Is this a fanatic??? There weren't any photos in the story - I'll see what I can find... Anybody know of this SSR???
http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/lifestyle/...944921,00.html
Think your car is stylish? Check out these work-of-art cars
By VALERIE NIENBERG
valerie.nienberg@scripps.com
August 26, 2006
A Chevy SSR convertible truck is an unusual vehicle in itself. But Pam Pollack's SSR is unlike any other you'll ever see.
It has flames on the hood and "Pam" written in cursive on each door. It has a beach scene, two cougars and Pam's portrait airbrushed on almost every available surface. It has spinning rims, custom rugs and door handles laden with Swarovski crystals.
To Pollack, a Stuart craftsman, it's a work of art on wheels.
"It is tacky? Yeah. But it's fun," she said.
Pollack, 55, is far from alone in her quest to create a one-of-a-kind vehicle. People around the Treasure Coast, and around the country, spend thousands of dollars to customize their cars with everything from huge tires to plasma-screen TVs. And while the price tag can be steep — Pollack spent $17,000 extra on her car — you can be sure she'll never run into anyone else driving the same thing.
"It's all about people wanting to be individuals," said Mike "Porkchop" Armstrong, with Speed and Truck World in Port St. Lucie, who did some of the work on Pollack's car. "The custom-car business is blowing up right now."
To be sure, it's not unusual to drive down the street and see a car with larger, chromed-out rims and tires, custom paint jobs, blasting sound systems and just about anything else you can think of.
And while some of them are fancy cars to begin with, others are beat-up junkers, 1980s Dodge Chargers or Chevy Impalas whose new rims cost more than the car itself.
NICER THAN THEIR HOMES?
The need for a custom auto is so great that some people have nicer cars than they do homes, said Jimmy Fanning, owner of Chopper City Discount Wheels and Accessories in Vero Beach. He's seen people spend as much as $25,000 on a car, and when it comes to the things people ask for, he's seen it all.
"They're crazy, some of the work that they do," Fanning said.
People want tractor-trailer tires on their trucks. They want TVs that drop down from the ceiling. They want doors that open up instead of out, a la Lamborghini.
To keep a steady stable of ideas, Fanning, Armstrong and other custom-auto professionals watch cable shows like "Pimp My Ride" and "Monster Garage," read magazines and Web sites and travel to car shows to see first-hand the latest trends.
After a while, nothing is shocking any more.
Armstrong has seen cars with dashboard TVs (he said they only work while the car is in park), fish tanks and amps in the headliner. One truck was jacked up so high that a short person could stand upright beneath it.
"In this business you see everything," he said. "It just becomes normal."
The jobs can take anywhere from hours to months to complete, depending on how much work the customer wants done. The hottest trend right now is big rims — 26 inches versus the 16-inch factory version — and tires to match. Fads come and go quickly, though, and a person who was all into leather seats a year ago might be back tomorrow to have them switched out for suede.
NOT JUST THE GUYS
And, as Pollack proves, it's not just guys — or 20-somethings — who are into their cars. Custom-auto enthusiasts run the gamut from black to white, young to old, and kids with rich parents to rich parents.
"Women are all into it, definitely," said Armstrong. But they aren't likely to go to the extremes of some of their male counterparts. "Women want nice stereos and nice rims, but they won't spend every penny they own," said Fanning.
Custom cars have been a part of Pollack's world almost all her life, from the time her mom gave her a Mustang in 1969 and she covered it in flowers. "This is part of the way I am," she said. "It's like having art with you all the time."
Without a doubt, decked-out cars like Pollack's turn heads when they roll down the street. Some think it's pretty cool and others think it's downright ugly, but Pollack believes that most everyone can at least appreciate the workmanship that goes into the airbrushing and other details.
"It might be drenched in materialism, but it does good," Pollack said. "It doesn't take anything away from anyone. ... Everybody gets to smile. It makes everybody happy."
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