SEMA News—July 2015

INTERNATIONAL

By Linda Spencer

What Global Customers Drive

China is the fourth largest market for Jeep Wranglers after North America—the United State and Canada—and Australia. Between 2005–2013, 19,294 Jeep Wranglers were sold in China. In 2013, China moved ahead of Australia to claim the number-three spot after the United States and Canada. Photo courtesy of JeepV

The Ford Mustang, Jeep Wrangler and Chevrolet Silverado pickup were winners of the 2014 SEMA Awards, recognizing the year’s hottest vehicles. Does your company make products for those vehicles? Do you sell your products primarily in the United States? If you answered yes to both of these questions but want to expand your sales outside the United States, SEMA’s make/model data can help you get started by giving you easy-to-use information that will help you identify the best markets in terms of vehicle registrations. Through a joint program with the U.S. Department of Commerce and IHS Automotive, SEMA has complied the data into a user-friendly resource. Here are some examples:

Jeep reported record-breaking sales of more than 1 million units last year and plans to double that figure in five years. So which are the most important markets for Jeeps? A glance at the data reveals that the top-20 slots span North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The top 20 global markets for all Jeeps (in terms of sales) for 2005–2013 were:

the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Australia, Venezuela, Italy, Germany, South Africa, United Kingdom, Chile, France, Japan, Spain, Russia, Brazil, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, and Egypt.

Manufacturers of products for Jeep Wranglers might be interested in narrowing the search to the top 20 Jeep Wrangler sales markets globally during that same period, which would enable them to extend the pool of vehicles for their products. That list includes: the United States, Canada, Australia, China, Mexico, Greece, Italy, Japan, Germany, France, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Spain, Chile, Egypt, United Kingdom, Colombia, Saudi Arabia and Portugal.

Interested in the best markets for products fitting Ford’s F-Series pickups? SEMA’s statistics reveal that the top-selling markets are the United States, Canada and Mexico, with South America being the next largest market. Farther afield, the Middle East is another big market for these vehicles. The list includes: the United States, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, Qatar, Kuwait and Israel.

What if you manufacture products for pickups and want to explore whether you make applications that would fit the market in the United Kingdom? SEMA’s data can help you learn about the top-selling trucks in that market: the Mitsubishi L200, Nissan Navara, Toyota HiLux, Isuzu Rodeo D-Max, and Ford Ranger.

Or help identify the most popular SUVs in terms of sales in the United Arab Emirates: Toyota Land Cruiser 100, Toyota Land Cruiser 90, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Santa Fe, Lexus LX, Toyota RAV4, Lexus RX, Mitsubishi Pajero/Shogun, Nissan Patrol, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sorento, Hyundai iX35, Nissan Pathfinder, Nissan Armada, and Toyota FJ Cruiser.

Vehicles Not Sold in the United States

SEMA has a program to import and make available to members to measure vehicles which are globally popular with enthusiasts and but not sold in the United States so that U.S. companies can prototype export-ready product. This program is made possible through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce. More than 300 companies have measured the Toyota HiLux or one of the other international vehicles imported through this program, including a Ford Ranger T6, Mitsubishi L200 and UAZ Hunter. Sales data for 2005–2013 for each of these popular overseas vehicles are available through the SEMA international vehicle data program.

There is much talk about moving toward global vehicles—one model of each for the world, i.e., the new Ford Mustang will be exported by Ford to 140 countries from its facility in Michigan. But what about vehicles not sold in the United States? SEMA can help you identify the hottest vehicles/markets for vehicles popularly accessorized globally but not sold in the United States. The SEMA data breaks down sales not only by country but also by make.

For example, here are the top markets for the best-selling Toyota HiLux 1-ton truck, with more than 5 million sold since its introduction: Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Malaysia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Peru, United Kingdom, Mexico, Qatar and Chile.

SEMA has created a program to help members overcome the hurdles of making products for vehicles that are popular in key international markets but are not available in the United States. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce, SEMA launched a program in July 2012 to provide measuring opportunities for such vehicles. More than 180 companies have already measured the initial vehicles—a ’12 Toyota HiLux double-cab 4x4 and a ’13 Ford Ranger T6 4x4 double-cab—to allow them to prototype and create export-ready products. These vehicles are available to SEMA-member manufacturers to measure free of charge at the new SEMA Garage, adjacent to SEMA headquarters in Diamond Bar, California.

