As soon as I get home I will post my vintage 80's mini collection ... or what my mom did not throw away.
Photography Credit: David S. Wallens
The ingredients needed to make a sticker are rather simple: vinyl, glue, ink and a backing material. Then there’s the magical pixie dust, the artwork that gives a sticker life, value and meaning.
Who among us hasn’t attached something special to a sticker? Exactly: zero.
It’s how we show support, remember events, and tell the world about ourselves. My wife, the runner, has a 26.2 on the back of her Civic Si. The side widows of my 911, I admit, have become a mosaic of vinyl. My friend Phil, a graphic illustrator, just posted a picture of some vintage Apple Computer stickers along with a thank-you.
Our message board community recently hosted its own sticker exchange. I participated and received an envelope full of sticky vinyl, a mix of car and bike logos save for one showing Minnie and Mickey kissing. (I know, awww.)
A while back I came across some Datsun Li’l Hustler stickers. They’re totally ’60s, showing a cartoon Datsun pickup erupting from a cloud of psychedelic smoke while pulling a most righteous wheelie. The redline tires only add to the effect. I did the only proper thing with them: Posted a photo to Instagram. I wasn’t the only one enamored with the find.
Should I die tonight–hit by a bus, attacked by a wild pack of chihuahuas, whatever–the detective assigned to the case would only have to open my top-right desk drawer to find my life story. (Please let it be Jerry Orbach, Abe Vigoda or Tyne Daly.) The pile of stickers found inside paints an immediate picture of who I am and what I like. It’s a mix of cars, bikes and music, from Porsche Punx and Condor Speed Shop to Vans and Park Ave. CDs.
All of us have such a collection–or, rather, collections. Dig through the artifacts on my bookshelf and you’ll find several envelopes stuffed with reminders of places I visited while in Japan: Tokyo Auto Salon, Twin Ring Motegi, Super Autobacs, Ebisu Circuit and more. Somewhere I also have a collection of vintage stickers–lots dating back to the ’70s–and while looking for something here in my office I recently unearthed some from later decades. I think they multiply at night.
Then there’s the other sticker haul that we all own–those that are stuck to something. If you think about it, that’s really allowing each sticker to fulfill its true meaning of life. What’s covering up our toolboxes? Stickers. The lift? Stickers. The garage fridge? Yep, more stickers.
Our weekly live show takes place in J.G.’s shop, which was built by Butch, his father-in-law. The bits of colored vinyl scattered throughout are a testament to Butch’s SoCal hotrodder roots. It’s a mix of sanctioning bodies and iconic American speed shops like Mooneyes, Honest Charley’s and the ever-sneering, cigar-chomping Mr. Horsepower. Sadly Butch is longer with us, but 5 minutes in his shop would tell you a lot about him.
The other day I passed a dark-green Miata here in town. I’d never seen the car before and, obviously, didn’t know the owner. On the front fender was a GRM sticker, though. I’m going to assume that we’d probably have plenty to talk about.
Have your own sticker collection? I’d love to see it.
As soon as I get home I will post my vintage 80's mini collection ... or what my mom did not throw away.
In reply to Slippery :
Please share. Remember those prism BMX stickers from the '70s? I have a ton of those--like, the full inventory from a shop that went out of business in the mid '80s. One day I need to photograph and share.
I used up the majority of my sticker collection a few weeks ago on the exposed wheel well in the van.
David S. Wallens said:In reply to Slippery :
Please share. Remember those prism BMX stickers from the '70s? I have a ton of those--like, the full inventory from a shop that went out of business in the mid '80s. One day I need to photograph and share.
Had a bunch of those that you would get out of the little coin slide machines at the skating rink as a kid
My latest sticker project. 
I'm weirdly hesitant to actually use stickers, like if I stick them to a car then the car will someday go away and I'll lose my sticker along with it. Or the laptop will break and my sticker will be wasted, etc.
That said, I think I'm going to start putting stickers on parts that could be transferred to another car, like a spoiler or something.
Here's some of the ones I picked up recently from OHOAT (I know David will know):
Ha, I ordered one of those same stickers. Plus I have Syd's stickers on the M3. 
Well the beer fridge is the target out in the shop.
It's a long story, but everyone needs a brick of Vans stickers, right?
I have a box full of run of the mill stickers, but a bunch of oddball and vintage bike stuff. But here's some car stickers
This is my porting vac. I have different attachments for different size ports. After I sold my first house I drove by one day and saw it at the curb so, knowing how well it always worked, I scooped it. It has to be at least 40 years old and still works great.
These are really cool. The material is like chrome and the individual stickers pull out.
That's my buddy's Metro on the tech stickers. I set a record in that car
Displaying 1-10 of 124 commentsView all comments on the GRM forums
You'll need to log in to post.
