Once again, Galpin Auto Sports headlines the show's custom and exotic car exhibits.
Galpin's chutzpah in leading the LA Auto Show charge deserves a hat tip. So, we’re devoting our first LA Auto Show report to Galpin and its custom car operations, Galpin Auto Sports.
By Roy Nakano & Doug Stokes
Sat, Sep 16, 2023 09:12 PM PST
Featured Image: An array of Broncos (image courtesy of the LA Auto Show and Galpin Auto Sports).
This article is a part of
2023 Los Angeles Auto Show
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It's evidently still a bit early for most of the automotive movers and shakers to commit to the LA Auto Show. As of this writing, if you click the Automotive Brands "Discover More" link prominently at the top of the LA Auto Show site, you're greeted with the names of some brands along with the locations of their exhibits. Click the equally prominent Test Drives & Rides "Discover More" link, and it’s similarly short on specifics.
There's a third choice at the top of the site: Custom & Exotic Cars. And its "Discover More" link actually delivers some information - i.e., an announcement that Galpin Auto Sports will once again sponsor the show's custom and exotic car exhibits in the Convention Center's Concours Hall and Foyer.
In The Beginning, Galpin Motors
Galpin Motors goes back to 1946, when it merely sold cars from a dealership in the San Fernando Valley. Today, Galpin still sells cars, but it now sells a full spectrum of global brands. In addition to having the largest Ford dealership in the world, the Galpin dealership includes Aston Martin, Honda, Jaguar, Lincoln, Lotus, Mazda, Volkswagen and Volvo. Under the ownership of Bert and Jane Boeckmann, and now Beau Boeckmann and family, Galpin has expanded the enterprise to fully reflect their credentials as automotive enthusiasts.
Then Came Galpin Auto Sports
In addition to his role with Galpin Motors, Beau Boeckmann is also President of Galpin Auto Sports (also known as GAS)—a custom car and automotive repair shop like no other. The GAS shop was the venue for the MTV show “Pimp My Ride” in its most recent seasons. In addition to customizing older cars, GAS lends its custom car magic to new rides. For years now, Galpin Auto Sports has been gracing new and old customs for the LA Auto Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center’s Concourse Hall and Foyer.
Galpin At The LA Auto Show
Ask anyone who has attended the Galpin exhibit at the LA Auto Show, and you're very likely to get a bit of hesitation from them.
No, it’s not that they don’t remember, it’s that they are most likely trying to sort out which of the multi-faceted impressions they need to let out first, mentally grappling with a whole headful of automotive adventure and how to possibly explain it all in calm, legible terms.
And the Galpin exhibit at the Auto Show fully promises to be that same sort of visual and tactile overload this time around.
The LA Auto Show
The LA Show has long been tactically impossible to visit completely in one day. So it’s our contention here that, if you only have one, and still value creativity, get a kick out of innovation, and have seen enough grill-less e-cars, our suggestion is a bit of R&R (that’s Rock and Roll not Rest and Rehab, by the way) at Galpin’s chunk of the LA Auto Show where performance and style are celebrated and the automobile still understood as more (much more!) than just transportation.
Pacing, hydration, the wearing of sensible shoes are all givens, forget the concession stand “food” and get a hall pass to walk just a few blocks North for lunch at the Pantry, if you must collect literature, print up some clean-looking personal calling cards and ask that the full package be sent your way after the show (and backpacks, by the way, even cool-looking ones, are NOT cool at the Show). Take the train if it’s convenient, park in the Convention Center (I know: $$$!), as street parking anywhere near is (very sadly) a sure way to have a window busted in … sorry.
The LA Auto Show is an annual rite of passage held in the late Fall/early Winter here in the basin. Adventure is afoot.
Just The Facts
What: Galpin Hall of Customs at the LA Auto Show
In the words of the LA Auto Show organizers: “Galpin Auto Sport is the customization division of Galpin dealerships, one of the largest family-owned dealership groups in America. The Custom Hall shows customized, mind-blowing gadgets, exotics, classics, and limited editions – as well as the unique paint creations that every car enthusiast dreams of.”
When: November 17-26, 2023
Where: Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA. 90015
How: Go to laautoshow.com for ticket information and more details about the show.
About The Authors
Roy Nakano gave birth to LACar in the late '90s, having previously delivered LA Audio File back in the '80s. Aside from the occasional review, Roy likes to stray off the beaten automotive path: "Six Degrees of Reparations" reflected on the regretful ethical paths taken by car companies throughout history. "Traveling Through the Past and Present of the Green Book" looked at businesses that took a stand against racism and the man that wrote the book on where to find them. "Best Cars to Drive in Rush Hour Traffic" was an LACar guide published in the pre-GPS era. "In Search of the First Datsun 510 Tuner" looked at one of the milestones in the origin of import tuners.
Together with
Doug has a long and wide-ranging history in the motoring business. He served five years as the Executive Director of the International Kart Federation, and was the PR guy for the Mickey Thompson's Off-Road Championship Gran Prix. He worked racing PR for both Honda and Suzuki and was a senior PR person on the first Los Angeles (Vintage) Grand Prix. He was also the first PR Manager for Perris Auto Speedway, and spent over 20 years as the VP of Communications at Irwindale Speedway. Stokes is the recipient of the American Autowriters and Broadcaster’s 2005 Chapman Award for Excellence in Public Relations and was honored in 2015 by the Motor Press Guild with their Dean Batchelor Lifetime Achievement Award. “… I’ve also been reviewing automobiles and books for over 20 years, and really enjoy my LA Car assignments.” he added.
