|
Rich Oakley lives for hot rods, particularly nostalgia hot rods of the 1940's, 50's and 60's.
While not one of the big famous builders, he has garnered a fair share of media coverage with his creations and awards including seven Street Rodder Magazine Top Ten Awards among others.
After a varied career in professional motorsports, the self taught designer/fabricator began to concentrate on what was always his passion and has become his calling in life, which is building hot rods that pay homage to the early days of rodding; an era when most everything was hand fabricated rather than store bought. According to Rich, one of the greatest compliments he received was during a television interview by Don Garltis, in which "Big Daddy" was convinced that Rich's Ace of Spades Modified Roadster was a legit vintage race car from the pre-war era.
"For someone with Don's credentials to be certain that the roadster was a genuine piece of racing history was the highest compliment he could have paid."
New York born and raised, Rich and his girl friend Merry make their home in Archdale, North Carolina; right in the heart of Petty Country and about an hour north of the Lowes Motor Speedway. Working, by himself, he constructs his unique visions of rolling automotive art in a small, but well equipped studio.
"Once I have the idea in mind for a particular car it takes on a life of its own. I can visualize the car before I even cut the first piece of steel and very often I have a hard time sleeping at night with all the ideas running in my head."
From building chassis, suspension components and bodies from the ground up, to performing the paint and body work and sometimes even the engines, it is truly a labor of love that brings these visions to life
|
