"Sleditorial"

This is the Editorial that appeared in the first issue of KUSTOMS Illustrated..........

Welcome to the premier edition of Kustoms Illustrated Magazine. A magazine devoted to the traditional custom car built in ‘40s, ‘50s and early ‘60s style….Mild to Wild!

The reason for this magazine is simple. There happens to be a huge void for the traditional custom car lover when it comes to magazines lately. One magazine in particular has completely turned its back on the traditional style kemp and the others are just too diversified to satisfy our monthly kustom fix!

The time for an all traditional, all custom magazine is now, and that magazine is the one you’re holding in your hands! With your support, Kustoms Illustrated will thrive and fill that void!

Now I figure that seeing I am your editor and will be bringing you this publication four times a year, I might give you a brief background on myself and where I’m coming from…credentials, so to speak.  Like countless others, I was probably first introduced to the “’50s era lifestyle” through the movie “American Graffiti”. The music, the cars, the endless cruisin’ will all forever be etched in my memory and definitely played a huge part in where I’m at now. Milner’s Hot Rod was cool, but there was something about Steve’s Impala and The Pharaoh’s Mercury that really kept my attention. Sometime around 1978 this all solidified when my older brother came home with a trunk full (a 1966 Chevrolet Impala trunk full!!) of late ‘50s early ‘60s Hot Rod, Car Craft, Rod & Custom and yes, Customs Illustrated magazines. I remember pouring over them and soaking up as much information as I could. By the end of the week I was muttering things like, “canted quads, Lucas beams, rolled pans and frenched taillights” My friends at school just didn’t get it. My Dad must have seen my interest, because in 1979 at age eleven, he bought me my first car, a 1957 Ford Fairlane. I promptly brush painted the rims red, primered the car in grey and proceeded to tape off scallops on the front nose using ¾” masking tape and red oxide primer as the color. Fast forward twenty four years. I still own the ’57, my love for customs has only increased, and now the friends I hang out with, DO get it! I am currently sledding a ’54 Ford Business coupe.

One other issue I feel I should address is the term “traditional style”, specifically for use in this magazine. To me there is nothing finer than a period perfect custom, but lets face it, there are a lot of traditional appearing sleds that may run modernized running gear. (motor, trans, rear end etc…) that deserve coverage as well. I feel the custom car is more of a visual thing with less emphasis on the components you can’t immediately see. (Disc brakes for example). There for, you will see features on these types of sleds. They will range from mild to wild… from the nosed, decked and lowered near stocker to the all out wild, canted quad, cabinet knob grilled ‘60s show custom! What I can guarantee you is that you WILL NOT see high tech, modern contemporary styled customs in the pages of Kustoms Illustrated! Let me put it another way; If words like wide whites, tuck n roll and candy apple paint get your blood pumpin’, then I’m pretty sure your gonna dig Kustoms Illustrated!

Keep your plaques draggin’!

Luke Karosi

Editor