John D’Agostino: Biography of a Legendary Car Customizer

For the 1999 show season, John was back to a Lincoln again with a full-size ’58 Continental Mark III named “Cool Cadinental” which was customized at Acme Custom Cars in Antioch. Darryl Hollenbeck painted it in shades of a kustom mixed DuPont Ice Blue Pearl. Bob Divine stitched the handcrafted interior. During the last few years, Air-Ride Technologies suspensions have been a major part of creative customizing, and John was one of the first to install it on his customs. This new Lincoln made its debut at the 50th Grand National Roadster Show in San Francisco and won plenty of awards. This kustom was toured extensively throughout Europe in 2000.

For the 2000 Grand National Roadster Show, John introduced two more Cadillacs, with a ’54 Coupe DeVille called “CAD STAR” as his own new car. Again it was built by Aiello and the two legends, Gene Winfield and Frank DeRosa. Winfield painted the Caddy in a color-shifting House of Kolor lime gold candy color with another Divine kustom interior. It won the prestigious “Joe Bailon Elegance Award.” The second Caddy was a project called “The Cadster” and was built by A&A, Slawinski, DeRosa, and D’Agostino and painted by Art Himsl. It started out as a ’59 Caddy Coupe DeVille but restyled to look like a Motorama Concept Kustom of the ’50s. It is now a wild two-seated roadster with a shorter wheelbase and chopped top and sectioned body. It was a major award-winner throughout the 2000 season capturing the “World’s Most Beautiful Custom” title. Both the “CAD STAR” and “Cadster” are now touring the Eastern United States and were previously on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Christies of Beverly Hills has been commissioned to auction the “Cadster” at Pebble Beach in August 2003.

For 2001, the 1967 Continental kustom, “Golden Sunset,” is his latest. It features a chopped top and many Kustom bodywork modifications by Oz’s Kustoms of Oroville, CA. DeRosa’s Customs of Pittsburg performed all the body finishing. It features a House of Kolor blended candy copper to white pearl kustom paint by Winfield and a sculptured interior by Bob Divine of Martinez, CA. It won the Joe Bailon Elegance Award already plus many other major awards. It was chosen by Rod & Custom Magazine (Top 10) Automobiles for 2001.

You can see most of John D’Agostino’s Kustoms on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles and Darryl Starbird’s Hall of Fame Museum in Afton, Oklahoma. John is a lifetime member of the West Coast Kustoms, Kustoms of America, and the Kustom Kemps of America. (continued)