After owning two older-style customs, a black ’49 Olds Coupe and a ’60 Buick in midnight blue pearl Invicta, John got another new car, a ’72 Buick Riviera “Boattail” that he took to Himsl for some wild customizing. “This time, I had a top designer sketch an artist’s rendering of the car for me, before we got started,” says John. Among the modifications were the grille, headlights, taillights, and the wheel wells, which were radiused and flared. Art Himsl and Mike Hass also painted the Buick in candy red metalflake, toned to different shades of tangerine with silver scallops. It was awarded “INTERNATIONAL CLASS CHAMPION” in the full custom category in the 1972-73 season. “I can remember taking pictures alongside baseball great Reggie Jackson in front of the Buick at the San Mateo show that year” says John. “Customs were scarce in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I showed my customized Lincoln ’72 Mark IV that was built at Himsl’s Custom Paint Studio in Concord, California. The Lincoln was sold right out of the Oakland show to a Lincoln dealer in San Francisco.”
In the summer of 1973, John spent some time with car customizer Bill Hines and his son Mike in Los Angeles. One night they took John to see the movie American Graffiti. “I immediately wanted a custom ’51 Mercury,” he says. He found one nearly restored in nearby Concord, but the car was so nice that he simply finished the restoration and showed it for the first time at the 1973 Santa Rosa Autorama. He decided to buy another Mercury to customize; this one was owned by a fireman in Castro Valley, CA, and would later become the “Midnight Sensation.” D’Agostino took that Merc to Rod Powell’s shop in Salinas, California, for a top chop–the first such surgery on a Merc that was done at Powell’s. Next John took the Merc to Bill Hines’ shop in Bellflower, California, for a lowering job. At the shop he decided to have some additional customizing work done, including the installation of a ’54 Pontiac grille, ’52 Lincoln taillights, and ’53 Buick teardrop headlights. “With all the work done and the car in white primer,” John recalls, “I remember cruising down to the parking lot at the 1975 Oakland Roadster Show, then finding the car. (continued)
MIKE, JOHN: I’ve got our crew holding Mar. 4 for cover shoot, pending confirmation from you guys. The phone number listed on this site is disconnected, and Tracy directory assistance has nothing under Celebrity. Help! -DW
I’ve sent a note to John, hopefully he gets back to me soon 🙂
Hey John, it’s Randy Kerdoon from KNX 1070 and the Talking About Cars podcast! Interviewed you at Barrett-Jackson with Elvis 3 this past January….wanted to let you know your interview is going up on our podcast on iTunes and Soundcloud Friday morning (6/17/2016) around 7a-9a PT. with our interview of Mike Joy from Barrett-Jackson & Fox Sports! Anything your “people” could do to help promote it on social media, word of mouth…or anything you could do! thanks and enjoy!
I’m trying to find out of John built a 1961 Oldsmobile. A guy is trying to sell one that supposedly has John’s signature on the dash dated 2007. It’s a gold with white leather interior. Please let me know ASAP if this is John’s car. It has a Barrett Jackson tag on the back.
JOHN: Please contact chuck dybdal. Tommy Nunnelly sent some information about you for a bio to be placed on the Pittsburg Entertainment & Arts Hall of Fame website, and I need you to approve it before we put it up…contact me at ced30@aol.com or (925) 642-7321. Think Tommy was inspired because Frank DeRosa has been voted into our Hall of Fame this year…you can check out his and over 100 other bios of Pittsburg artists at http://www.pittsburgentertainmentandarts.org…thanks