Keith Charvonia’s Custom Built 1951 Kaiser Manhattan To Be Featured in Hot Rod Magazine
PHOENIX, AZ. — October 3, 2007 — OmniMount, the global leader in consumer and commercial A/V mounting and furniture solutions, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, announced today that Industrial Designer Keith Charvonia won Best Kustom in Hot Rod Magazine’s Homebuilt Heros contest.
The contest featured 25 different categories including Overall Best Homebuilt Hero. The grand prize winner will be featured on the cover of the magazine while the other 24 category winners will be featured alongside the car picture provided in the entry. The 25 winners also walk away with over 650 dollars in prizes donated by 16 of Hot Rod’s monthly advertisers.
Judging was based on relevance to theme and detail/clarity of vehicle specs, homebuilt evidence and photographic excellence. The pictures were shot by OmniMount employee Tommy Fradenburgh.
Charvonia, a brand marketing industrial designer, customized a 1951 Kaiser Manhattan for the contest. His car is a modern take on 1950’s American style cars that fall under the Kustom car genre category. Keith’s car, though fitting in the Kustom category because of the year and modifications, was built with a more minimal, speed-oriented style.
Among the many modifications on the completely home-built car, Charvonia added an LT1 350 motor, air suspension, 6″ chop and converted the car from a four door to a two door. Charvonia learned welding, sheet metal fabrication, wiring, plumbing and mechanical work in order to customize cars on his own.
“I feel very honored and pleased that they chose my car as one of the winners,” said Charvonia. “It is a nice reward for all of the long hours I have worked on the car and it will be such a great feeling to see it in one of my favorite car magazines. This contest is a great forum to recognize some amazing homebuilt cars that might otherwise never be seen by the public eye.”
Hot Rod is the oldest magazine devoted to the hobby of hot rodding. Published since 1948, Hot Rod offers information on classic cars, street rods and other custom cars.
Talking Points:
• OmniMount Industrial Designer, Keith Charvonia, wins the Best Kustom category in Hot Rod magazine’s Homebuilt Heros contest.
• Charvonia is one of 25 contest winners who will be featured in the magazine.
• Charvonia customized a 1951 Kaiser Manhattan for the contest.
About OmniMount
For nearly 30 years, OmniMount has upheld its position as a global leader by continually evolving the industry through product innovation and the creation of new product categories. Represented worldwide in 59 countries to date, OmniMount products have been recognized for groundbreaking design, high quality and long-term reliability. Thanks in part to the company’s in-house industrial design and engineering team, known as ID&E, precise attention to detail and quality control standards are built into every product, producing the most breakthrough and well-built products on the market. Today, the OmniMount product line features hundreds of mounting solutions that cover the demands of nearly every application. From the smaller speaker to the largest flat panel and everything in between, OmniMount has been a pioneer in developing professional and consumer products to maximize the home theater experience. For a closer look, visit www.omnimount.com.
