Final Coat
PPG names winner of Paint Your Ride contest
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.
Cooper, of Laguna Hills, CA, was selected from 12 finalists that included custom painters, car builders and hot
rod enthusiasts. Entrants created original paint schemes
for their vehicles using 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.
“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 fea-
turing his winning paint scheme. The scheme will also be
reproduced on a Hot Wheels toy car to be introduced in
2009 by Mattel. 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.” CW
Jim Cooper’s winning entry in PPG’s 2008 Hot Wheels Spectraflame “Paint Your Ride”
Contest was a 1956 Chevrolet Handyman two-door wagon painted in Hot Wheels
Spectraflame Medium Sapphire with silver flames. Co-owned by Cooper’s wife, Melinda,
the winning car features a blown 496 big block with turbo 400, a nine-inch rear, and an
Air Ride suspension built by Randy Ward at Rod Benders.
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.
