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The first
project from Penfound Design, a 1959 Buick Millennium
custom called LoSabre, defined the concept of
"DREAM...DISPLAY...DRIVE". Like all Penfound Design
projects, 'LoSabre' began as a DREAM.. to take a 1950's
car with the inherent style and make the most of it. The
DESIGN for 'LoSabre' evolved through extensive
photos of the original car, research of past General
Motors "concept cars", heritage elements like the
original
"nailhead" engine, and new trends like 20-inch wheels. A
finished drawing of the car was also completed
before any construction began.
Making it's
DISPLAY debut at the 2002 Detroit Autorama, the car made
many friends. 'LoSabre' became
a multiple award winner at the indoor shows, and proved
it's DRIVE credentials by traveling to
Goodguys, KKOA, and other outdoor events, winning a
Custom Rodder top 10, KKOA Five Nine, and Boyd
Coddington Pro's Pick awards along the way. 'LoSabre'
was also featured in Hot Rod, Custom Rodder,
Super Rod, and Popular Hot Rodding magazines.
The
success of 'LoSabre' led to a 1964 Cadillac custom,
'Cambiar', which was completed in 2004. It has also
won major awards like the KKOA Alexander Brothers
Pick and the 2005 Dub Magazine "Best Of Show" award
at the Detroit tour stop. In addition it was the
first Penfound Design cover feature car in the
November 2004 issue of Custom Rodder magazine.
The "Dream/Display/Drive" plan is just as effective
for customer cars, as Elyria, Ohio, Chevrolet dealer
Jack Matia learned with the Impala SportsRoof
project which made its debut at the 2006 Detroit
Autorama. The "Dream" was to have an interesting and
exciting car that could be used for Jack's personal
interest in cool cars, while also being a symbol for
the style and fun of Chevrolet products.
From the first discussions of the car, Jack was
supportive of the custom, and enjoyed seeing the car
come together and reflect the look of the Steve
Stanford sketch which had inspired the SportsRoof.
The car moved from drawing to reality in a little
less than a year and was ready for "Display" at the
Detroit Autorama, Lowrider magazine Indianapolis
tour stop, plus Goodguys and Super Chevy events
across the country. The Impala will also fulfill the
"Drive" requirement by traveling the streets of
Columbus, Indianapolis, Detroit, and other cities as
part of these shows.
Not far behind the Impala is the 1964 Pontiac GTO,
now under construction for debut later in 2006 or
early 2007. A "Pro Touring" style street car, the
GTO promises to bring the same smooth, clean look of
the LoSabre, Cambiar and Sportsroof to the muscle
car icon. An early look at the car made its
appearance in the May, 2006, issue of Hot Rod
magazine.
Not
far behind the 1963 Impala SportsRoof was the 1959
Inpala, a mild custom based on an original paint
survivor hardtop. Later in 2007 and early 2008 the
1964 Pontiac GTO Sabertooth will debut. An
aggressive all-Pontiac street racer, the GTO
promises to bring the same "smooth and clean" look
of Losabre, Cambiar, SportsRoof and Inpala to a
muscle car icon. An early look at the GTO project
was shown in the May 2006 issue of Hot Rod magazine.
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