In this monthly column, "Classic Trends," we dedicate a page of editorial pertaining to the hottest upcoming trends in the custom classic truck world.
I have fortunately been blessed to blend my career with my passion for custom trucks. In doing so I have had the opportunity to be educated by the hobby's most distinguished craftsmen and absorb the latest knowledge from the leading aftermarket manufacturers. My job is all about people. It's rewarding for me to meet people that are proud of their endeavors and accomplishments whether big or small. Working with a craftsman at his shop covering an interesting tech article, seeing old friends at a show 'n' shine, meeting new ones, or capturing through the lens of my camera a well deserved feature of someone's custom truck - it's all about the people in this hobby that makes my job so wonderful.
This month I am writing this column with a heavy heart. A couple of years ago I had heard of two brothers, Ivan and Phil Leatherman of Extreme Automotive in Corona, California. They were about to begin building Ivan's wild '48 Chevy Pro Street. Ivan would revisit his high school years and reconstruct his first means of powered transportation, a '48 Chevy pickup. But this '48 would be Ivan's "extreme dream machine."
After getting the heads-up on the project and an initial invite, I was so impressed with the concept of Ivan's project I began making frequent visits to their spacious 4,000-sq ft Extreme Automotive shop. Having spent a sizable amount of time with Ivan, Phil, and the crew, I could feel a special personal relationship developing that would last a lifetime. Extreme Automotive is truly a family working atmosphere. Their love and passion for building award-winning custom classic trucks, cars, and street rods is evident. These guys are the real deal. Anyone who walks through the door of the shop is treated and respected like family. I could always count on my favorite ham 'n' cheese sandwich during any of my lunchtime visits.
Every field trip I made out to Extreme Automotive to check out Ivan's '48 was full of anticipation, wondering what progress was accomplished since my last visit. From the first time I saw Ivan's pride sitting in raw, rough-and-scuffed bare steel to its finished pristine, sculptured masterpiece. To see Ivan's dream come true, it fueled his pride and self-esteem to the next level of his life's accomplishments. Without a doubt, witnessing Ivan's creative craftsmanship as he built his incredible '48 was a great personal experience for me.
The truck's undercarriage is just as incredible as the exterior and interior. Knowing the truck was definitely feature-worthy, its superior status made it a candidate for a studio feature shoot. We contacted Wes Allison, our ace studio photographer, to help capture Ivan's masterpiece through his lens and put it onto the pages of Truckin' magazine. I knew that the undercarriage somehow needed to be presented in the feature, so we used the hoist at Extreme Automotive to get the shot.
I personally had a great time writing the feature of Ivan's extreme dream (see Truckin' No. 7, July '06). The truck was a cover insert. (Also a bonus pull-out poster along with the 7-page feature.) Truckin's talented art director, Rob Munoz, performed his magic with an incredible layout of the poster and feature of Ivan's '48 Chevy Pro Street.
The L.A. Roadster show was the debut of Ivan's wild Pro Street. It was the most admired custom truck in the show. The following show was the Goodguys Del Mar show, where it was again a main attraction of the show. At the National Street Rod Association (NSRA) show in Bakersfield it was displayed in the Meguiar's booth.