If there's one thing I always like to see, it's when someone makes their dream a reality. The great thing about this job is that I get to see this quite often because most of the cars we feature start off as someone's dream. In many cases, it's something the owners have carried with them for several years, through childhood, jobs, marriages, and failures. And when this dream comes to fruition, it's tangible-it's right there for all of us to see and touch (well, maybe not touch, at least not without permission).
It doesn't have to be a start-to-finish from-theground- up build; it could just be a chopped top that has been occupying space in the back of the builder's mind. In fact, it doesn't have to be a car at all.
Recently I was fortunate enough to be on hand when a friend of mine got a little closer to achieving his dream. Our former senior editor, Jim Aust, grew up with hot rods and customs as a large part of his life during his formative years. When I first met Jim, he was interviewing with me for a job at Sport Truck magazine. I gave him the job and although we were reporting on late-model trucks, we both shared an interest in hot rods and customs. (In fact, a year or so later, I also hired Rick Amado, former R&C feature editor-quite the staff for a truck mag!) As much as Jim enjoyed being part of Rod & Custom, I think he'd always wanted to be more in control of his own destiny. As events turned out, he was given a jump-start in that direction.
As long as I've known him, Jim has had a passion for rods and customs and a desire to help their owners and builders any way he could-whether it was helping them chase down a rare part or advising them on new parts that were available that still had a traditional feel.
Jim finally figured out a way to make it his full-time gig and opened SO-CAL Speed Shop Los Angeles. Once all the dust settled and he found and stocked a location, he opened the doors for a party for all who wanted to drop by. (You can go to the R&C Web site to see more photos of the open house.) Jim has filled his shop with lots of great parts from the SO-CAL catalog, but he has also stocked up with pieces from other manufacturerswith an eye toward the traditional rodder.
It's a lucky man who can make his passion his business, and thankfully I work with a lot of lucky people. We wish Jim all the luck with his new venture.