thank you, philip morris

The 1980s were the worst decade ever. The music was horrible, maybe except for some british heavy metal. Yuppie culture was at its all-time high and the cars were butt-ugly. Even in the hot rod and custom scene, there was no relief. Pastel colors, splash graphics and jaguar rear ends ruled the world. But there was a ray of hope... It must have been around '87 or '88, when a caravan of more or less traditional custom cars toured the world's shopping malls. They even showed up in the shopping mall close to my hometown! I just had to be there and I, 12 years old and with a bmx as my only means of transportation, was simply blown away by these wild rides. Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos at the time, but at least I bought this set of postcards. After all these years, the memories have faded a bit, but I remember very well that the Merc above used to be my favourite, apart from the '61 Corvette roadster being the first prize of the raffle held during the exhibition. Well, here they are for your viewing pleasure. There were a couple more cards with cars, but these are the highlights.


The Ala Kart clone.


Gene Winfield's Strip Star.


The Beatnik Bandit... don't know if it was a clone or the real deal.


I also don't remember why Dean Jeffries' Manta Ray was pictured only as a fuzzy airbrush painting.


Silhouette, built by Bill Cushenbery.


The first prize in the raffle. Wonder who won it and where it is today.


And there was a whole bunch of wild customs, built by Darryl Starbird: Vantasta...


Trick Truck...


Illusion...


and Star Treck.