Many of us grow up without siblings. Sure, we all have school buddies and teammates, but no true brother to talk to and have those brother-to-brother conversations. Your brother's the guy who always gets your back and will stand up for you, against all of the odds.
Not until later in life did I find a close friend who was like a brother to me, Rick Finn. Rick was an Irish guy who grew up in Covina, California. After high school, he cleaned windows, and later on he opened his own window-cleaning business for the rich folks of Huntington Harbor, California. After commuting three days a week to Huntington Beach, California, he decided to move there and save the 40-mile commute each-way. Rick was rooming with his brother, Mike. Luckily for Rick, he had God's gift as an artist and his expertise was hot-rod art, as Rick loved cars. He was known as a horse trader of cars specializing in old-skool iron from lead sleds and customs to hot rods. That's what Rick was all about, after all, he owned over 200 cars.
I met Rick about 20 years ago, at a small donut shop called Adams Donuts, in Huntington Beach. It was a gathering spot for a couple of local car guys that met religiously on Saturday mornings for coffee and donuts while checkin' out each other's cars and doing some bench racing. Some years ago, the name Donut Derelicts was given to these car-crazed individuals who flocked to this spot every Saturday morning. Rick began displaying his custom car artwork at the donut shop where it became very popular. Later, he started offering his work on the backs of T-shirts, jackets, and hats as his Donut Derelict's contribution. Over the years, the donut shop became a hot-rodder's dream, a sacred ground to about 300 customs, hot rods, lead sleds, trucks, and even a few sporty cars that cram into the parking lot from 5:00 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. each week.
Then, the guys 'n gals would roll out and cruise to their sacred diner for breakfast somewhere along Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). There's nothing like cruisin' the SoCal shoreline, during a picturesque morning sunrise. Rick and I would cruise to one of our favorite breakfast stops that dotted PCH, in either his or my latest ride. We also cruised to numerous custom car shows and drag races. Rick's favorites were: Paso Robles, The Hot Rod Reunion, The March Meet, Labor Day Cruise, Cruise For A Cure, Mooneyes, John Force Show, Oakland Roadster Show, L.A. Roadster Show, and Out Riders' Gathering.
Rick sold his Donut Derelicts lifestyle-wear company a couple of years ago and introduced a new line of hot-rod artwork and a clothing line, known as Hot Rod Life. His new company was more than just an artwork and clothing line; it told the story of hot-rod life and how it came about. Rick's company quickly gained horsepower. Rick Finn and Hot Rod Life were known worldwide, and Rick became a true celebrity in the hobby. Many of his close artist friends included the late Von Dutch and Ed Roth, as well as Darryl Starbird, Steve Stanford, Tom Taylor, Chip Foose, and Ken Youngblood.