The legend of "Zapata" (the car) began with a simple trade. Juan Angel Pena of Houston, Texas, traded his old project vehicle for a nicely painted '80 Buick Regal, which was then used by Juan and his family as their Sunday cruiser. The car sported a super-clean paint job and a little bit of chrome here and there.
One day, Juan and his childhood friend Joe Rivera decided to join one of the many elite car clubs in the Lone Star State, Latin Kustoms C.C. from Houston. Juan and Joe started talking and Juan began to think about what he could do to his Regal Sunday driver. It wasn't long before Juan decided to go all-out and dedicate a lot of time and money to the project.
The Buick was totally redone with a full frame-off restoration and lots of body work. The car started to take shape while the crew from Latin Kustoms worked days, evenings and even a few all-nighters so that no part of the car would be left untouched. After a grueling nine months, the project started to show its potential and Juan hasn't stopped since. Juan was so happy with the ride's evolution (or revolution) that he dubbed it Zapata after one of his heroes, Mexican revolutionary figure Emiliano Zapata. Juan thanks his family, especially his wife and child, as well as his second familia, Latin Kustoms C.C., for aiding the cause.
This colorful Regal has the passion to hunt down the competition and stop it in its tracks, especially if they try to front on the show floor. So if you're in Zapata territory, make sure that you bring out the big guns and get ready for the fight of your life while the judges decide who will take on this one-of-a-kind Regal that's always getting hunted down by the competition.
He dubbed it "Zapata" after one of his heroes, Mexican revolutionary figure Emiliano Zapata.
Zapata
Owner: Juan Angel Pena
Vehicle: '80 Buick Regal
City/State: Houston, Texas
Club: Latin Kustoms C.C.
Engine/Drivetrain: The Latin Kustoms C.C. "shop" in Pasadena, Texas, took the engine apart and then rebuilt and adorned it with tons of chrome accessories to make it stand out from the rest. The rumble that they're hearing in Houston is Juan's custom dual Flowmaster exhaust.
Body/Paint: The car was taken apart by the crew at Latin Kustoms and then sent to Israel Diaz at Diaz Customs in Pasadena, where the body was smoothed and shaved. Pedro Fraire at Fraire's Customs in Houston stepped up with House of Kolor Sunrise Yellow paint highlighted with Sunset Orange to give the car its unique color scheme. Before it was cleared, the body was tagged up with murals of Zapata on both doors to show off its pride. The pinstriping was provided by Snake's House in South Houston.
Interior: The interior was redone by Pedro at Latin Kustoms with custom leather pillow seats. The vehicle was also adorned with custom-made neon that reads "Zapata."
Sound System: The team at Latin Kustoms installed two 10-inch Lightning Audio woofers, a pair of MB Quart 6x9s, twin tweeters and two Linear Power amps to push the system to its limits. The car transfers soundwaves through an in-dash CD/DVD player with 7-inch Pyle monitor.
Setup: The revolutionary moves come with a little help from 10 switches that control two Fenner Stone pumps, Delta dumps, and 8-inch cylinders in the front and 10-inch in the rear, with juice provided by four batteries. The custom setup is neatly enclosed in a custom fiberglass lid that covers the trunk with smooth continuous body lines. Latin Kustoms finished the trunk, but Robert Robledo pulled off the hydro installation at Southeast Hydraulics in Pasadena. Auto Chrome in Houston gets the credit for chrome plating the suspension.
Tires: P155/80-R13 radials
Wheels: 13-inch L.A. Wire with custom-painted spokes to match the car