The ’12 HiLux will soon be re-exported, because there is a three-year limit on the importation of vehicles not made in the United States but brought for initiatives such as the SEMA measuring program. SEMA will be importing an all-new ’16 Toyota HiLux double-cab 4x4 for members to measure as soon as it’s available.

In an all-new program available to members, SEMA is partnering with the U.S. Department of Commerce to organize measuring sessions abroad in connection with the association’s overseas business-development programs in Russia, China and the Middle East. SEMA members will be able to measure top vehicles in those markets that are not sold in the United States. For example, among the vehicles available for measuring at the March 2015 SEMA measuring session in the United Arab Emirates were the ’15 Toyota HiLux, ’15 Mitsubishi L200 and ’15 Ford Ranger as well as the Toyota Land Cruiser (both new and older models) and the Nissan Patrol (new and older models).

To download SEMA’s vehicle data, visit www.sema.org/international or contact Linda Spencer via e-mail at lindas@sema.org.

SEMA News—July 2015

SEMA DATA CO-OP
By Jon Wyly

Are You Really “Too Busy” to Improve Your Business?

Believe it or not, one of the most common excuses for business people to put off change is to simply declare, “We’re too busy.” Too busy to hire more help, too busy to evaluate internal systems, too busy to change a simple process that will pay for itself many times over.

If you are part of the “too busy” crowd, it’s time to stop and take a breath. Spend some time looking around the company, listen to feedback from the folks who are actually doing the work, then take some sort of positive step forward to implement bits of efficiency, no matter how small.

Once you start digging in, you will be amazed at the amount of frustration being put up with by loyal staff who just assume that nothing can be done to improve a negative situation. In fact, if you do your job right, you will uncover lots of things that might seem insignificant to you but are a big deal to the folks dealing with them day in and day out. Your reward for acting on them will be meaningful incremental efficiency—and happier team members.

So where to start? Well, no offense intended here, but the accounting office is often a great place to dig up some nuggets. Are there tasks that can be improved with some minor adjustments to software or processes? How can you leverage IT staff to help streamline paperwork flow? Talk to the people who are handling the details. I guarantee that you will get some “it would be great if…” feedback just by challenging them to think about a better way rather than how to manage their way through built-in obstacles. Even minor fixes will be appreciated, creating an atmosphere of teamwork rather than silos of power.

Remember: Small victories add up to big improvements in job satisfaction, morale and productivity.

I’m reminded of a lesson learned in my personal quest to become—and live—debt free. It’s a process called the debt snowball, promoted by a financial guru named Dave Ramsey, and it involves simply listing all of your debts in order from smallest to largest, then beginning the process by paying off the smallest one first, as quickly as possible. Once that is done, attack the second one in the same manner.

Each month, you accumulate more payoff power by concentrating the money from each paid-off account to increase the payment on the next largest. Thus, the snowball effect.

Now, the numbers folks among you might be saying, “Wait a minute, why not start with the highest interest-rate debts first?” Well, the answer is simple. In Dave’s mind, and proven in practical application, becoming debt free is not about math; it’s about changing habits. The victory one feels with each paid-off debt provides the sense of accomplishment to continue. It’s the power of positive reinforcement
at work!

Think about it as a process for continuous improvement and imagine the possibilities as your company makes the change from “too busy to improve” to a culture of “too important not to improve.” Employees will take more ownership of their work and will enjoy the satisfaction of a more productive and communicative work environment. Owners will reap the financial benefits that come with savings and efficiencies found a dollar at a time. And the entire company will thrive in a culture where everyone is involved in helping their peers solve problems rather than trying to figure out where to point a finger.

Need help discovering the efficiencies and financial upside of properly managing your product data? Contact the SDC.

SEMA News—July 2015

SEMA DATA CO-OP
By Jon Wyly

Are You Really “Too Busy” to Improve Your Business?

Believe it or not, one of the most common excuses for business people to put off change is to simply declare, “We’re too busy.” Too busy to hire more help, too busy to evaluate internal systems, too busy to change a simple process that will pay for itself many times over.

