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Hot rodding has lost one of its most colorful characters. Midwest icon Barry
Hot rodding has lost one of its most colorful characters. Midwest icon Barry “Lord of Low” Lobeck passed away Thursday, January 6th. He had been battling cancer in recent months. He was 60.
A staple of the Midwest hot rod scene since 1974 when his flamed ’40 Ford coupe landed on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine, Lobeck and his wife Ginny have operated Lobeck’s V8 Shop & Hot Rod Parts since 1984 as well as the Just a Hobby chassis shop in Cleveland, Ohio. Together they turned Lobeck’s into a “one stop shop” for hot rodders offering everything from door hinges to complete turnkey rods & customs.
A native of Springfield, Lobeck was one of the most popular hot rod builders outside California, building a decades-long string of low slung traditionally styled hot rods. Issue #39 of the Rodder’s Journal touted Lobeck as the father of the “Ohio Look.”
Goodguys enjoyed a longstanding business and personal relationship with Barry over the years. He provided the Grand Prize Giveaway Cars (a ’33 sedan in 1993 and a ’33 coupe in 1994) which brought credibility to the program. The Lobeck’s trailer was a fixture on the Goodguys event midway and he was always quick to joke with staff members. In 1998, Goodguys roasted Lobeck along with Jack Chisenhall at the 2nd annual PPG Nationals in Columbus which turned out to be a raucous affair with over 500 people in attendance. In 2007, a special “Lobeck Reunion” was held in Columbus featuring over 30 cars built by the Lobeck’s team.
Barry and his team had a half dozen cars make it to the top 5 for the Goodguys Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year award including George Poteet’s ’39 Ford Convertible, Sal Magarino’s ’40 Ford roadster among others.
“We’ve lost a great one,” said Goodguys founder Gary Meadors. “Lobeck was always a Goodguys supporter. He was on board with what we were doing from day one. When he stepped up to do the Giveaway Car program it was one of the early breakthroughs for Goodguys. He helped us out in a lot of ways. He will be missed by many. He was a legend in our industry and a great friend. There was never a dull moment when Barry was around.”
The funeral is scheduled for Monday, January 10th at the Ferfolia Funeral Home located at 356 West Aurora Road (Ohio State Route 82) Sagamore Hills, OH 44067 at 11am. A visitation is scheduled for Sunday, the 9th from 4pm-8pm. A block of rooms is reserved under “Lobeck Funeral” at the La-Quinta Inn, 268 East Highland Rd, Macedonia, OH (330) 468-5400
In lieu of flowers the family has requested donations be made to Hospice of Western Reserve http://www.hospicewr.org/
Hot rodding has lost one of its most colorful characters. Midwest icon Barry “Lord of Low” Lobeck passed away Thursday, January 6th. He had been battling cancer in recent months. He was 60.
A staple of the Midwest hot rod scene since 1974 when his flamed ’40 Ford coupe landed on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine, Lobeck and his wife Ginny have operated Lobeck’s V8 Shop & Hot Rod Parts since 1984 as well as the Just a Hobby chassis shop in Cleveland, Ohio. Together they turned Lobeck’s into a “one stop shop” for hot rodders offering everything from door hinges to complete turnkey rods & customs.
A native of Springfield, Lobeck was one of the most popular hot rod builders outside California, building a decades-long string of low slung traditionally styled hot rods. Issue #39 of the Rodder’s Journal touted Lobeck as the father of the “Ohio Look.”
Goodguys enjoyed a longstanding business and personal relationship with Barry over the years. He provided the Grand Prize Giveaway Cars (a ’33 sedan in 1993 and a ’33 coupe in 1994) which brought credibility to the program. The Lobeck’s trailer was a fixture on the Goodguys event midway and he was always quick to joke with staff members. In 1998, Goodguys roasted Lobeck along with Jack Chisenhall at the 2nd annual PPG Nationals in Columbus which turned out to be a raucous affair with over 500 people in attendance. In 2007, a special “Lobeck Reunion” was held in Columbus featuring over 30 cars built by the Lobeck’s team.
Barry and his team had a half dozen cars make it to the top 5 for the Goodguys Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year award including George Poteet’s ’39 Ford Convertible, Sal Magarino’s ’40 Ford roadster among others.
“We’ve lost a great one,” said Goodguys founder Gary Meadors. “Lobeck was always a Goodguys supporter. He was on board with what we were doing from day one. When he stepped up to do the Giveaway Car program it was one of the early breakthroughs for Goodguys. He helped us out in a lot of ways. He will be missed by many. He was a legend in our industry and a great friend. There was never a dull moment when Barry was around.”
The funeral is scheduled for Monday, January 10th at the Ferfolia Funeral Home located at 356 West Aurora Road (Ohio State Route 82) Sagamore Hills, OH 44067 at 11am. A visitation is scheduled for Sunday, the 9th from 4pm-8pm. A block of rooms is reserved under “Lobeck Funeral” at the La-Quinta Inn, 268 East Highland Rd, Macedonia, OH (330) 468-5400
In lieu of flowers the family has requested donations be made to Hospice of Western Reserve http://www.hospicewr.org/
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