Aldergrove resident Lars Van Linge introduced Kona, a customized 1956 Ford F-100 that took home the top award at the 91原创 Good Times Cruise-In on Sept. 7.
As a young boy, Van Linge, now 46, remembers putting together a blue 1956 Ford pickup model truck piece by piece.
鈥淚t sat on my shelf for years,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 always promised myself that when I got older and could afford to build my own, I would,鈥� Van Linge elaborated.
It was this vision that landed him the annual Shine Speed Shop Award of Excellence, presented by Jimmy Shine and last year鈥檚 winner Karl Fisher, also a resident of Aldergrove.
Cruise-In director Riccardo Sestito first hosted Shine, a well-known custom car builder from California, at the Cruise-In last year.
鈥淚 was pretty star-struck when Jimmy came up and started talking to me,鈥� Van Linge admitted.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think I was going to win because there were other cars that were just gorgeous,鈥� Van Linge said.
As he accepted the award on stage, he dedicated it to the metal fabricator of his truck, his friend Pat who recently died from a heart attack in spring.
鈥淭his is one of the last vehicles he worked on,鈥� Van Linge said.
Shine told the Aldergrove Star that his 鈥渉eart soared鈥� after hearing the incredible lengths Van Linge went to to build the truck of his dreams.
鈥淰an Linge poured his heart and soul into the truck 鈥� it wasn鈥檛 just simply paying money to have a car built, he could have gone to a dealership and bought a Ferrari with the money he spent on it,鈥� Shine elaborated.
Rather 鈥渉e had a vision and an idea鈥� he created something that only existed in his mind,鈥� he said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 exactly what I do,鈥� Shine added.
Van Linge, the founder of large-scale construction operation, began his search for the model in 2011, and came upon the bare bones of a F-100 cab, with suspension elements, and an old frame.
鈥淚 wanted a big window for the cab,鈥� which was a hard find as 鈥渇armers never paid extra for a bigger windows back then,鈥� the car buff explained.
Although Van Linge was reluctant to admit how much he has spent reconstructing the hot rod, he divulged that if he ever sold it 鈥� 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 take anything less than $170,000.鈥�
The hard-working father admitted to spending over $100,000 on professional polishes.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 been the most expensive part of the car,鈥� Van Linge chuckled.
The father took on help from 91原创-based Wicked Customs builder Scott Booth, after seeing him pull up in a 1965 mint green Volkswagen Beetle, which Van Linge instantly recognized as the first-ever custom car he owned and worked on.
鈥淎t that point, I said, 鈥榶ou鈥檙e the guy whose gonna help me build my truck,鈥欌�� he retold. Van Linge was particular on how he wanted Kona 鈥� a truck named after its shade of colour 鈥� to look.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of custom stuff on the truck that people wouldn鈥檛 recognize. It鈥檚 the way I wanted it,鈥� he explained.
鈥淚 came up with the idea to cut the back bumper and weld it into a front bumper,鈥� creating a sleek customization where the bumper 鈥渨raps around into the body work.鈥�
The truck鈥檚 rear fenders, constructed of steel, were 鈥渨edged out鈥� to create a straight line of build from front-to-back.
The truck took Wicked Customs specialists, including Booth and Pat, two-and-a-half years to finish 鈥� and happened just in time to escort his teenage daughter, Morgan, to her prom. Van Linge even let the 17-year-old drive the hot rod home after the Cruise-In.
Van Linge noted that he 鈥渄idn鈥檛 build the truck to show it, I built it for me.鈥�
