thePULSE
April…That wonderful month when we can finally put winter behind us and begin the process of preparing for the delightful time of year called summer.We peel off the layers, casting bulky coats aside.
We start to care again about how our bodies look and perform.
We get all-over spray tans to punch up our pasty winter complexions.
We ditch the cold-weather boots in favor of sexy summer shoes.
We get an extra sunthin sunthin’ done ~ a piercing, a new hair color, some new ink ~ to catch that hottie’s eye.…and just like we overhaul ourselves from top to bottom to get ready for the warm weather and all the possibilities it brings with it, there’s a whole group of talented, highly trained, sometimes completely obsessed (in the good way!) professionals out there who can do the same for our cars and motorcycles.
So back your prized ’68 Mustang out of the garage. Take the cover off the ’56 Bel Air your grandfather left you. Roll your Harley into the driveway. These are the machines of summer.
In the pages that follow, meet some of these mechanics, engineers, and restoration pros who can modify, soup-up, detail, rebuild, strip down, and just plain make your vehicle ROCK. Bring them a total beater that has nothing going for it except one mother of a V-8 engine or an unimpressive sedan that works fine but has absolutely no power or “wow factor,” and they’ll give you back a killer ride. It’s what they do.
With gearheads like these in the world, there’s no need to have to choose substance over style or vice versa ~ they’ll give you both and then some.
And to start you off, to get your engines revving, we’ll show you what it’s like to get inside an Audi, Lamborghini, Ferrari and more ~ AND where you can rent one of these beauties yourself. So grab your summer fling, buckle up, and get ready to roll, ‘cause it’s time for Pulse’s HOT WHEELS issue.
Status Ride
By Sam Blier
Power. Adrenaline. Speed. Prestige. All for rent by the day. Status Ride is the new kid on the luxury/exotic car rental block, having been in business for about a year now. They’ve already made quite a splash, though, fulfilling the need-for-speed of both visiting Hollywood A-listers and average Joes (and Janes!) living out lifelong fantasies.
It is said that necessity is the mother of invention. Status Ride was founded by Grafton Hill native Michael Clark because when he wanted to gift himself the experience of driving a supercar, the closest rental agency he could find was in New Jersey. The transportation fees the agency wanted to charge to bring the car to Massachusetts were almost as much as the rental fee itself, which is to say a lot. Recognizing an unmet need and an untapped market, Michael set about putting together the foundation for what would become Status Ride.
Today, Status Ride rents a diverse fleet of some of the fastest , most luxurious, and most desirable automobiles available. I recently had the opportunity to check them out, and here are the three that rose to the top of my list.
Lamborghini Gallardo
Dripping in flawless Midas Yellow paint, this car is not for introverts. This beast is aggression incarnate and gets noticed no matter where it goes. The Gallardo is equipped with a five liter V10 engine sending almost 500 horsepower to all four wheels through a six speed, paddle-shifted transmission. You can let the car shift itself, or you can grab the Italian bull by the horns and summon lightning-fast gear shifts via the paddles mounted behind the steering wheel. Loud inside and out, the Gallardo is an absolute blast and the perfect car to rent for making an unforgettable entrance no matter where you go.
Ferrari F430
The sensuously styled Ferrari F430 is just about as close as you can get to a race car on the street. And no wonder ~ it is bursting with F1 racing-inspired equipment. The brake rotors are a ceramic composite for extra stopping power, something usually only found on hard-core racecars. Each of the 490 horsepower shrieks out of the 4.3 liter V8 engine with an F1-like wail, rocketing the Ferrari to illegal speeds in mere seconds.
Audi R8
The R8 was conceived and built specifically to compete with the likes of the Gallardo and F430, so you know it’s got to be good. Its refined, sporty design makes just the right statement, while the gutsy 4.2 liter V8 uses all 420 of its horsepower to smoke all four wheels. Audi is well known for high-quality, high-design interiors, and the R8 certainly doesn’t disappoint on that front. The R8 features Audi’s magnetic ride suspension, meaning you can control how cushy or firm you want the ride to be. Button it down for carving corners, or soften it up for cruising past everyone’s jealous stares.
