now: deadendmagazine 1/08

Hip hip hooray! The Espinoza bros did it again... the latest issue of Deadendmagazine.com is out now! If you're into anything traditional from hot rods to lowriders, don't wait a second to check it out. It's all in there, one of the most beautiful deuces, traditionally styled early 50s kustoms, event coverages from the lonestar round up, antique nationals and paso – what do you want more? And in case you didn't know them already, be sure to enjoy the back issues, too.