Your gray 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer has 150,000 miles. A broken radio antenna dangles lifelessly from the back windshield; it’s the car’s only definable feature. To say your Lancer is generic would be putting it mildly. Unwashed and rather forgettable, it could be any number of vehicles in the parking lot.
The same, however, cannot be said about the custom rides at the second annual Summer Jamz Concert and Car Show this Saturday at Sun Life Stadium (2269 Dan Marino Blvd., Miami Gardens).
“Customizing cars is a passion; it’s from the heart,” event organizer Danny Perez says. “People take their creativity and their dreams and pour them into a car.”
From lowriders to hot rods, imports to sport bikes, Summer Jamz is a celebration of all things custom — chrome accessories, sound systems, engine modifications, etc. However, custom vehicles aren’t strictly for show.
“A lot has changed,” Perez says of the customizing scene. “Nowadays, people are buying older cars and bringing them up-to-date. They can’t afford car payments, so they take, say, a 1972 Caprice and buy a fuel-injected motor from a Chevy dealer, put a computer in it, and now you have a ’72 Caprice with a 2012 motor that you can drive from here to California.”
Summer Jamz kicks off at 3 p.m. General admission adult tickets cost $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Kids 10 and under get in for $8 advance, $10 at the door. Visit miamisummerjamz.com.
Sun., June 10, 3 p.m., 2012