World of Wheels roars into Pittsburgh for annual stop

Like many little kids, Aaron Kaufman of Grand Prairie, Texas, loved playing with cars — and dump trucks, bulldozers, tractors and just about anything else with wheels.

He credits his grandfather, who ran a mill near his home working on parts for aircrafts, and his father, a maintenance man with a passion for cars, especially hot rods and dragsters, for instilling in him his curiosity about how things work.

Kaufman still lives in Texas, now in the Dallas area, where he worked as a mechanic and is known as an expert custom car builder.

His latest venture is founding Arclight Fabrication, an enterprise that specializes in supplying aftermarket performance parts for Ford’s line of F-100 pickup trucks. He loves racing cars and also starred in several television shows, including “Fast N’ Loud,” “Shifting Gears” and his last series, “Aaron Needs a Job,” for Discovery Channel, which he also produced.

Celebrity guests

Kaufman will be among the celebrity lineup at the 59th annual MAXMotive World of Wheels Jan. 24 through 26 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh. He will meet and greet his fans from 1 to 4 p.m. Jan. 26 at the annual extravaganza of custom cars, classics, hot rods, trucks, motorcycles and race cars.

Other celebrity guests include Danny Koker and Kevin Mack of TV’s “Counting Cars,” based on their Las Vegas shop Count’s Kustoms; they will be in a Q-and-A session from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Jan. 24. The 16-time NHRA Funny Car Champion John Force will appear 1 to 3 p.m. Jan. 25, and Marvel Comics superhero Black Panther will be there from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 26.

Kaufman was one of the headliners at Cincinnati’s Cavalcade of Customs presented by MAXMotive Jan. 11 and 12, where he spoke by phone about coming to Pittsburgh for World of Wheels.

“The last time I was in Pittsburgh was about five years ago, when I bought a ’68 or ’69 Cadillac convertible in Export,” he says.

Kaufman adds he’s partial to the Ford brand and recalled that the first car he ever owned was a 1964 Ford Galaxie. He also races a Ford Falcon and said he found a family in racing.

Not just for the guys

The hobby of customizing and racing cool cars isn’t confined to only guys these days, he says.

“I just saw a woman having a ‘girls’ night out’ (at the car show in Cincinnati). She brought her Camaro to the show.”

He noted that the “younger crowd” today tends to be excited by different aspects of cars than his generation and typically, they are more infatuated by the technology involved in newer models.

Pittsburgh’s World of Wheels weekend also will feature Summit Racing Equipment “Chop Shop” featuring GIS Automotive, a Pedal Car Challenge presented by Summit Racing Equipment, and Drag City USA presented by Keystone Raceway Park.

Saturday’s activities will include a “Salute to our Veterans” at 3 p.m., a Pinball Tournament from 3 to 5 p.m. and a Motorcycle Fashion Show at 7 p.m.

World of Wheels is sponsored by MAXMotive Classic, Muscle and Custom Car Dealership with showrooms in Cheswick and Boca Raton, Fla.