Bob Kolmos: Driven

Bob Kolmos was driven until the moment he passed quietly with family by his side on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015. But enough about passing, unless we’re talking about being passed on Interstate 5 by Bob and his wife Sharon in their silhouette-matching ’32 Ford hot rods, maybe heading north for a weekend in Kernville or Pleasanton. Bob and Sharon and their Deuces have achieved iconic status in the hot rod world, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

I met Bob in 1974 when he and two pals, Ronnie Patitucci and John Buttera, were living in Ronnie’s mother’s duplex in San Gabriel. All three boys grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and when Ronnie escaped the severe winters in 1967, Bob and Lil’ John weren’t far behind. Ronnie went to work for the City of Los Angeles and Buttera worked with Mickey Thompson and started his own race car business, while Bob eventually became manager of the L.A Dealer Auto Auction where he met his wife of 34 years, Sharon, and her daughters, Kris and Dyan.

When Bob and Sharon first met it seems that even though there was the obvious physical attraction, it was the hot rods that Bob so dearly loved that she found interesting. Little did she know that Bob’s appetite for cars and motorcycles would start flowing through her veins much in the same way as her lifetime love for horses. Bob and Sharon found a way to share their interests and built a beautiful horse/hot rod farm in Chino, California where the family could gather and share the love.

In 1985, Bob started a four-year Deuce Tudor Phaeton project with Hot Rods by Boyd, followed close behind in 1987 by a chopped Deuce Tudor sedan for Sharon by Fat Jack’s with a killer front-end designed by Buttera. The sedan was another four-year project, and to date, both cars have combined mileage of 170,000 miles—driven.

What this story is really about is the commitment Bob made to the hot rod car hobby. I don’t think there’s a California hot rodder, north or south, who hasn’t seen Bob and Sharon in attendance at almost every car event rain or shine. It’s crazy, but there they are with good friend Ronnie P. in tow, and maybe even John Corno when things are just right. But the real homerun was in 2012 at the Grand National Roadster Show.

In celebration of the 80th anniversary of the ’32 Ford, Bob came up with the idea of filling Pomona Fairplex Building 6 with 80 “Driven Deuces.” Bob, Sharon and a select group of judges would handpick 80 of the most deserving ’32 Ford hot rods. They not only had to perfect in every way, but they also had to be driven, not hangar queens. Bob and crew spent two years on the project: selecting the cars (then suffering the wrath of fools), taking care of accommodations, designing ceiling/drape banners for each participant, and he did it all from his wheelchair (which is a story for another day).

Bob is survived by his wife Sharon, daughters Kris and Dyan, as well two beautiful and serious rodeo cowgirl granddaughters Jessi and Cori, all following the family legacy.’’

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