Special Car, auto, cars, vehicles

By now you've probably seen all the big-name star cars and trucks on our SEMA show pages. But there's a lot of cool stuff on the smaller stands, too. So here are a few cars that caught my eye while dashing between meetings.

Dan Webb's Streamliner Coupe
This gorgeous, jewel-like retro rod is a recreation inspired by the streamlined 1916 Miller coupe, the world's first enclosed race car, driven by legendary racer Barney Oldfield. Almost every piece of this car has been handmade by Dan Webb and his crew, from the steering wheel to the seat to the beautifully curved aluminum panels. There are details to die for in this car, from the way the exhaust exits right at the tip of the car's pointed tail, to the Miller-style grille, to the trick motorcycle disc brakes that are almost as large as the front wheels.

Galpin Scythe
I saw this car come together at the Galpin Auto Sports shop as the guys were working on the Motor Trend Flex. To say Scythe is a wild custom is a bit like saying Heidi Klum is attractive; would you believe this thing started life as a Mustang convertible? Scythe is a love it or loathe it car. Most of the hot-rod establishment loathe it. Ford design chief Peter Horbury just rolled his eyes when asked about it. Scythe channels Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, creator of some of the wackiest customs that defined the early '60s -- no surprise given Galpin Auto Sports boss Beau Boeckmann is a huge Roth fan, and has just spent a fortune restoring a long-lost Roth hot rod, the Orbitron. Scythe is the sort of car that 40 years ago I would have been building as a 1/24th-scale plastic model. Maybe that's why I kinda like it.

1951 Henry J Wagon
The great thing about SEMA is that even cars that were ugly orphans in their heyday get their opportunity to shine. Built by Kaiser, the odd-duck Henry J was an attempt at building a cheap, no-frills compact car, and launched just as Americans started to celebrate the end of wartime austerity by buying bigger, faster, more extravagant automobiles. The Henry J sedan had a hunchback roofline, and nascent tailfins. It was never going to make an attractive wagon, but this slammed, tubbed, and trimmed street machine is somehow strangely appealing. The wood trim, by the way, is actually hand painted.

1951 Mercury
I'm a sucker for a trick flame job -- and for early-'50s Mercurys. Put the two together and, well, I just had to grab a snap. I love the contrast between vibrancy of the modern paint and the decidedly old-school custom touches such as the lakes pipes, the full wheel covers, and the spotlights on the windshield posts. Interesting, too, that this is one of the few early Merc customs that hasn't been chopped.

Camaro GS Racecar
"Tell me your favorite," said Camaro design director Tom Peters the night before SEMA opened. GM may have scaled the number of people it sent to SEMA this year, but it didn't stint on the Camaros. Okay, Tom, here goes: My favorite Camaro on the stand is the GS Racercar concept, which recalls the iconic blue-and-yellow car raced by Mark Donohue in the 1969 Trans Am series. I grew up watching Trans Am-style Mustangs and Camaros duke it out on the track with Holden Monaros and Chevy Novas and Lotus Cortinas and Mini Coopers in Australia in the late '60s and early '70s. I'd love to see Trans Am-style racing back again. You know, with real cars. Not tube-framed identicars with different badges painted on them.

That's all for now. I've got more meetings today, but I'm hoping to grab a few minutes off to walk the halls. With my camera ready.