THAT 60'S SHOW

PETE’S COMP COUPE DREAMS CAME REAL

- John Gilbert

The kid was born with a Hot Wheels in his hand, or at least that’s what Peter Georgeades told STREET RODDER when asked how long he’s been interested in cars. We’ll skip past how many Hot Wheels cars Pete collected in his pre–driver’s license days and spin the yarn of Pete’s ’30 Model A coupe and how watching American Graffiti as a kid locked-in the inspiration to spend 10 years of his early adulthood building a hot rod. It wasn’t all Pete; thanks to meeting Ron Cambra, the Model A project had a mentor with a vision and was on the pay-as-you-go plan.

Pete met Cambra while he was building cars from his home shop and the “A” project relocated when Cambra opened the doors to Cambra Speed Shop in Orange, California. The starting point was a $400 ’30 Model A coupe body Pete found behind a coffee roasting company’s alley in Hayward, California, and hauled south. At Cambra’s home shop he told Pete the coupe body was rusted junk and he needed to find something in better condition. The search led to Craigslist where Pete found a complete running ’30 Model A and swapped bodies. The running Swiss cheese Model A was flipped on Craigslist.

Ever since his early childhood checking out competition-style coupes at the Oakland Roadster Show, Pete had in mind what the hot rod he’d own someday should look like. Years later it was at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California, where Pete spotted a coupe built by Pinkee’s Rod Shop and dug the profile of the frame.