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

Driving In Style

1963 Car and Driver, Photo (c) Terri Lynn Coop

In car culture, clothing invokes images and expectations. 

Whether it's the rugged respect and individualism of a black leather motorcycle jacket or the sleek poplin racer jumpsuit, when we see a driver in a certain outfit, we have a vision of what kind of vehicle he owns.

Clothing makers have always capitalized on this tendency. Garments and accessories like dusters and goggles had a practical application in an open top Model T or roadster. However, they quickly morphed into style statements by adding flowing scarves and stylish caps.

Starting in the post-WWII boom and the rise of car hobbyists, magazines catered to enthusiasts with advertisements from specialtyapparel makers like Vilém B. Haan and Stirling Moss. 

Whether a car collector or a memorabilia hobbyist, they promised their customers a look rife with European class and élan.

For the apparel collector, ads are a good way to identify a garment or item found at an estate sale or racks of a second-hand store. I am big on identifying and dating my purchases. I don't just want to know that I found an MG logo lighter. I want to be able to place it in the 1963 Car and Driver magazine Haan advertisement. Finding it is half the fun. Identifying it is all the fun. 

1963 Car and Driver, Photo (c) Terri Lynn Coop