Status Ride is capitalizing on their success and adding new cars to their fleet for rent this summer (look for a Lamborghini convertible). Give them a call, though be forewarned: you may never look at your own car the same way again.
For more information, visit www.statusride.com or call 888-512-0896.
Chop-Shop Customs
By Sam Blier
You’ve seen the commercials: “Make your car look brand new for the low price of something-ninety-nine!” Make no mistake, Chop-Shop Customs is NOT one of those bargain basement outfits. You won’t see any tired looking minivans or dented and scratched commuter appliances here. You will, however, see the ground-up restoration and customization of some of the finest vehicles to ever have turned a wheel.
Lenny Schaeffer founded Chop-Shop Customs after leaving his native MA to perfect his craft in the Mecca of hot-rodding that is Southern California. After cutting his teeth in So-Cal, Lenny came back east and furthered his skills at well-known MA shops Collectible Motorcars and Blue Ribbon Restorations. Fast forward a few years, and Lenny was ready to strike it out on his own. He opened Chop-Shop Customs and has never looked back.
Today, Chop-Shop Customs is recognized far and wide as a premier classic auto restoration and hot rod metal fabrication shop. They take old classics that have seen better days and meticulously bring them back to life. It is a painstaking process to make a decades-old car look like it just rolled off the showroom floor. It’s certainly not a job to be entrusted to just any shop. A classic car restoration can either destroy a car’s value when done poorly, or multiply it when done correctly. And if Chop-Shop Customs’ portfolio is any indication, plenty of clients’ investments have paid off handsomely.
A prime example of the Chop-Shop crew’s skill and expertise is their restoration of a 1953 Arnolt Bristol Bolide. This classic American race car is exceedingly rare; only about 130 were ever sold due to a fire in the manufacturer’s warehouse in the 50s. Needless to say, the restoration of this car didn’t involve just bolting on some replacement parts. Everything on this car had to be custom-built and hand fabricated. Lenny and his expert fabricators recreated damaged body parts to the exacting specifications of the original builder, Bertone, one of the oldest and most prestigious Italian coach builders.
For those gearheads who love look of their vintage rides but want to inject a little bit of modern-day tech into them, Chop-Shop Customs also specializes in what’s known as the resto-mod. That’s when you take a classic car, restore the interior and exterior to original spec, but upgrade the running gear, engine and suspension to give it the driving dynamics of a modern-day hot rod.
Because Chop-Shop Customs has built a sterling reputation on the quality and precision of their body work, they tend to attract clients who are trying to do extreme customizations to their rides. Chopping tops, shaving handles, tucking bumpers and fabricating custom body parts might send other shops into a frenzy, but at Chop-Shop Customs, it’s more like a normal day. That’s probably why Snap-on Tools (a major automotive tool supplier) chose Lenny and his crew to do the extreme paint and body work for their 1957 Chevy “Glo-mad” show car.
If you own a classic or exotic car and want to restore it to its former glory or give it a new look, call Chop-Shop Customs first ~ because if they can’t do what you’re looking to do, you had better believe it can’t be done.
For more information, visit www.chop-shopcustoms.com.
Hellcat Kustoms
By Sam Blier
Motorcycles, like people, come in all shapes, sizes and attitudes. And Rick Barlik loves ‘em all. At his shop, Hellcat Kustoms, they build, tune, customize and design just about every kind of motorcycle imaginable. But they all have one thing in common: they are built to ride.
Rick grew up near a local motocross track and became hooked on riding at a very young age. He spent all of his free time either riding or wrenching and already knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life around motorcycles. Luckily for him, mechanical aptitude runs in the Barlik family. “My grandfather was a toolmaker and machinist, my dad a retired mechanical engineer, so I guess it’s in my blood,” says Barlik. “My dad had a small machine shop in our basement and as a kid I would machine parts for myself and my friends’ bikes when the stock parts would fail. Things just kind of snowballed from there.”
And snowball they did. Today, Hellcat Kustoms does everything from building custom bikes from scratch to doing custom fabrication, machine work, welding and powder coating to customers’ bikes. What sets Hellcat apart from the vast majority of the competition is Rick’s attention to detail. He can spend hours, even days, machining and fabricating a part that might not even be visible once the project is put together, but whose function is critical to the overall performance of the bike. And unlike other shops that focus more on show than go, at Hellcat, style and performance go hand-in-hand on every project.
