My Visit To The Quonset Hut Of Speed

I’d love to own a mirror straight and jet black ’65 Riviera, but I’ve always been afraid that such a car would own me instead. So, I’ve gone about my Verde Green example very casually. From my first conversation with Jamie at Atlas Speed & Custom, I made it clear that I wasn’t interested in worrying about a laser straight car with a $20,000 paint job. Instead I wanted an honest car that would pass for straight(ish) and look just fine going down the road, because at the end of the day that is exactly what I plan on doing with this car – drive it, not show it.

On Wednesday, I flew up North to Denison, TX to see just how Jamie had managed my quest for simple. I was able to land a $64 Southwest ticket and the 300 mile drive home was something I desperately needed, so everything just sort of fell into place. I spent much of the morning hanging out with the boys of Atlas and checking out the Quonset Hut Of Speed.

And, of course, I got my Riviera back. Jamie nailed it.

The paint that was on the car was lifting in spots and was actually a bit off from the preferred/factory Buick color, so we decided to right that wrong. While Jamie was at it, we figured it was a good opportunity to loose a few of the body appointments as well. The Buick emblems on either side of the front fenders were removed as well as the mirror, the rear trunk lock, and the faux-vent located just below the rear window. This conservative shave job is a rather common one with these first-gen Rivs and it’s easy to see why – the end result is a much more sanitary look that allows Bill Mitchell’s lines to pop with more intensity than before. It’s just cleaner and better looking.

I was originally planning to feature all of that work today, but I just haven’t had the time to get her out to a location for some glamour shots. Instead, I thought I would show you some snap shops from my day. A few weeks ago, I found a roll of expired film and decided to load it in the old Leica to see what would happen. I think the resulting tones and gritty texture do a pretty good job of conveying how it feels to walk around Atlas Speed and just shoot the shit. The road trip shots are just a bonus…

Anyway, more soon…