If you are part of the “too busy” crowd, it’s time to stop and take a breath. Spend some time looking around the company, listen to feedback from the folks who are actually doing the work, then take some sort of positive step forward to implement bits of efficiency, no matter how small.

Once you start digging in, you will be amazed at the amount of frustration being put up with by loyal staff who just assume that nothing can be done to improve a negative situation. In fact, if you do your job right, you will uncover lots of things that might seem insignificant to you but are a big deal to the folks dealing with them day in and day out. Your reward for acting on them will be meaningful incremental efficiency—and happier team members.

So where to start? Well, no offense intended here, but the accounting office is often a great place to dig up some nuggets. Are there tasks that can be improved with some minor adjustments to software or processes? How can you leverage IT staff to help streamline paperwork flow? Talk to the people who are handling the details. I guarantee that you will get some “it would be great if…” feedback just by challenging them to think about a better way rather than how to manage their way through built-in obstacles. Even minor fixes will be appreciated, creating an atmosphere of teamwork rather than silos of power.

Remember: Small victories add up to big improvements in job satisfaction, morale and productivity.

I’m reminded of a lesson learned in my personal quest to become—and live—debt free. It’s a process called the debt snowball, promoted by a financial guru named Dave Ramsey, and it involves simply listing all of your debts in order from smallest to largest, then beginning the process by paying off the smallest one first, as quickly as possible. Once that is done, attack the second one in the same manner.

Each month, you accumulate more payoff power by concentrating the money from each paid-off account to increase the payment on the next largest. Thus, the snowball effect.

Now, the numbers folks among you might be saying, “Wait a minute, why not start with the highest interest-rate debts first?” Well, the answer is simple. In Dave’s mind, and proven in practical application, becoming debt free is not about math; it’s about changing habits. The victory one feels with each paid-off debt provides the sense of accomplishment to continue. It’s the power of positive reinforcement
at work!

Think about it as a process for continuous improvement and imagine the possibilities as your company makes the change from “too busy to improve” to a culture of “too important not to improve.” Employees will take more ownership of their work and will enjoy the satisfaction of a more productive and communicative work environment. Owners will reap the financial benefits that come with savings and efficiencies found a dollar at a time. And the entire company will thrive in a culture where everyone is involved in helping their peers solve problems rather than trying to figure out where to point a finger.

Need help discovering the efficiencies and financial upside of properly managing your product data? Contact the SDC.

SEMA News—July 2015

SEMA DATA CO-OP
By Jon Wyly

Are You Really “Too Busy” to Improve Your Business?

Believe it or not, one of the most common excuses for business people to put off change is to simply declare, “We’re too busy.” Too busy to hire more help, too busy to evaluate internal systems, too busy to change a simple process that will pay for itself many times over.

If you are part of the “too busy” crowd, it’s time to stop and take a breath. Spend some time looking around the company, listen to feedback from the folks who are actually doing the work, then take some sort of positive step forward to implement bits of efficiency, no matter how small.

Once you start digging in, you will be amazed at the amount of frustration being put up with by loyal staff who just assume that nothing can be done to improve a negative situation. In fact, if you do your job right, you will uncover lots of things that might seem insignificant to you but are a big deal to the folks dealing with them day in and day out. Your reward for acting on them will be meaningful incremental efficiency—and happier team members.

So where to start? Well, no offense intended here, but the accounting office is often a great place to dig up some nuggets. Are there tasks that can be improved with some minor adjustments to software or processes? How can you leverage IT staff to help streamline paperwork flow? Talk to the people who are handling the details. I guarantee that you will get some “it would be great if…” feedback just by challenging them to think about a better way rather than how to manage their way through built-in obstacles. Even minor fixes will be appreciated, creating an atmosphere of teamwork rather than silos of power.

Remember: Small victories add up to big improvements in job satisfaction, morale and productivity.

I’m reminded of a lesson learned in my personal quest to become—and live—debt free. It’s a process called the debt snowball, promoted by a financial guru named Dave Ramsey, and it involves simply listing all of your debts in order from smallest to largest, then beginning the process by paying off the smallest one first, as quickly as possible. Once that is done, attack the second one in the same manner.