Recognizing that philosophy, like-minded bikers have flocked to Hellcat for street trackers (old school flat-track race bikes modified for the street), street fighters (street bikes stripped down to the bare minimum and modified to make them more tossable) and old school bobbers (old school cruising-style bike with the rear fender and any extra pieces tossed to make it handle better). These styles of motorcycle have a few things in common: they’re light weight, they carve corners like a hot knife through butter, they won’t decimate your bank account, and they look bad-ass. In essence, they are bikers’ bikes, and Hellcat Kustoms is a biker’s bike shop.
And as a biker’s bike shop, the ultimate custom project is the ground-up build. Each bike build is a labor of love, built to each owner’s unique specifications. And with Rick machining his own parts when he needs to, practically anything is possible. Says Rick, “The bike builds are the most rewarding. Building a bike from scratch to a one-of-a-kind cool ride. Seeing people’s positive reactions is the best payoff when all of the hard work is done.” And judging by the bikes coming out of Hellcat Kustoms, there’s no chance of a shortage of positive reactions.
For more Hellcat Kustoms, visit www.hellcatkustoms.com.
Wicked Auto
– no need for a junkyard
By Jennifer Russo
We’ve all seen them ~ classic autos from decades past left to rust in someone’s yard or behind your mechanic’s building. The sight is at the same time sad and full of potential ~ many of these cars have been forgotten, written off as junk, but for as many cars like that which have survived years of neglect, there are that many car enthusiasts who see them as diamonds in rough, machines of yesteryear that deserve to have their original beauty restored.
Two of those enthusiasts (to put it mildly), Eric Bourgault and Richard Weber, run Fitchburg’s Wicked Auto, bringing once elegant and powerful cars back to life. Eric has over six years experience with restorations, repairs, modification and fabrication. He went to school for engineering and automotive business management and repair. A few of his more memorable projects include a 1963 Austin Healey 3000, a gorgeous red 1969 Jaguar XKE, and a “…1970 Volvo P1800. It’s a very rare car that no-one ever does over and it took 18 months to restore,” Eric shared with obvious pride in his voice. “And the craziest thing we’ve ever worked on was building a hot rod AMC Pacer. We built it from a stock Pacer, but did suspension and chassis work on it and prepared it for a big and powerful motor. Topped it off with sweet body work and paint.”
Richard has over 26 years of experience in auto body work with his Master and ASE certifications and has received recognition in World of Wheels and more than a few issues of Muscle Car Magazine for his jaw-dropping restos. This pair takes their love for and appreciation of cars very seriously; they are artists whose canvas simply happens to be vehicles. Eric can’t imagine doing anything else: “I have a great passion for classic cars, which makes me love what I do every day.”
For Wicked Auto, no job is too big or small and they don’t stop at cars; they also work on boats and bikes. They specialize in collision repair, show quality body and paint, re-builds, custom fabrication, mechanical repairs, wheels and tires and more. They’ll even come pick up the car ~ hot rod, show car, muscle car, classic car, American, European and deliver it back to you shiny and “new.” What’s Eric’s dream project? “[It] would be restoring a Shelby AC Cobra. It’s one of the rarest, it’s valuable, and it’s high performance.” Who can argue with that!
If you have a car that you’re considering having restored but aren’t sure about cost, length of project, or how much can realistically be done to the vehicle, no worries ~ Eric and Richard (who drives a fully restored 1968 Chevy Camaro SS that is to die for) are happy to travel to give estimates and discuss the whole project. In the future, they’d like to see Wicked Auto “…become a one-stop hot rod and classic car shop.”
So from a little bit more horsepower to a complete rebuild from the tires on up, give Wicked Auto a call at (978) 424-4337, and definitely check out their on-line gallery of cars, bikes, boats, and specialty parts ~ as well as photos that detail past projects and really show each and every step involved in what they do ~ at www.wickedauto.com/gallery.html.
John’s Custom Rods
By Tine Roycroft
Pulse recently sat down with the John Durfee, owner of John’s Custom Rods, to see what makes this King of Chrome, Master of Metal, and Duke of Drag Racing tick.
