Customs Galore at Sacramento Autorama [GALLERY]

• February 25, 2014
• Story By
  Tim Sutton

When a car guy like me thinks of Sacramento, he thinks of it as being the birthplace of custom cars. With the names paving the way like Westergard, Bertolucci, and yes Barris - this place was customs central in the 1940s and has pretty much stayed its way up to present day with names like Garland's, Blue Collar, and the former Sacramento Customs. So when you go to a big show in this town, you should be expecting the best-of-the-best custom cars.  Weeks before the Sacramento Autorama is the Grand National Roadster Show in the LA area - that one's all about hot rods I would say...but Sacramento is about customs. For years now, I've felt let down after the Sacramento Autorama. Perhaps the promoters of both the shows spend more of their focus on GNRS and can't get the same level of excellence in Sacramento. The good news is...that might be changing. For the 2014 Sacramento Autorama, there seemed to be a resurgence in the air with a number of great new customs being shown. There were the normal hardcore players of the custom car world there of course, Rick Dore, D'Agostino, Oz Welch, and De Rosa. But there were also some lesser names bringing a huge presence. Marcos from Lucky 7 Customs in Antioch, California seemed to take the show up a few notches almost single handedly - bringing 6 full customs, 2 of which are brand new. The new ones include a brown shoebox named Sweet Brown, owned by Brian Bozzo. Another was a red scalloped job formerly owned by Marcos himself. You'll find just about everything car-related in the world at this show - from boats to Jeeps and beyond. It’s a show for all cars really, but isn't what I would expect in such a city of custom history (but call me slightly biased). Making the show even better is the local shops throwing open house parties that make nights just as fun as the days. Blue Collar Customs and So Cal Speed Shop both offered great places to catch up with old friends and meet new ones over a drink and a sandwich. And as important as the cars are...it's the people that really make this hobby magical. Enjoy the following gallery and let us know your favorites...