Each month, you accumulate more payoff power by concentrating the money from each paid-off account to increase the payment on the next largest. Thus, the snowball effect.

Now, the numbers folks among you might be saying, “Wait a minute, why not start with the highest interest-rate debts first?” Well, the answer is simple. In Dave’s mind, and proven in practical application, becoming debt free is not about math; it’s about changing habits. The victory one feels with each paid-off debt provides the sense of accomplishment to continue. It’s the power of positive reinforcement
at work!

Think about it as a process for continuous improvement and imagine the possibilities as your company makes the change from “too busy to improve” to a culture of “too important not to improve.” Employees will take more ownership of their work and will enjoy the satisfaction of a more productive and communicative work environment. Owners will reap the financial benefits that come with savings and efficiencies found a dollar at a time. And the entire company will thrive in a culture where everyone is involved in helping their peers solve problems rather than trying to figure out where to point a finger.

Need help discovering the efficiencies and financial upside of properly managing your product data? Contact the SDC.

SEMA News—July 2015

SEMA DATA CO-OP
By Jon Wyly

Are You Really “Too Busy” to Improve Your Business?

Believe it or not, one of the most common excuses for business people to put off change is to simply declare, “We’re too busy.” Too busy to hire more help, too busy to evaluate internal systems, too busy to change a simple process that will pay for itself many times over.

If you are part of the “too busy” crowd, it’s time to stop and take a breath. Spend some time looking around the company, listen to feedback from the folks who are actually doing the work, then take some sort of positive step forward to implement bits of efficiency, no matter how small.

Once you start digging in, you will be amazed at the amount of frustration being put up with by loyal staff who just assume that nothing can be done to improve a negative situation. In fact, if you do your job right, you will uncover lots of things that might seem insignificant to you but are a big deal to the folks dealing with them day in and day out. Your reward for acting on them will be meaningful incremental efficiency—and happier team members.

So where to start? Well, no offense intended here, but the accounting office is often a great place to dig up some nuggets. Are there tasks that can be improved with some minor adjustments to software or processes? How can you leverage IT staff to help streamline paperwork flow? Talk to the people who are handling the details. I guarantee that you will get some “it would be great if…” feedback just by challenging them to think about a better way rather than how to manage their way through built-in obstacles. Even minor fixes will be appreciated, creating an atmosphere of teamwork rather than silos of power.

Remember: Small victories add up to big improvements in job satisfaction, morale and productivity.

I’m reminded of a lesson learned in my personal quest to become—and live—debt free. It’s a process called the debt snowball, promoted by a financial guru named Dave Ramsey, and it involves simply listing all of your debts in order from smallest to largest, then beginning the process by paying off the smallest one first, as quickly as possible. Once that is done, attack the second one in the same manner.

Each month, you accumulate more payoff power by concentrating the money from each paid-off account to increase the payment on the next largest. Thus, the snowball effect.

Now, the numbers folks among you might be saying, “Wait a minute, why not start with the highest interest-rate debts first?” Well, the answer is simple. In Dave’s mind, and proven in practical application, becoming debt free is not about math; it’s about changing habits. The victory one feels with each paid-off debt provides the sense of accomplishment to continue. It’s the power of positive reinforcement
at work!

Think about it as a process for continuous improvement and imagine the possibilities as your company makes the change from “too busy to improve” to a culture of “too important not to improve.” Employees will take more ownership of their work and will enjoy the satisfaction of a more productive and communicative work environment. Owners will reap the financial benefits that come with savings and efficiencies found a dollar at a time. And the entire company will thrive in a culture where everyone is involved in helping their peers solve problems rather than trying to figure out where to point a finger.

Need help discovering the efficiencies and financial upside of properly managing your product data? Contact the SDC.

SEMA News—July 2015

SEMA DATA CO-OP
By Jon Wyly

Are You Really “Too Busy” to Improve Your Business?

Believe it or not, one of the most common excuses for business people to put off change is to simply declare, “We’re too busy.” Too busy to hire more help, too busy to evaluate internal systems, too busy to change a simple process that will pay for itself many times over.

If you are part of the “too busy” crowd, it’s time to stop and take a breath. Spend some time looking around the company, listen to feedback from the folks who are actually doing the work, then take some sort of positive step forward to implement bits of efficiency, no matter how small.

