A Perfect Wrap-Up to the NHRA Motorsports Museum Tour
2015 ARP/STREET RODDER Road Tour, presented by Ford Performance and AMSOIL INC.
Friday marked the second day of our two-day visit to the finest rod shops in Austin. It also marked the final day of the NHRA Motorsports Museum Tour. We rolled out at 8 a.m. right after our daily drivers’ meeting. Our first visit of the day was at the famous Customs by Gary Howard shop. Gary has been a legend in the Austin area for many years. His talent for creating superb traditional customs for famous customers, such as guitarist Jimmy Vaughn, has brought him national notoriety. It was a perfect way to start our day in Austin.
Our next stop was at Cimtex Rod and Custom in Jarrell, Texas, north of Austin. Brothers Darrell and Tim Cimbanin have been building high-end hot rods for a number of years. One look at the projects underway shows that they put a lot of time and effort into the details of a build. When we stopped they were deep into a 1955 Ford build that should be finished in time for the SEMA Show this November. All of the vehicles in the shop were of the same high quality. Many thanks to the brothers Cimbanin for taking time out of their busy schedule to greet us.
From Jarrell it was a 30-minute drive to Customs and Hot Rods of Andice. We had visited with owner Harold Chapman and crew last year on the Vintage Air Tour. There have been some major changes to the shop since our last visit. The front build area has been opened up and expanded. Harold’s extensive personal collection of vehicles has been moved to the back building where there is plenty of room to enjoy his wide ranging car collection. We also got a sneak peak at a car that will certainly be a front runner for the Ridler Award next March in Detroit. Former Ridler winner Bruce Ricks and his grandson surprised us at Andice and even helped serve up the delicious pulled pork sandwiches that everyone enjoyed.
From Customs and Rods of Andice we headed south and made a stop at The Oasis at Lake Travis. The huge restaurant and brewery overlook Lake Travis and the view is spectacular. The local folks told us that up until the rains of a few weeks ago the water level was very low. By our visit the flooding of the previous weeks had swelled the lake. It was good to relax for an hour or so and enjoy the view. From Lake Travis we continued on to the private shop and collection of one of our hosts in Austin, Mark Gustafson. Mark and wife, Brenda, have been avid rodders for many years and Mark gave us a look at his projects and huge collection of memorabilia.
Our day ended at the home of Ron and Carol Hoffman. Ron and Carol have been on many Road Tours with me in the past. When they heard that we were coming to Austin they immediately volunteered to put together a schedule of visits in the area. They also volunteered to host a final party at their beautiful home on 12 acres in Buda. It was a great way to end a perfect week on the road. The fajitas were delicious and we all appreciated the hospitality.
We also got a chance to see Ron and Carol’s granddaughters’, Hannah and Sarah, recently completed project vehicles. Many, many thanks to Ron and Mark for putting together a fantastic two days in Austin. It was a fun run from Pomona to Austin on the NHRA Motorsports Museum Road Tour. Some of the participants are headed home but we have five vehicles that have taken the Lokar Triple Crown Challenge and will continue on to San Antonio as the Vintage Air Road Tour kicks off at the Vintage Air headquarters and we head to the NHRA Bowling Green Hot Rod Reunion. Check back here for all the update from the road.
