When Lil' John Hateley was 19 years old he played Grandma Boone in a strawberry wine commercial.
Here ya go, take a watch:
That Academy-Award-Worthy granny wheelie started his career as a hollywood stunt double which helped support his chequered racing career.
Now, umpteen years later, he's still got the funk.
With a twinkle in his eye and a mischievous grin, he was delighted to take the cover off the new Champion-framed Triumph 750 flattrack racer he's built for Julian Heppekausen, Deus America's slide-happy GM. Hateley also played a big part in prepping and tuning Terry Triumph, the 1966 T120 that Julian won the Mexican 1000 on, covering each mile of the route and passing every checkpoint back in 2016.
Look out for the purple beast and JH517 on your local flat track in the 2018 season, and if you run into Lil' John at the MX, Flat, or any other kind of track, shake his hand for blazing the trail for motorcycle funtimes and forgive him for promoting bad wine!
Last week on Venice Boulevard, the local community of heritage Japanese auto enthusiasts descended upon the Emporium of Postmodern Activities.
A mix of '60s, '70s '80s, '90s and early '00s classics were on display, including rarities like a Toyota Stout 1900, a Datsun 280z and an adorable Nissan Pao.
Last weekend in Venice, the parking lot filled early. Coffee in hand, classics rolling in one by one, and sun-warmed concrete set the tone for the morning ahead.
Hosted alongside Meyers Manx, with friends BYRD Hair and DUNE Suncare, the gathering brought together an eclectic mix of cars, people and personalities - the kind of easy atmosphere that defined the early days of Deus Venice. Nothing overly programmed. Just a community of like-minded individuals coming together around the simple pleasure of a good morning drive.
There’s something about a classic buggy that captures the spirit of California exploration - equally at home chasing dust through Baja as it is pulling into your local taco stand. That same sense of freedom carried through the morning, as Meyers Manx buggies and a convoy of classics rolled out from the lot and into the streets of Venice under Pacific light.
Same again soon, The team at Deus Ex Machina, Los Angeles