Happy New YearReader Get ready to start the new year with the January Edition of the Kustomrama Newsletter KUSTOMRAMA NEWSLETTER NO. 213 Happy New Year, fellow Kustom enthusiasts! We’re rolling into 2026 with full tanks and big smiles. 2025 was a year of growth and transformation here at Kustomrama, and it’s all thanks to you. Your ongoing support and encouragement, whether it came through kind messages, donations, or simply sharing our stories, helped keep the wheels turning. Because of you,...
about 1 month ago • 11 min read
DearKustomramaFriends and Family We would like to wish you all a MERRY KRISTMAS As 2025 comes to a close, we just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for another incredible year of keeping hot rod and custom history alive with us. Whether you’ve sent in a photo, shared a story, helped us chase a lead, or simply enjoyed reading the newsletter, you’re a part of this movement, and we’re grateful. To mark the season, we’ve teamed up with legendary artist Von Franco to bring you this year’s...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
HeyReader Below are thelatest news and updatesfrom your friends at Kustomrama KUSTOMRAMA NEWSLETTER NO. 212 A New Way to Keep History Alive! For nearly ten years, we’ve been collecting stories. Interviews. Photos. Home movies. Audio recordings. Long phone calls. Some planned, some spontaneous. Builders, painters, club members, people who were there when hot rodding and customizing took root, evolved, and became a kulture. We weren’t always sure how we’d use it all. At first, the plan was...
2 months ago • 16 min read
HeyReader Below are thelatest news and updatesfrom your friends at Kustomrama KUSTOMRAMA NEWSLETTER NO. 211 Last weekend, I was thrilled to see Ulf and Mari Kusendal’s 1950 Mercury win Scandinavia’s Finest Car at the Oslo Motor Show. Their beautifully detailed “Hysteria” took on a challenging field and won big. And not just that title. It also snagged Best Paint, Best Interior, and Best Amcar in Show. Not bad for a traditionally styled custom that’s been on the road for decades and just came...
3 months ago • 15 min read
HeyReader Below are thelatest news and updatesfrom your friends at Kustomrama KUSTOMRAMA NEWSLETTER NO. 210 From $25,000 to $1.26 Million. The Golden Sahara Rides Again! Back in May of 1955, Motor Trend magazine turned heads with its cover story on the Golden Sahara. Built by Barris Kustoms for Jim “Street” Skonzakes, the radical dream car was introduced as a $25,000 custom. A staggering number at the time, and a bold statement in the world of post-war custom car building. Fast-forward 70...
4 months ago • 12 min read
HeyReader Below are thelatest news and updatesfrom your friends at Kustomrama KUSTOMRAMA NEWSLETTER NO. 209 Earlier this summer, I hand-painted a batch of Limited Edition Kraze Painter Weirdo Sweatshirts that we brought with us to the Coupe Devils Bonanza show in Norway. They barely hit the rack before they were gone, torn down by eager hands faster than I could hang them up. That was wild and very fun. Thanks to everyone who snagged one! I was so happy with how they turned out that I decided...
5 months ago • 21 min read
HeyReader Below are thelatest news and updatesfrom your friends at Kustomrama KUSTOMRAMA NEWSLETTER NO. 208 Where did the summer go? It feels like I had just hit send on the July newsletter before I was boarding a plane to Cyprus to spend some much-needed time with the family, trying to get to know them again after a few hectic months, ha! We had a great week with sunshine, all-inclusive food and drinks, and just enough excitement to keep it interesting. Let’s just say there was a close call...
6 months ago • 17 min read
HeyReader Below are thelatest news and updatesfrom your friends at Kustomrama KUSTOMRAMA NEWSLETTER NO. 207 Summertime is here, and this year it's come with a little extra burn. June turned out to be busier than ever. Instead of sitting behind the screen, I’ve been out getting my hands dirty, wrenching on cars, custom fabricating merch, and helping host the 15th Annual Coupe Devils Rod & Kustom Bonanza in Blaker with my brothers in the Coupe Devils. It was one for the books. As you read this,...
7 months ago • 17 min read
HeyReader Below are thelatest news and updatesfrom your friends at Kustomrama KUSTOMRAMA NEWSLETTER NO. 206 If 2025 has a theme, it’s fire. And no, we’re not talking about the weather, though it’s heating up, too. We’re talking flame paint jobs. They’re back, and hotter than ever. From subtle scallops to wild, full-body licks, flames are burning up the streets, shows, and social feeds. This past weekend, the latest blaze to hit the road came straight out of Stockholm, Sweden, where Alexander...
8 months ago • 15 min read