Meet the Judges
John D'Agostino
John D’Agostino Judge Bio & Crystal Award of Excellence:
Legendary car customizer and owner of Celebrity Kustoms in Discovery Bay Califorinia, John has
been known for some of the most unique and beautiful “kustom” vehicles in the world. Since
he was a young boy growing up in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, John was interested in automotive
customization and followed the builds of some of the original customizers like George Barris &
Gene Winfield. After attending college and building his first few custom vehicles, John started
to gain major acclaim for his custom designs with vehicles like a 1958 Chrysler named “Golden
Sunrise” and a 1953 Mercury named the “Royal Tahitian.” Johnn has worked together with the
greats like Gene Winfield and Bill Reasoner to build a 1956 Lincoln named “The Royal Empress”
which went on to win the Harry Bradley Design Achievement Award and was later made into a
40 th Anniversary Legends signature series Hot Wheels car for Mattel, one of several Hot Wheels
vehicles based on John’s vehicles. Over the decades builds like the $1,000,000+ 1959 Cadillac
Eldorado Seville Cabriolet “Elvis” and other customs have been displayed at shows around the
world, featured on television shows and movies, and showcased at the Peterson Museum in Los
Angeles and other museums. John D’Agostino has won many honors over the years including
being named the “King of Kustoms” in 2013, the Sam Barris Award, the George Barris Kustom
D’Elegance Award, and the Joe Ballon Award for his work as an automotive customizer.
D’Agostino has been inducted into the Academy Awards of Automobile Excellence (Branson,
Missouri), the Oakland Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame, the San Franciso Rod &
Custom, Kustom Kemps of America, the Darryl Starbird Hall of Fame, the Sacramento Legend of
the Autorama, and a total of 7 Hall of Fame honors. John has made several guest star
appearances on MTV, Speed, Discovery Channel, The Vintage Vehicle Show, and many others.
In addition to designing and building some of the world’s most famous cars at his shop,
Celebrity Kustoms, John is also a celebrity endorser of Sonax Car Care Products of Germany and
tours the world as a guest judge at both national and international custom shows. As a judge,
John has created the “John D’Agostino Crystal Award of Excellence” which is awards to what he
feels is the most beautiful custom vehicle in any given show. This award has been presented at
major events including Motorworld Classics in Berlin, the MQQNEYES show in Yokohama Japan,
the Sacramento Autorama, the Oakland Roadster Show, and the Sema Show in Las Vegas. This
award has been presented to legendary builders around the world, including Dave Kindig in
2018 who won the Crystal Award of Excellence with his 1955 Mercedes Benz Gull Wing Replica.
If you want the opporutnithy to be virtually presented with this award by John D’Agostino, and
be the Grand Champion of the C.O.U.R.A.G.E. show, please donate to Feeding America and
register for the show. May the best custom win!
Follow John D’Agostino Online at the Following Locations:
Web: https://celebritykustoms.com
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/John-DAgostino-Kustom-Kars-of-California-
211442508896151/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jdkustom/
Scottie D
Scott DuPre of ScottieDTV on Youtube will be a celebrity guest judge for the C.O.U.R.A.G.E. Virtual Car Show for a Cause. Scott is “a car-guy’s” car guy known as the entertaining host and discerning automotive expert that showcases some of the nations best and most beautiful custom and collector vehicles, with a special focus on the most innovative and sophisticated resto-mods and pro-touring cars and trucks on the show circuit today. He alos does one-off interviews with car owners and car builders. His mission in curating his channel is to bring the coolest cars on the web straight to the people who love them in the convenience of their own home or garage.
ScottieDTV is known for showcasing the “coolest cars on the web” and is currently celebrating its 10th Anniversary (Sunday May 17, 2020), in which time the channel has drawn a large audience with 113,000,000 views and over 185,000 subscribers. Building on his social media presence, ScottieDTV also has over 70,000 followers on Facebook in over 200 countries around the world. On his home channel, www.scottiedtv.comm, you can enjoy watching over 2300 videos with content that is updated on a regular basis.
Scott DuPre has served as a celebrity guest judge and created featured content for ScottieDTV at rod and custom shows across the nation including the Deuces Wild Show in Atlantic City, the Turkey Trot at Pigeon Forge, the Grand National Roadster Show, Detroit Autorama, and now the C.O.U.R.A.G.E Virtual Car Show for a Cause!
Scottie D will be one of the celebrity judges picking his choice for the Top 19 Award to the vehicle that he feels will match the quality of the content and builds on his channel! He is not a “car snob” and does not discriminate against one style or another, because “cool is cool.”
Please Donate to Feeding America and register your cool vehicle(s) to be considered for the ScottieDTV celebrity Pro’s Pick for the Top 19 Awards!
Follow Online at the Following Locations
Web: https://www.scottiedtv.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScottieDTV
Twitter: https://twitter.com/scottiedtv
LARRY JENKINS
I was born and raised in Lebanon, Missouri with my mom, dad, brother and sister. My dad was a car builder/repairman until his death in 1981 and introduced me to custom cars. In 1953, he built my first car out of two totally wrecked cars and called it the "Fordillac". It was a 1950 Ford with Cadillac tail lights and still being shown around the Connecticut area. Although my dad wanted me to take over the business, my passion was riding in the rodeo handed down from my grandfather's dairy business. At 16, I started riding bareback and saddle bronc horses which then turned professional for about 15 years. In the late 70's and early 80's, I naturally transitioned into training horses in Halter and conformation and had 14 World Champions
I married my wife, Maggie in 1994 and from there we built our lives around horses, rodeos, and cars. In the late 90's, my passion for custom cars started to emerge again. Maggie and I purchased an unfinished 1953 Buick Super. After completing the car (called Peaches & Cream), we showed it for 4 years and made many friends along the way. After Peaches & Cream, we purchased another unfinished 1953 Buick Super Convertible called "The Oreo Cookie". The Oreo has been shown in 18 states and won numerous awards including: Best in Class at the Grand Nationals in Pomona, CA; Best of Show at the Ducktail Run in Gas City, IN; and, several other prestigious awards. Currently, we are building a 1962 Chrysler to compete for the Great Eight at the Detroit Autorama in 2022. "The Elegante" will be revealed as our next big build. While building the 62 Chrysler, we are also building a 1940 Ford Coupe for Maggie's run-around car and recently purchased a 1959 Ford Retractable to show next year. I have always had an eye for great cars and a passion for building them throughout my life. I look forward to being a judge at the 2020 C.O.U.R.A.G.E. Charity Car Show.