Pulse: How’d you get started restoring cars?
John: I was a teenager and I was always fascinated by machinery. Back in the day, I was really into muscle cars. I grew up with that stuff. They were new when I was a kid. The Boss 351 Mustang I have is the first thing I ever restored.
P: Several of your vehicles have been featured in national hot rod magazines, correct?
J: My 1931 Model A Pick Up has been in Rolls and Pleats. My 1930 Model A Tudor Sedan has been featured in Primer. If you want to be seen, you’ve got to be out a lot at shows because there’s always someone covering them. Some years I’m out a lot, some years I’m not. It just depends on what’s going on.
P: You certainly have a lot going on right now with being in charge of the Orange Airport Drag Strip Reunion. Share the deets!
J: This is the reunion’s second year and it’s going to be huge. When I was a kid, I’d heard about the drag strip in Orange, but I could never get to it…the more I’ve learned about the drag races, the more I wanted to do something, like a reunion event. Last year we had our first show at the Orange Airport, open registration. We had no idea what was going to happen. But the day of the show we had terrific weather and we had about 1000 cars show up.
P: And the Reunion is on again for this year, right?
J: Last year, the airport said right off the bat that there was no way they could shut down the main runway and it’s all FAA controlled. But this year, we talked about it and it turns out there’s this area of blacktop, a piece of old runway, that’s out of the active airport zone. We started working on this and at this point, we got the OK to have drag racing in the show on September 10.
P: Do you race your own cars?
J: I raced in ’05 and ’06. I did it to the point where ~ like all good things ~ it needed to come to an end. It was something that was in my blood and I had to get it out.
P: Be honest. Are there any cars that you’ve restored that you just couldn’t part with?
J: Do I get infatuated with cars? Sure. But cars are just things. And there’s always another car to fall in love with.
Not only has John’s Custom Rods restored/tricked out everything from old to new and from roadster to pick-up, they’ve also documented each project on their website so that you can see photos of the step-by-step process, not just of the finished product.
Also, John has a bunch of hard-to-find parts for sale and a Wanted/Trade section on the site that will blow your gearhead mind. Check it all out at www.johnscustomrods.com.
Pictured: John Durfee with Kerry, courtesy of Varga Photography (www.myspace.com/royvarga)
An Interview with Jake Cutler of Barnstorm Cycles
By Erin Hansen
How did you first become interested in motorcycles?
The interest kind of crept in; as a result of growing up around them…but I never really consciously decided that I wanted take them this seriously until the concept for Barnstorm Cycles came into focus.
What attracted you to bikes rather than cars?
I’m not sure really..… As a kid I was surrounded by both…my father used to have 10 or so antique/unusual cars in addition to the motorcycles he owned …. The car collection included a 41 Studebaker, a 59 Ford, a 77 Corvette, and even a limo. I can’t remember a time when at least one of them wasn’t up on a lift being worked on…but despite the opportunity I had to fall for cars, the motorcycles always held a certain power of attraction that the cars just couldn’t compete with. Perhaps it was the first tastes of freedom I got riding dirt bikes that sealed the deal, but I’m not sure. I think the main attraction ultimately comes from the simplicity a motorcycle inherently has. The motorcycle uses bare minimums to achieve a purpose…. For me that purpose is a cohesive blend of aesthetically pleasing yet well functioning transportation.
First bike you ever rode on? How about drove on your own?
Around the time I was born, my Dad had a few different bikes, including a 1945 Harley Flathead, a 1983 Shovel FXR and a 1974 AMF Harley –Davidson FLH ….As best anyone can remember, the 74’ FLH was the first bike I was technically ever on as a passenger …. And we are talking “passenger in the womb.” Interestingly enough, that bike came back into my life a year or so ago when the now current owner brought it to us as a restoration job. It was pretty cool to bring the bike back to life and then go for a ride on it again after so many years.
