Jul 18 2008
Jim Cooper was named the winner of the 2008 Hot Wheels® Spectraflame® “Paint Your Ride” Contest sponsored by the automotive refinish business of PPG Industries. The announcement was made at the 11th Annual Goodguys PPG Nationals here this past weekend.
Cooper, of Laguna Hills, Calif., was selected from 12 finalists that included custom painters, car builders and hot rod enthusiasts. Entrants created original paint schemes for their vehicles using eye-catching Hot Wheels® Spectraflame® colors available in the Vibrance Collection of finishes by PPG. The co-branded custom colors mimic those found on the Hot Wheels® line of die-cast toy vehicles from Mattel Inc.
Cooper’s winning entry was a 1956 Chevrolet Handyman two-door wagon painted in Hot Wheels® Spectraflame® Medium Sapphire by PPG with silver flames. Co-owned by Cooper’s wife, Melinda, the winning car features a blown 496 big block with turbo 400, a 9-inch rear, and an Air Ride suspension built by Randy Ward at Rod Benders.
“All the entries were truly spectacular, so it is a real honor to be named the winner,” Cooper said. “I was amazed to see all the wild and over-the-top finishes you can achieve with Spectraflame® paint!”
As winner of the grand prize, Cooper will receive an exclusive Hot Wheels® 1/18-inch scale model trophy featuring his winning paint scheme. The scheme will also be reproduced on a Hot Wheels® toy car to be introduced in 2009 by Mattel Inc. In addition, the ’56 Chevy wagon will be showcased in the PPG booth at the 2008 SEMA show in Las Vegas and displayed in a 2009 PPG color calendar along with other finalists. It will also appear in an upcoming issue of PPG Repaint Reporter magazine.
The panel of judges that selected the winning entry included Dave Perewitz of Perewitz Cycle Fabrication; Paul Stoll, PPG’s custom painting trainer; Larry Wood, chief designer at Hot Wheels®; Brian Brennan of Street Rodder; and Ed Capen of Goodguys Rod & Custom Association.
“We were so impressed with all the finalist cars. It was a very difficult decision,” Wood said. “Everyone has their own taste in cars, and each judge had their favorites. But in the end, we all agreed on the Chevy Wagon. It had everything – awesome paint, cool graphics, a great overall look.”
Hot Wheels® Spectraflame® paint colors are part of the array of custom finishes in the Vibrance Collection of finishes by PPG. The colors are: aqua, medium sapphire, lime gold, rich yellow gold, bright emerald, anti-freeze green, orange, bright red, Hot Wheels® blue, hot pink, light red, watermelon and purple.
To view the winning vehicle and all finalists of the 2008 Hot Wheels® Spectraflame® “Paint Your Ride” contest, visit www.ppgrefinish.com. For details and information on the Vibrance Collection of finishes by PPG and the Hot Wheels® Spectraflame® paint line, call 800-647-6050 or visit www.ppgrefinish.com.
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