Once you start digging in, you will be amazed at the amount of frustration being put up with by loyal staff who just assume that nothing can be done to improve a negative situation. In fact, if you do your job right, you will uncover lots of things that might seem insignificant to you but are a big deal to the folks dealing with them day in and day out. Your reward for acting on them will be meaningful incremental efficiency—and happier team members.

So where to start? Well, no offense intended here, but the accounting office is often a great place to dig up some nuggets. Are there tasks that can be improved with some minor adjustments to software or processes? How can you leverage IT staff to help streamline paperwork flow? Talk to the people who are handling the details. I guarantee that you will get some “it would be great if…” feedback just by challenging them to think about a better way rather than how to manage their way through built-in obstacles. Even minor fixes will be appreciated, creating an atmosphere of teamwork rather than silos of power.

Remember: Small victories add up to big improvements in job satisfaction, morale and productivity.

I’m reminded of a lesson learned in my personal quest to become—and live—debt free. It’s a process called the debt snowball, promoted by a financial guru named Dave Ramsey, and it involves simply listing all of your debts in order from smallest to largest, then beginning the process by paying off the smallest one first, as quickly as possible. Once that is done, attack the second one in the same manner.

Each month, you accumulate more payoff power by concentrating the money from each paid-off account to increase the payment on the next largest. Thus, the snowball effect.

Now, the numbers folks among you might be saying, “Wait a minute, why not start with the highest interest-rate debts first?” Well, the answer is simple. In Dave’s mind, and proven in practical application, becoming debt free is not about math; it’s about changing habits. The victory one feels with each paid-off debt provides the sense of accomplishment to continue. It’s the power of positive reinforcement
at work!

Think about it as a process for continuous improvement and imagine the possibilities as your company makes the change from “too busy to improve” to a culture of “too important not to improve.” Employees will take more ownership of their work and will enjoy the satisfaction of a more productive and communicative work environment. Owners will reap the financial benefits that come with savings and efficiencies found a dollar at a time. And the entire company will thrive in a culture where everyone is involved in helping their peers solve problems rather than trying to figure out where to point a finger.

Need help discovering the efficiencies and financial upside of properly managing your product data? Contact the SDC.

SEMA News—July 2015

SEMA DATA CO-OP
By Jon Wyly

Are You Really “Too Busy” to Improve Your Business?

Believe it or not, one of the most common excuses for business people to put off change is to simply declare, “We’re too busy.” Too busy to hire more help, too busy to evaluate internal systems, too busy to change a simple process that will pay for itself many times over.

If you are part of the “too busy” crowd, it’s time to stop and take a breath. Spend some time looking around the company, listen to feedback from the folks who are actually doing the work, then take some sort of positive step forward to implement bits of efficiency, no matter how small.

Once you start digging in, you will be amazed at the amount of frustration being put up with by loyal staff who just assume that nothing can be done to improve a negative situation. In fact, if you do your job right, you will uncover lots of things that might seem insignificant to you but are a big deal to the folks dealing with them day in and day out. Your reward for acting on them will be meaningful incremental efficiency—and happier team members.

So where to start? Well, no offense intended here, but the accounting office is often a great place to dig up some nuggets. Are there tasks that can be improved with some minor adjustments to software or processes? How can you leverage IT staff to help streamline paperwork flow? Talk to the people who are handling the details. I guarantee that you will get some “it would be great if…” feedback just by challenging them to think about a better way rather than how to manage their way through built-in obstacles. Even minor fixes will be appreciated, creating an atmosphere of teamwork rather than silos of power.

Remember: Small victories add up to big improvements in job satisfaction, morale and productivity.

I’m reminded of a lesson learned in my personal quest to become—and live—debt free. It’s a process called the debt snowball, promoted by a financial guru named Dave Ramsey, and it involves simply listing all of your debts in order from smallest to largest, then beginning the process by paying off the smallest one first, as quickly as possible. Once that is done, attack the second one in the same manner.

Each month, you accumulate more payoff power by concentrating the money from each paid-off account to increase the payment on the next largest. Thus, the snowball effect.

