Lucky 13 – The Custom Car Revival Celebrates 13 Years of Commemorating Traditional Cruisers
When Kevin Anderson hosted the first Custom Car Revival in Indianapolis, he had little idea that it would still be going strong 14 years later. At the time, he simply wanted to host a gathering of like-minded enthusiasts who appreciate traditional-style custom cars, without the dilution of other genres and styles that typically happens at larger shows. The idea proved successful with a core group of custom owners and connoisseurs, and here we are more than a decade later marking the lucky 13th installment of this laid-back custom-focused party.
The 2026 Custom Car Revival continued the tradition of bringing together a great selection of custom cars and trucks, focusing on period-style rides from late-’30s taildraggers to early-’60s cruisers. “There is no other show in the country where you’ll find 200 traditional customs,” Anderson says. “Our centrally located physical location in Indy helps us here, of course!” So does the focus on keeping the show exclusive for vintage-style vehicles with whitewalls, fender skirts, and classic custom modifications, an effort that’s maintained by an approval process for the limited number of spots.
The Revival is truly a stripped-down, back-to-basics show that’s focused on giving participants time to linger, hang out, and catch up with each other. It’s held at a local hotel where participants have access to both grass or asphalt parking, multiple swimming pools, and multiple food options. That helps makes it a family-friendly event, too.
This year the show welcomed participants from more than 35 states, from New York to California, Canada to Texas and Florida, and everywhere in between. There were more than a dozen legitimate or cloned historic customs at the show, including originals from Barris Kustoms, the Alexander Brothers, Darryl Starbird, Gene Winfield, and others. The show also honored 16 customs that had been featured in The Rodder’s Journal over the years.
The show is primarily focused on gathering and celebrating customs in a non-competitive atmosphere, but there are some awards and trophies handed out. In a rare appearance, the Barris-built, Barry Mazza-restored Aztec ’55 Chevy was there and took home the America’s Most Beautiful Custom award, as chosen by show participants. Brian Omatsu’s vibrant ’51 Mercury was named the King of Mercs, David Conrad’s ’36 Ford claimed the Top Taildragger trophy, and Steve Lepold’s ’50 Ford won Top Shoebox. There were a number of other awards presented by notable custom builders, personalities, and Hall of Famers.
The beauty of the Custom Car Revival, though, is not the awards, honors, or accolades. It’s the opportunity to gather with fellow custom car and truck fans and celebrate the colorful and creative tradition of automotive alteration and personalization as it was practiced back in heyday of American car design. If you’re a fan of taildraggers, leadsleds, and candy-colored midcentury machines, you might want to check out this gathering next year. Don’t wait too long to make plans, though. As a sign of the event’s popularity, half of next year’s participant capacity has already been pre-reserved. For more details, check out Custom Car Revival.
Words and Photos: Ron Hensley