The first time I ever actually drove a bike myself, I think I was in the first grade? The bike was a small 3HP mini bike that had been purchased from Whitco in Spencer (which just happens to be about a block away from the building we are moving the shop to now). The mini bike had no front OR rear suspension, and the tires were solid rubber. It was a tank! The very first time I drove it, I made a very common novice mistake and ended up accelerating right into a curb, which flipped me over. I wasn’t hurt, but I was pretty shaken up, with the shaky Elvis leg thing going and all that… My dad, who saw the whole event take place, just told me to walk it off and get back on. It was good advice.
How did you learn to build?
I guess if I had to break it down … As you know, growing up I was surrounded by machines. I would see my father working on them, and through helping him, I realized that I could also fix things that broke. Then at some point it must have occurred to me that I didn’t just have to fix things that broke, or put them back together they way they came apart… Realizing I could make my own things was the beginning of the end for me. To supplement my own curiosity, tinkering and learning, I went and apprenticed (aka worked for free) with the infamous Paul “P.Q.”Quittadamo at his motorcycle shop. I also secured an internship at Vangy Tool Co. Inc., which is a local machine shop. Both positions allowed me to get my hands dirty and learn skills and information that were actually useful. I later went on to work (as in actually getting paid!!) for Vangy Tool for a while, and I also had the good fortune of getting to work for renowned local weldor Danny Burmer, who owns Advanced Welding and Fabricating in Sutton…..I owe much of my success as a mechanic and weldor/fabricator to the opportunities and knowledge that my Dad, P.Q., Paul Ottaviano, Danny and the jobs they gave me, imparted to me. I am forever grateful. It was a great honor to have the opportunity to work for and learn from such amazing, talented and passionate people. I am still learning, too. I will never know enough.
When someone comes to you to build a bike, which do you prefer ~ that they give you total freedom to do what you want or that they have specific ideas of their own?
Either way suits me. If someone has a very specific idea of what they want, I am happy to provide them with that. It is their bike, so it should be what they want it to be! But if they want to allow me some creative freedom, I welcome the opportunity. Both routes excite me and, that also keeps things new and fresh. The beauty of the gig is the variety. I wouldn’t want to do the same thing over and over again!
When you decide to design a new bike, how does that work? Do you have a picture of the final product in your head? Do you sketch out a design?
Depends on the build, really. If it’s for a customer, and he/she has an idea of what he wants before we get started, that will direct the build. But even that varies ~ sometimes they know exactly what they want, right down to the kind of fasteners, other times they just have a general idea, and then let me run with it…..
If the build is not commissioned and I have a blank slate to work with , my approach is still pretty varied.. I might start with one particular part, say a kicker pedal or something, and tailor the aesthetics of the machine around the language of that one part…or I will start with a particular function in mind and build the bike to suit that purpose.
For the true gearheads out there ~ talk to me about the most over-the-top, tricked out, balls-to-the-wall bike you’ve ever created.
Well, we have a shop bike that is based on a Boss Hoss platform. For those who are unfamiliar with a Boss Hoss, it’s a 1,200lbs V-8 powered motorcycle. Ours only has a small block in it, so it’s only got about 385 horsepower.
Anyway, we have done a significant amount of work to the bike, including modifying the frame, re-engineering the rear suspension, removing the stock side panels and covers, rewiring the bike, modifying the gas tank, fabricating a new rear fender that is mounted directly to the rear swing arm, giving it a new paint job, etc. The bike even has a custom hitch receiver hidden under the passenger seat that I’ve built a flag pole, luggage rack and a backrest for. In the works, we will be building a trailer for the bike that will allow us to tow other bikes. The Boss is often affectionately referred to as the “Shop truck.” What’s extra special about this freak of machine, though, is that it appeals not only to bike people, it also really gets car people talking and that always makes for some fun conversations.
You do some charity work and sponsorships through Barnstorm, right?
We wish we could get involved with more runs and events, unfortunately, there is only so much time. A few of the events we have been involved with for a while now are the Barton Center’s Ride for Diabetes, YOU, Inc’s Run for the Kids, and The Veterans’ Run. We also sponsor a bicycle team in the Tri-State Trek every year that rides from Newton, MA to White Plains, NY. I’ve personally done the ride like 6 times now ~ that’s right, 270 or so miles on a pedal bike! Folks who are interested should check out our website for more information on the events above, and if anyone has a run that they would like us to sponsor, they should feel free to contact us.
What kind of bike do you ride?
Currently, I ride a bike that I built around a 1941 Harley Davidson Knucklehead motor. The knuck motor is set in a rigid frame, and is mated to a four speed, kick start only transmission by a 1.5” open primary belt drive. I have it set up with a left side jockey shift, left side rear brake and a dead-man’s throttle (that means the throttle does not “snap back” when you take your hand off it…it’s like cruise control). It’s a no-frills kind of machine, and I ride the heck out of it. In fact, I had it out the other day…it was 19 degrees F and there was still snow in my parking lot. It might sound foolish, but riding keeps everything else in focus. When the weather is better, I get out as much as I can. I love taking long rides with my friends and family. It’s not unusual to head out for a few hundred mile day without any real plan or destination. We usually just shoot for good places to eat in “freedom of choice” states, if you know what I mean.
Any advice for someone who’s never ridden a bike before but wants to start?
Don’t listen to your friends about what bike is right for you, and DO NOT LEARN HOW TO RIDE from a friend! Go get your permit from the RMV, and then sign up for a Motorcycle Safety course. Once you’ve passed the course, go buy the cheapest bike you can find that runs well, fits you well, and is safe to drive, and then ride the heck out of it for a season. With a cheap bike, when (because you will!) you drop it, you won’t care, and if you find you don’t actually like riding, you won’t have lost a ton of money. Also, after you’ve ridden that bike for a while, you’ll know what kind of riding you like to do, and consequently, what kind of bike you will really want. Then you can start thinking/ looking for the bike of your dreams… which will probably lead you right to Barnstorm Cycles!
Harley Davidson’s Young Adult Movement Grows with the Launch of the Blackline Motorcycle
By R. Peltier
Lean as wire, hard as iron and dark as a tar road at midnight ~ it’s Harley-Davidson’s new Blackline motorcycle, a Softail that’s the next rebellious chapter for the iconic American brand that is now #1 with riders age 18-34. This latest addition to the Dark Custom line embodies three fundamentals of motorcycling: mechanical beauty, internal combustion, and the wide, open road.
“The Blackline is a motorcycle for all those who run by their own rules,” said Mike Lowney, Director of Market outreach for Harley-Davidson. “It’s more than a bike ~ it’s a mindset that is rooted in the spirit of defiance and irreverence embraced by today’s young riders.”
The Blackline balances allegiance with rebellion, discarding previous conventions for a Dark Custom look that’s honest, functional and attainable. Visual elements of the original bobber movement are combined with the raw, hand-hewn style embraced by today’s young builders. The Blackline throws new fuel on the fire that burns across generations ~ the unquenchable desire to ride.
Instrumentation is compact and tucked, and there’s just enough shine to make the black parts look blacker. The chopped fender, narrow, split drag handlebar and slammed speedometer contribute to the lean, linear nature that gives the Blackline its name.
The styling spotlight shines on the Big Twin engine dressed in black and silver with machined highlights reminiscent of its Big Twin predecessors of the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s. The engine is capped off by a fuel tank shaved low and smooth. Aboard the Blackline, the rider hugs the frame on the lowest two-up seat ever offered by Harley-Davidson.
Details on the Blackline are understated yet classic. The round air cleaner, which debuted on Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the 1940s, has become a prized feature over the years. The blacked-out horseshoe oil tank is reminiscent of the original on the 1936 EL. Other styling elements come from more than just Harley-Davidson history ~ they take authentic cues from motorcycle culture as well. The chopped rear fender made famous by post-WWII riders is bobbed high-and-tight over a slim 144mm tire.
Up front, and tucked tight into the frame, the gloss black headlamp replicates the standard on Harleys going back to the post World War I years. The smooth, black rims on profile laced aluminum wheels hearken back to the 1930s. The simple, slammed speedometer reminiscent of the Depression era delivers a sporty look. Narrow, split drag handlebars are a first on the Softail platform.
The Blackline joins the Dark Custom lineup that includes the Forty-Eight, Nightster, Iron 883, Cross Bones, Fat Bob and Street Bob.
Check out more on Dark Custom motorcycles at
www.harley-davidson.com/darkcustom.
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Questions? ian@100percentkulture.com