Now, the numbers folks among you might be saying, “Wait a minute, why not start with the highest interest-rate debts first?” Well, the answer is simple. In Dave’s mind, and proven in practical application, becoming debt free is not about math; it’s about changing habits. The victory one feels with each paid-off debt provides the sense of accomplishment to continue. It’s the power of positive reinforcement
at work!

Think about it as a process for continuous improvement and imagine the possibilities as your company makes the change from “too busy to improve” to a culture of “too important not to improve.” Employees will take more ownership of their work and will enjoy the satisfaction of a more productive and communicative work environment. Owners will reap the financial benefits that come with savings and efficiencies found a dollar at a time. And the entire company will thrive in a culture where everyone is involved in helping their peers solve problems rather than trying to figure out where to point a finger.

Need help discovering the efficiencies and financial upside of properly managing your product data? Contact the SDC.

SEMA News—July 2015

SEMA DATA CO-OP
By Jon Wyly

Are You Really “Too Busy” to Improve Your Business?

Believe it or not, one of the most common excuses for business people to put off change is to simply declare, “We’re too busy.” Too busy to hire more help, too busy to evaluate internal systems, too busy to change a simple process that will pay for itself many times over.

If you are part of the “too busy” crowd, it’s time to stop and take a breath. Spend some time looking around the company, listen to feedback from the folks who are actually doing the work, then take some sort of positive step forward to implement bits of efficiency, no matter how small.

Once you start digging in, you will be amazed at the amount of frustration being put up with by loyal staff who just assume that nothing can be done to improve a negative situation. In fact, if you do your job right, you will uncover lots of things that might seem insignificant to you but are a big deal to the folks dealing with them day in and day out. Your reward for acting on them will be meaningful incremental efficiency—and happier team members.

So where to start? Well, no offense intended here, but the accounting office is often a great place to dig up some nuggets. Are there tasks that can be improved with some minor adjustments to software or processes? How can you leverage IT staff to help streamline paperwork flow? Talk to the people who are handling the details. I guarantee that you will get some “it would be great if…” feedback just by challenging them to think about a better way rather than how to manage their way through built-in obstacles. Even minor fixes will be appreciated, creating an atmosphere of teamwork rather than silos of power.

Remember: Small victories add up to big improvements in job satisfaction, morale and productivity.

I’m reminded of a lesson learned in my personal quest to become—and live—debt free. It’s a process called the debt snowball, promoted by a financial guru named Dave Ramsey, and it involves simply listing all of your debts in order from smallest to largest, then beginning the process by paying off the smallest one first, as quickly as possible. Once that is done, attack the second one in the same manner.

Each month, you accumulate more payoff power by concentrating the money from each paid-off account to increase the payment on the next largest. Thus, the snowball effect.

Now, the numbers folks among you might be saying, “Wait a minute, why not start with the highest interest-rate debts first?” Well, the answer is simple. In Dave’s mind, and proven in practical application, becoming debt free is not about math; it’s about changing habits. The victory one feels with each paid-off debt provides the sense of accomplishment to continue. It’s the power of positive reinforcement
at work!

Think about it as a process for continuous improvement and imagine the possibilities as your company makes the change from “too busy to improve” to a culture of “too important not to improve.” Employees will take more ownership of their work and will enjoy the satisfaction of a more productive and communicative work environment. Owners will reap the financial benefits that come with savings and efficiencies found a dollar at a time. And the entire company will thrive in a culture where everyone is involved in helping their peers solve problems rather than trying to figure out where to point a finger.

Need help discovering the efficiencies and financial upside of properly managing your product data? Contact the SDC.

SEMA News—July 2015

HERITAGE

Motorama Milk Truck

By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy Petersen Archive

Not content with launching just a publishing empire, Robert E. Petersen put on a series of car shows in the early ’50s that he called Motorama. The first one was held in 1950 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, but later shows were staged at the art deco palace that was the Pan Pacific Auditorium. Hot rods, Bonneville race cars, drag racers and custom cars straight from the pages of Petersen’s magazines made up a big portion of these Motorama shows, but they also included new cars, antiques, motorcycles and classics from the ’30s and ’40s. In 1954, the show’s name changed to the International Motor Review and Motorama so that the Petersen shows wouldn’t be confused with the Motorama traveling car shows GM was holding at the time. The final Petersen show of the ’50s was held in 1955.

