Las Vegas’ So-Cal Speed Shop is Preserving the Past
Just six miles from the famed Las Vegas Strip lies a haven for hot rodders and muscle car enthusiasts from all walks of life. Owned by Lenny Ribaudo, Sr. and his son Lenny, Jr., So-Cal Speed Shop is one of seven independently owned retail franchises of the iconic brand founded by motorsports giant Alex Xydias.
The Ribaudos opened the Las Vegas So-Cal Speed Shop outpost in 2004 with close friend and business partner Angelo Falzone, a local drag racer who was active from the 1950s to the 1980s. After Falzone passed away in 2007 at the age of 75, Ribaudo, Jr.’s dedication to his father’s shop strengthened.
And business has never been better.
Hot Rod Legend
To fully understand the So-Cal Speed Shop brand, you must be familiar with its storied past.
Alex Xydias (pronounced ex-id-e-us) launched So-Cal in Burbank, California, in 1946 after serving in the Army Air Corps as a B-17 engineer. At the shop, Xydias started a race team and eventually built the first hot rods capable of running between 160 and 190 miles per hour.
“He also had a parts store and was the first one to retail some of the brands that are now household names, like Edelbrock,” says Ribaudo, Jr.
Ever heard of a belly tanker? Alex Xydias owned and operated one of the most famous of these bullet-shaped racing machines, reaching a top speed of 198 mph. Check out the video below to see these remarkable vehicles in action.
Despite the success of So-Cal, Xydias decided to close the shop in 1961. The landscape of the speed equipment business was changing, and he wanted to pursue other interests. After shuttering the company, Xydias had a successful career in motorsports broadcasting and even helped found SEMA (formerly the Peterson Trade Show), among other accomplishments.
In 1997, Xydias teamed up with the late Pete Chapouris – a hot rodder and customizer known for creating the 1934 Ford three-window coupe “The California Kid” – to revitalize and reopen So-Cal Speed Shop.
This time around, the business would be a retail store focused on selling parts for the vintage hot rod market. The two men shortly began expanding the brand and, in 2004, the Ribaudos opened the third So-Cal franchise with Falzone.
Classic and Modern
“We started out mostly selling parts for people that were building hot rods from the ground up, like new frames, all of the components to put on the frame, and everything you need to complete the project,” says Ribaudo, Jr. “And now it’s evolved into [selling] more parts for later-model cars. We carry product for everything from modern muscle, like Challengers and Mustangs, down to the old ’30s Roadsters that guys still drive and cruise around in.”
Inside the Ribaudos’ 4,000-square-foot store sit some of the same legendary brands that Xydias sold at the original speed shop, including Edelbrock, Holley Performance Products, and Ford Racing. Other notable names now grace the shelves as well, like GM Performance, XRP, MSD Performance, AutoMeter, K&N, and Moroso Performance Products.
So-Cal Speed Shop’s biggest sellers are performance products for classic engine swaps. “People want the look of an old classic car, but they want the reliability and performance of the modern car that they’re already used to driving,” explains Ribaudo, Jr. “So that’s definitely still a big trend.”
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The shop serves “the complete spectrum” of customers, he adds, from new car owners in their teens to lifelong enthusiasts enjoying their twilight years. Most have the same goal: to find the right products to improve the look and drivability of their custom vehicle, whether it’s a 1932 Ford Roadster, 1968 Dodge Charger R/T, or a 1980 Toyota Hilux.
Old-Fashioned Auto Shop
“Some people struggle when they get an old classic,” says Ribaudo, Jr. “[Because] they want the responsive steering and braking that modern cars have, as well as the conveniences that everyone loves and is used to now – everything from touch screens to heated heats.”
That’s where the So-Cal Speed Shop team comes in, which includes the Ribaudos and their sole employee Adam Stines.
Ribaudo, Jr. says the team’s combined expertise and personalized service make the shop stand out. “There’s a lot of heavy online competition, but we provide a service to the community. It’s a place for guys to hang out and meet each other and talk about their cars,” he says. “And then we help people with questions and show people how to use pretty much every part that we sell, because we actually know how to do it.”
Ribaudo, Jr. loves chatting with customers (some of whom can be eclectic Las Vegas visitors) and learning about what they’re working on. Seeing young people embrace and explore the many facets of car culture is particularly rewarding – especially, as many go on to become lifelong customers.
Like Father, Like Son
Like many of his customers, Ribaudo, Jr., a proud Las Vegas native, has been a hot rodder for most of his life. Ribaudo, Sr., who is originally from Pennsylvania but moved to Sin City as a kid, was a master pinstriper, vehicle painter, and customizer before he got into the retail business. Ribaudo, Jr. learned the trade from his father, and the two share a love for classic Fords.
In fact, Ribaudo, Sr. has owned the same ’32 Ford Roadster since he was 17 and spent his teenage years and early 20s building the barn find into a hot rod. The maroon beauty runs a 327 Chevy with a turbo 400 transmission and 8-inch Ford rear end. It has a highboy body style, meaning it is fenderless and sits high on the frame, and runs on 16-inch wheels and Firestone tires.
Ribaudo, Jr. grew up riding around in the roadster and now has a 1932 Ford Coupe that he put together as a teen with his father’s help. The hot rod is equipped with a 390 cubic-inch Cadillac engine and four-speed manual transmission. It’s not unusual to find it parked outside So-Cal Speed Shop along with Stines’ 1972 Plymouth Roadrunner or 1973 Dodge Charger.
“We get to do something that we love, and a lot of us drive our own cars to work and like talking about them with customers,” says Ribaudo, Jr. “It’s fun to go to the car shows when they have them. We like to see the cars that we sell parts for out on the road and talk to the owners and the people who work on them. It’s always a really friendly community atmosphere.”
Essential Business
While the majority of car shows are on hold and fewer customers gather at the shop due to COVID-19 restrictions, Ribaudo, Jr. says cruising the Las Vegas Strip is still a popular affair for the area’s thriving hot rodding community. Small, impromptu gatherings are still common, and the So-Cal’s Facebook and Instagram feeds are packed with photos of jaw-dropping builds that friends and customers have parked outside the shop.
Ribaudo, Jr. says business has boomed since the onset of the pandemic, as more enthusiasts found themselves stuck at home with ample time on their hands.
Marrying a classic look with modern tech is a big part of the classic vehicle market. Learn more about the major trends affecting this lucrative segment in the SEMA Market Research video below.
“A lot of people just focused on their car projects as something to relieve stress or take their minds off what was going on. So, we’re actually busier than before,” he says. “We feel really fortunate for that, because I know others out there are definitely struggling. But we’ve been open the whole time and are practicing all the safety precautions recommended by the CDC. We are just really happy to be open and allowed to serve the community.”
In the future, Ribaudo, Jr. hopes to keep expanding the shop’s product line. But most importantly, he’s wants to continue helping enthusiasts preserve pieces of the past and find joy in owning a classic vehicle.
“People definitely love their vehicles no matter what they are,” he says. “It’s an important part of our American society and culture. And when things like electric cars or autonomous cars come along, I think some people may feel like something is lost with the person-and-machine experience — and so we’re trying to keep that alive.”
