Miguel Sánchez
It is paradoxical that, precisely in the country where Ford's chain production was born, the artisan personalization of vehicles is one of its most gripping traditions. We were talking to you recently of the latest edition of SEMA In Las Vegas; Hundreds of heart attack preparations confirm that this industry continues to be in very good health. An industry in which thousands of individuals and dozens of companies leave their imaginations when conceiving the most personal vehicle.
Although the customization sounds current to us ... tradition comes from far away. We all have in mind the flashy preparations made by the rocker kids of the '50s, immortalized in a cinema that collected the fury of a whole "rebel without a cause". Or the spectacular biker customizations 'easy rider' from the 60s, which continue to fascinate generations with a thirst for adventure on the screen. However, there is a place where you will not have to resort to celluloid to contemplate one of the essences of the American engine: it is the The Race of Gentlemen.
SMELL OF BEACH AND GASOLINE
United States. East Coast. Summer on the Wildwood beaches runs quietly in a small resort town full of wooden houses and a small amusement park with one of America's first roller coasters. However, that silence is broken in June by the roar of dozens of motors that understand little about energy efficiency, but a lot of overwhelming sounds and a passion for old times.
They are the drivers and bikers of The Race of Gentlemen, one of the most interesting classic motor events in America. Here not only the machines, but also the setting and the small details, immerse us in the time of the Hot Rods: the curious name by which we know the vehicles prepared from the 30s to the present by young Americans as rebellious as they are mechanically skilled.
There is also no shortage of motorcycles. In fact, own Harley davision is one of the promoter brands of this meeting. And no wonder ... If there is a custom two-wheel mount throughout history, that has been Harley. Not in vain the roar of its engines, its characteristic quiet ride and the bikers hanging from the huge handlebars of the 'chopper' they are, like few others, signs of the wildest side of American culture.
SOUND OF WAVES AND ENGINES
On the beach itself, running on sandy tracks next to the waves of the Atlantic. This is where, beyond the vehicle show, these intrepid lovers of the classic motor launch into the races. Yes, you read it right. Because as if it were those rocker gangs that we mentioned before, acceleration races are held at this festival. Although… legal, of course.
The smell of gasoline, the sound of visible engines racing, the passion for the very American tradition of personalization and the taste for the classics of 'bad boys' merge into this The Race of Gentlemen: a place for those of us who would like to have a time machine ...
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