HOLLYWOOD, Calif., (April 2005) –Thousands of VIPs, celebrities, and guests arrived at
the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on April 9th to honor William H.
Smith as the 2005 Car Hobby’s Person of the Year. Under
his leadership as the former executive
director of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA), the largest collector car club in the world grew to
more than 60,000 members and 400 regional clubs worldwide. He was the
co-founder of the Automotive Restoration Marketing Organization (ARMA) and was
the driving force behind the renowned Hershey Swap Meet. Smith received
a standing ovation for his significant contributions to the car hobby as he was
presented with the prestigious Meguiar’s Award.
Other
highlights of the gala event included the recognition of tuner RJ de Vera and
pre-eminent automotive artist Ken Eberts as
“Treasures of the Hobby.” Each was celebrated for the impact and lasting imprints
that they have made and continue to make on the ever-expanding car hobby.
RJ
de Vera, known for his role in the popular sport compact or “tuner” market,
drew an audience eager to display their appreciation for the innovation and
enthusiasm he generated to energize the tuner segment of the hobby. The transition
from his first car, a mildly modified Acura Integra, to his fully customized Acura
Integra GS-R ignited de Vera’s focus on the tuner scene. His film career
began with a 30-second commercial for ARCO gas, he then
landed a role in "The Fast and the Furious," and is now a consultant
on the second sequel, "The Fast and the Furious 3." With his company, Image Makers Inc., he works
as a product, brand, lifestyle and marketing consultant to continue to grow the
tuner car culture.
Ken
Eberts, founding member of the prestigious Automotive
Fine Arts Society also received accolades as a “Treasure of the Hobby.” One of today’s foremost automotive fine arts artists, his
paintings have been reproduced as magazine and book covers, Christmas cards,
prints, and used as posters for automotive events since 1968. A graduate of New York’s
High School of Music
and Art and Los Angeles’
Art Center College of Design, Eberts began his career
as an automotive designer for the Ford Motor Company. Over 1,000 of his
original paintings are in public and private collections worldwide.
A
veritable Who’s Who of car crazy celebrities walked the red carpet to pay
homage to these dynamic car hobby personalities. King of Kustomizers
George Barris, football great Anthony
Davis, award-winning designer and
star of Overhaulin’ Chip Foose, hot rodding
aficionado and ZZ Top guitarist Billy
Gibbons, and hip hop artist DJ Skribble all gave television and radio
interviews. The event will air on a
future episode of Meguiar’s Car Crazy
seen weekly on the SPEED Channel.
Upon
arriving at the Kodak Theatre guests were welcomed with a stunning display of
vehicles from exotics, tuners, and lowriders, to sports cars, customs, street
rods and classics. An extremely rare
1956 Jaguar XKSS that was twice owned by actor Steve McQueen was on stage
together with other vehicles that represented the broad scope of the car hobby.
“The Meguiar’s Award embraces the entire car hobby, which includes car guys who
enjoy wildly diverse rides that span the full automotive spectrum,” says
Meguiar’s President and CEO Barry Meguiar. “The common thread of passion for the automobile
ties this diversity together for an evening that pays tribute to those who have
shaped the hobby for generations of enthusiasts to enjoy.”
An
inaugural “Family of the Year” award was presented to the Cade
family from Turlock, California who epitomizes how the car hobby
offers a variety of opportunities, regardless of age, gender, or culture, for
families to spend time together. The audience was treated to a video clip
depicting their love of cars and family and showed how they merged the two to
form strong family ties that will pass to future generations. The “car crazy”
gene was evident as the entire family came on stage to accept their
well-deserved award.
George
Phillips of Jacksonville, Florida,
representing the thousands of volunteers who unselfishly provide
behind-the-scenes support to car events across America, earned the distinction of becoming
the first “Volunteer of the Year.” Phillips combined his love of cars and his
desire to give back to the community by volunteering hundreds of hours of
personal time to the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, which provides charitable donations to
deserving organizations in the Jacksonville/North Florida area.
Established
to honor individuals who have significantly impacted the car hobby, former
Meguiar’s Award recipients include avid car collector and Tonight Show host Jay Leno, Robert E. Petersen, founder of Petersen
Publishing, Joseph “Corky” Coker,
chairman of SEMA and president of Coker Tire Company, and the late J.B.
Nethercutt, founder of the
Nethercutt Collection, who received a special posthumous tribute this year.
The
internationally acclaimed Meguiar's Awards are held in several countries around
the world. The recipient is chosen by an independent panel of leading
automotive journalists and serious car enthusiasts that evaluate the impact that
each nominee has had on the visibility, growth, orchestration and quality of
the car hobby in their country. In the U.S. alone, the car hobby enjoys
more than 30 million participants. For
more information on the Meguiar’s Award, visit www.meguiars.com.
For ticket information, or a 2006 nomination form, please contact Elizabeth
Perry or Kim Milman at JMPR at 818-992-4353.
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