SoCal Trip, pt.2, California, USA

La versione italiana di questa storia a propulsione v-twin, dalle portentose cilindrate e gomma spalmata sull’asfalto, è in preparazione e al più presto online. Nel frattempo procuratevi una birretta o anche due.

When you're at the Palm Springs Road Show, doing a few miles on the roads outside Palm Springs sounds just right, given that they have plenty of roads to discover out here in SoCal. Let's go, then, to see our old buddy Mario of MB Leathers, who made the move to SoCal from Switzerland a couple of years back. Judging from the size of the flag on his premises, his decision to set up shop in Long Beach, where he performs his leather art now, must have been the right one.

Talking about right decisions: we decide not to miss out on a true gem of automotive history: The Petersen Automotive Museum is only a small detour, and boy, is it worth any extra mile you drive to see it. They're having a special exhibition right now about "Hollywood Dream Machines", comprising many old friends from cinema and tv. They have an actual Batmobile, a Jokermobile and a Catmobile from the Batman tv series on show, they have the Interceptor out of Mad Max and the Probe 16 (AB/4) out of A Clockwork Orange. Other iconic cars make the heart of the aficionado beat faster, such as the legendary Cadzzilla mega-custom, built in '89 for ZZ Top guitarist Billy F. Gibbons, based on a stock 1948 Cadillac two-door sedan.

But let's hop back to those

two wheeled beauties SoCal has on offer. Just a stone's throw from the museum, right on Melrose Ave., Yaniv Evan resides with his Powerplant Choppers shop – it’s Hollywood, baby! He's made a name for himself with clean and quirky customs, always with an eye for parts and their 40s design, and some of those parts he fabricates with restored 50s machinery in his shop. His view is, that nothing ever should be standard on his bikes. Right, let's say hello to Yaniv. Hi Yaniv! A long afternoon talking bikes and a SoCal lunch later we have to say goodbye. Bye, Yaniv!

One last visit to make: the show of show's. It's the Grand National Roadster Show. Which means, 50 first rate cars are scrabling for one of the trophies. Another 400 to 800 cars come to the Grand Daddy Drive-In. "Cars" of course is the understatement of the week, here you'll find everything the hot rod scene has to offer, from mild to wild. Add to that the Paradise Road Show, and the net takeaway is suitcases full of style, inspiration and awe. So far, so good, SoCal!