CAR CLUB OF THE MONTH SUBMISSION GUIDELINES To submit a club for consideration as an upcoming featured Car Club, please send a link to the club’s website (if applicable) and include with the submission the name and location of the club as well as the full first and last name, email address and/or phone number of a club leader or spokesperson who can supply the necessary information and imagery. Submissions may be emailed to [email protected], or mailed in hard-copy or flash-drive form to: Mecum Auctions 445 South Main Street Walworth, WI 53184 ATTN: Mecum Magazine Submission ROD-TIQUES OF KANSAS CITY By Brian Thalhammer When Mike Winfrey saw an ad for a Hot Rod club in the Kansas City Star newspaper at just 18 years old, he knew it would be an excellent opportunity to share his love for American-made steel and gasoline-chugging big-blocks with other like-minded fans. He took his custom 1934 Ford and joined the Rod-Tiques crew, a Kansas City-based car club that idolizes automobiles made in 1948 and earlier. A full 52 years later, Winfrey remains an active member of Rod-Tiques, and while the club has evolved over the years like many organizations do to accommodate the times, Rod-Tiques continues to focus on what made it great back when Winfrey first joined: a love for all things Hot Rod, active community participation and events that allow the members to enjoy their rides while fundraising for amazing causes. Winfrey, co-owner of Hot Rod Express Speed Shop, servicing Kansas City, has been involved in the automotive industry since he was just a teenager. Recalling one of his first business ventures in 1964, Winfrey said he was selling car parts at the young age of just 14. By age 17, Winfrey purchased his 1934 Ford, styled with a chopped-top and a big-block Chevrolet engine—features that many Hot Rod aficionados might say create the perfect inauguration into a world of custom car fascination. Winfrey drove this gnarly masterpiece for eight years, with it serving as his only set of wheels for the first year and a half, meaning he drove it daily to both school and work like a truly dedicated Hot Rod fanatic. After graduation, Winfrey had to acquire a more modern car, but he kept and appreciated the old Ford for several years. Winfrey explained that he eventually sold the car and began a sort of rotation. “I’d then sell it, build another one, sell that, build another,” he said in describing his string of custom creations. It’s a pattern that many accomplished car builders have followed, and the best of them have done so with the same rigor and determined attitude that Winfrey has always employed. 102 // MECUM.COM