The Petersen Motorama made a one-year comeback in 1966, staged in conjunction with the NHRA’s Winternationals drag race. Like the previous shows, it took place at the Pan Pacific, and it featured a mix of hot rods, race cars, antiques and classics. But new on the scene were some of the wild custom cars being produced by the likes of George Barris, Dean Jeffries and a relative newcomer to the custom car world, Dan Woods.

A year before, the teenaged Woods had debuted his wild Milk Truck at the Tridents Car Show in Los Angeles and won the Grand Sweepstakes award, upstaging other entries from more established builders. Woods crafted the Milk Truck using junkyard, surplus and other cast-off or dirt-cheap pieces that were formed into this award-winning custom, thanks to his fabrication skills and keen design sense. The frame was scrounged from a Model A Ford, the single front coil spring was off a Corvair, the engine came out of a ’57 Pontiac and the truck’s original pearl-white paint was shot by Woods himself.

After the Tridents show win, Rod & Custom magazine put the Milk Truck on its August 1965 cover, and Woods’ talents earned him a job with Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.

By the time the Milk Truck was displayed at the 1966 Motorama, Woods had traded it to hot-rodder Bob Reisner in exchange for a T-bucket roadster. Now called the Milk Wagon, it looked different, too, wearing Cragar wheels and a custom paint job by Larry Watson.

This photo of the Milk Truck, “with Sandy Layne at the throttle,” ran in the May 1966 issue of Hot Rod magazine in a story about the Motorama written by Dick Wells. At the time, Wells was a feature editor at the magazine, but he would soon be instrumental in staging the first High Performance & Custom Trade Show at Dodger Stadium—considered the very first SEMA Show.

SEMA News—July 2015

HERITAGE

Motorama Milk Truck

By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy Petersen Archive

Not content with launching just a publishing empire, Robert E. Petersen put on a series of car shows in the early ’50s that he called Motorama. The first one was held in 1950 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, but later shows were staged at the art deco palace that was the Pan Pacific Auditorium. Hot rods, Bonneville race cars, drag racers and custom cars straight from the pages of Petersen’s magazines made up a big portion of these Motorama shows, but they also included new cars, antiques, motorcycles and classics from the ’30s and ’40s. In 1954, the show’s name changed to the International Motor Review and Motorama so that the Petersen shows wouldn’t be confused with the Motorama traveling car shows GM was holding at the time. The final Petersen show of the ’50s was held in 1955.

The Petersen Motorama made a one-year comeback in 1966, staged in conjunction with the NHRA’s Winternationals drag race. Like the previous shows, it took place at the Pan Pacific, and it featured a mix of hot rods, race cars, antiques and classics. But new on the scene were some of the wild custom cars being produced by the likes of George Barris, Dean Jeffries and a relative newcomer to the custom car world, Dan Woods.

A year before, the teenaged Woods had debuted his wild Milk Truck at the Tridents Car Show in Los Angeles and won the Grand Sweepstakes award, upstaging other entries from more established builders. Woods crafted the Milk Truck using junkyard, surplus and other cast-off or dirt-cheap pieces that were formed into this award-winning custom, thanks to his fabrication skills and keen design sense. The frame was scrounged from a Model A Ford, the single front coil spring was off a Corvair, the engine came out of a ’57 Pontiac and the truck’s original pearl-white paint was shot by Woods himself.

After the Tridents show win, Rod & Custom magazine put the Milk Truck on its August 1965 cover, and Woods’ talents earned him a job with Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.

By the time the Milk Truck was displayed at the 1966 Motorama, Woods had traded it to hot-rodder Bob Reisner in exchange for a T-bucket roadster. Now called the Milk Wagon, it looked different, too, wearing Cragar wheels and a custom paint job by Larry Watson.

This photo of the Milk Truck, “with Sandy Layne at the throttle,” ran in the May 1966 issue of Hot Rod magazine in a story about the Motorama written by Dick Wells. At the time, Wells was a feature editor at the magazine, but he would soon be instrumental in staging the first High Performance & Custom Trade Show at Dodger Stadium—considered the very first SEMA Show.