Dayton Wire Wheel Celebrates its 90th AnniversaryYou want to talk about nostalgia? When the first issue of Rod & Custom appeared in 1953, the Dayton Wire Wheel Company had already been around for 37 years. That means the Dayton, Ohio, based company celebrated its 90th anniversary this year. The technology and materials used to make wheels have changed since 1916, but the styling and popularity of these classics is as strong now as it was way back when great-granddad was mounting them on his flivver. Henry Ford used Daytons on the earliest Fords. Charles Lindbergh and even Wilbur and Orville Wright used them on their planes. Since then, uncountable Indy racers, hot rodders, and custom car builders have done the same. The Dayton Wire Wheel 90th anniversary catalog is available at www.daytonwirewheel.com.
Top stories of thelast 10 yearsThe SPEED cable network recently published its list of the Top 10 consumer automotive stories of the last 10 years. Numero uno, according to SPEED, is the sky-high price of gasoline. Here's their whole list:
1. Gasoline prices topping $3 a gallon2. The fall of domestic automotive dominance3. Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash at Daytona4. Retro-inspired factory cars5. The rise of eBay Motors6. The Barrett-Jackson Auctions7. The Ford vs. Firestone controversy8. The comeback of the Mini9. The boom of the supercars10. "Trick," "Dub," "Pimp," and "Whip"
Now we want to hear your opinion. Tell us what you think were the Top 10 Rod & Custom stories from the past 10 years. Be specific and name the month and year of the issue, if you can. Send your picks to timothy.bernsau@primedia.com (type TOP 10 in the subject line) or to Rod & Custom, Top 10 Stories, 774 S. Placentia Ave., Placentia, CA 92870.
Here We Come...Finally! The Monkeemobile, custom car star of "The Monkees" TV show, will undergo a complete frame-off makeover for it's 40th birthday next year.
Dean Jeffries is primarily responsible for creating the custom '67 Pontiac GTO convertible for the popular NBC sitcom, which aired in the '60s. He added an extended passenger compartment, elongated touring-style convertible top, modified windshield, squared-off headlights, parachute, and many other design improvements. Mike Gray at Advanced Restoration and Auto Body in Sacramento, California, has been researching the original buildup in order to bring what some call the "fifth Monkee" to its correct mid-'60s condition.
Look for the restored Monkeemobile at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas in November. If you miss it there, it'll be at the San Francisco Rod, Custom, and Motorcycle Show in January, and at other World of Wheels/Autorama custom and hot rod shows in 2007.
Total Performance Opens In DaytonaTotal Performance Inc., headquartered in Wallingford, Connecticut, is opening a southern branch at the humongous Destination Daytona complex just north of Daytona Beach, Florida, in October. The Florida store will include a showroom for turnkey rods, as well as Total Performance's well-known inventory of parts and car kits. Future plans call for a street rod building facility and maybe even a parts warehouse. Car shows are planned for the weekends following the annual March Daytona Bike Weeks and the annual October Biketoberfest. In addition, monthly cruise-ins will be held the third Saturday of each month. Destination Daytona also includes a 100,000 square-foot Harley-Davidson dealership, hotels, condos, restaurants, and numerous high-performance aftermarket shops.
Cruisin' the internet www.rodtography.comR&C readers who enjoyed our recent "Vintage Tin" story may want to take a look at this new Web site, featuring artistic photography of 1970-and-earlier American automobiles, abandoned in their rural final rusting places. M.W. Kreitz, who photographed the cars, maintains the site and offers the photos for sale as 8x10, 11x14, and 16x20 limited-edition prints. The stark black and white images are kind of cool and kind of spooky. Take a look.