Over the last couple of years the custom car and bike scenes have drawn together in a way that we haven't seen since the mid-1970s, when custom bike building was still very much in its infancy. At that time, customised motorcycles were generally just an appendage to car shows, but the emergence of one or two very talented builders, along with the formation of the National Chopper Club in 1973, helped to create a thriving and self-sufficient custom bike scene in this country over the next few years that continued to grow while the big car shows went into decline, with the famous Ally Pally show winding up in 1982 and Belle Vue doing likewise the following year.

The successful debut of a car display at last year's Bulldog Bash introduced ‘proper' custom cars (ie not Vauxhall Novas with frenched lights and £3000-worth of ICE) to an audience too young to remember the heyday of the big car shows. While there has always been a natural crossover between the two scenes in terms of engineering, the current trend for old skool chops has brought cars and bikes closer still, as they both draw on hot rod styling for inspiration. I'd lay money that we will see more and more integrated shows in the future, but one of the first to take the bull by the horns was the Hells Angels London's 1 st Chop and Rod Show.

The North-South divide of this country is a marriage made in heaven compared to the division between East and West London . Once I'm on the western side of the slicing swathe of the M1 I'm in a foreign country, which is my excuse for getting hopelessly lost trying to find the Cricketers pub in Twickenham, Middlesex. That, and putting my faith in the RAC's directions… By the time I eventually arrived (approximately three minutes before I was about to give up and go home) the forecourt in front of the pub was already filling up with cars. Parked right outside of the main doors was Woody's huge and somewhat grubby 1960 Cadillac DeVille, presumably present on the grounds that it would take up loads of space in case nothing else turned up.

To one side was the bike show, although by mid-afternoon that had extended beyond the pub and the adjacent Travel Inn to every scrap of ground where a bike could be parked. One of the early arrivals was Grahame Maker with his blue Magnacharger (as featured in a recent issue of BSH), along with two bikes that he'd just finished and which he'd persuaded a couple of his mates to ride down. One look at the sparkly orange RevTech and the very sweet old skool chopper and you knew that they wouldn't have had to be persuaded too hard!

Lurking behind them was one of my favourite bikes of the day, a low and minimal Harley with the unmistakeable styling of Chica Customs. Talking to the owner later, I discovered that it had originally been Chica's own bike, which is an impressive bit of provenance.
Although the only date that HAMC London had been able to arrange clashed with the Hot Rod Drags, one of the main events of the rodding year, there was still a respectable turnout of four-wheeled vehicles, ranging from a tricked-up Ford Anglia and a satin black Model B with a decoupage roof lining through to a lovely beast of a '68 Dodge Charger. If ever any car deserved the much over-used epithet of ‘sexy' it's the Dodge Charger, and this one was also responsible for causing the biggest grin of the day when it peeled away in a rolling burnout down the dual carriageway.

There were some trophies for the best bikes and cars of the day (top awards going to Grahame's Magnacharger and a beautiful '32 roadster), but those were very much an extra to the show. With the sun beating down and a laid back atmosphere, most people were far more interested in just having a beer, wandering around the cars and bikes, and just generally enjoying a most chilled-out afternoon. Those who stayed for the evening entertainment were treated to three very good bands in the shape of Mini Skirt Blues,The Surfin' Gorillas and The Hi-Liners playing in the pub's function room, with the very civilised option of being able to sit around tables, something that was much appreciated by those of us too decrepit or embarrassed to dance.
Considering that not only was this a first event but also one which varied from the norm, it was an unqualified success, and it certainly ensured that there'll be a 2 nd Rod & Chop Show. By which time I might even have talked Woody into parting with his Caddy…