In the tuning world, radical and wild aero, loud paint and bling are something that comes as ‘that optional extra’.  Not many of us remember but all these things used to come standard on certain whips.  When a tidy Impala cruises past everyone sits up and takes notice, it just demands respect.  It’s a different breed to it’s younger Japanese cousins tearing around, these cars are all about the same things, they just do it in a different way.

Now that is one hell of a tow vehicle.  Chrome accents, mags, and one sweet engine note were all included in the price…

This 59 El Camino was previously a tow truck although it’s now a bit more of a showpony.  Sporting a 350 Chev and running gear out of a Corvette this truck means serious business.

Just looking at this car is almost enough to whisk you back in time.  Pink on black with the chrome is unmistakably the 60′s.  This Pontiac Starchief despite weighing a little less than a fully loaded truck is the ultimate cruising machine!  This would have been Elvis’s Sunday cruiser for sure!

If this car could speak it would sound like your great uncle Marv – ‘back in my day we didn’t just ride low, we scraped the whole way, adjustable suspension pffft you young ones don’t know the half of it….’

Then of course there is the old school thug that used to live on the other side of the train tracks.  These cars are like Chuck Norris, badass forever.  Period.

Seeing sights like this just dont happen nowadays.  It’s great to have a change of pace from the ricer tuning, now if only we could make a Tokyo Auto Salon 50′s, 60′s and 70′s version!

Silencers? catalytic converters? mufflers? Pffft yeah right.

Why are modern car makers now producing such watered down colour palettes?  The best liveries are right out of the 50′s and 60′s – just the right amount of bright paint, and chrome.  Couple that with some white-wall wheels and bam you are looking swish son!

Herbie’s hip cousin.

Dressed to impress, jolly good show sir!

With the sad news of Carroll Shelby’s passing his world-famous creations are now going to be much more sought after than before.  The white monster in the background and all the rest in part 2 coming soon…