Count's Kustoms - So Cool, It's Hot

I know the photography rules so well at  Count's Kustoms in Las Vegas because I hadn't been there five minutes before I violated them.

Rut roh . . . 

I worked out the misunderstanding because The Count's staff and minions are truly as cool as the man himself. However, keep an eye on where you point your camera.

Once inside, be prepared to be smited with style (or is that "smote"? meh, roll with me). From Horny Mike's bike and spiked helmet combo to the hot rod swag shop, Count's Kustoms has got it going on. And you aren't even to the cars yet!

Follow your guide and stay on the path (*cough* okay, that was my second warning, but I was just like a kid in a candy-apple shop!) and treasures will present themselves . . . 

There's rare. There's really rare. And there's ZOMFG-freaking-can-you-believe-it rare ... 

Even the logo is rad:  (c) Terri L. Coop

An utterly cherried-out turquoise Chevy Bel Air convertible, perfect right down to the turquoise fuzzy dice...

  

Fit for a Countess: (c) Terri L. Coop

Where automotive paint work becomes fine art . . .

Automotive fine art:  (c) Terri L. Coop

 The ultimate piece of car memorabilia . . . a full-size Hot Wheels

The ultimate collectible, a life size Hot Wheels: (c) Terri L. Coop

The bona fides:  (c) Terri L. Coop

And, now, before we conclude, here is your trivia for the day. Back in the early 1990s, the Koker family, including Danny Koker of Count's Kustoms, owned a local Las Vegas TV station that featured Danny Koker as "Count Cool Rider" on the B-movie "Saturday Fright at the Movies." A few years ago, a dear friend of mine, Las Vegas artist Suzanne Hackett-Morgan, was part of a Vegas-wide art project to paint and decorate utility boxes. Suzanne did hers in homage to classic Las Vegas television personalities. Here is her tribute to Count Cool Rider himself . . .

Count Cool Rider Utility Box Las Vegas (c) Suzanne Hackett-Morgan