ROSE GOLD

THE HOT ROD & CUSTOM AUTO EXPO STANDS AS SYDNEY'S TOP TRADITIONAL CAR SHOW. HERE'S WHY

- IAIN KELLY & SIMON TELFORD

WE'RE a broad church, us car enthusiasts. But old rivalries die hard, so it's rare to have restored classics, traditional rods and customs, and elite street machines all on display next to each other. This is one reason the Sydney Hot Rod & Custom Auto Expo has been such a surprise hit.

The Rosehill Gardens Racecourse was teeming with awesome cars and thousands of punters over the last weekend in May for the 2022 Auto Expo. Spectators were rewarded with a hall crammed with stunning builds, both freshly unveiled and old favourites, while Nostalgia Lane was wall-to-wall packed with awesome old-school hot rods and some truly mind-blowing customs, not to mention US custom legend John D'Agostino as guest of honour.

As well as legendary Aussie offerings like Michael Morris's Chev, Richard Dabbs's Mercury, and a host of killer chopped Ford single-spinners, the late, great Mario Colalillo's chopped '54 Cadillac KING CAD and incredible chopped '59 Coupe De Ville WILD CAD were also seen side by side.

The big news for fans of American wild customs was seeing John D'Agostino's chopped ¹57 Chrysler Imperial, painted by Gene Winfield, displayed next to the ex-Richard Zocchi chopped Mark II Continental custom. It was the first time they'd nudged up against each other since they debuted together at the Sacramento Autorama 25 years ago.

If that wasn't enough, Paul Vanzella also had his recently acquired ex-Richard Zocchi '68 Dodge Polara on display. Incredibly, most of these cars drove to the show, with Paul, Richard Dabbs and Harley Hamilton trekking 900 kays up the Hume in their heavily chopped rides.