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Jimmy Shine will be back in-person at the Langley Good Times Cruise-In

Legendary car builder and land speed record holder looking forward to handing out namesake award
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Legendary Southern California car builder Jimmy Shine will be making picks in-person at this year’s Langley Good Times Cruise-In. (Langley Advance Times file)

Langley Good Times Cruise-In charity car show is coming up. And in advance of the huge community event being held in downtown Aldergrove on Saturday, Sept. 10, the Langley Advance Times has put together a series of stories talking about the people involved and the festivities planned. Stay tuned here, daily, for more about the upcoming Cruise-In.

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Jimmy Shine is back.

After having to make his selections remotely last year, this year, the superstar car builder and land-speed record-holder will be in person at the Langley Good Times Cruise-In, looking for outstanding entries.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Shine told the Langley Advance Times.

Legendary Southern California car builder Jimmy Shine will be making picks in-person at this year’s Langley Good Times Cruise-In, after doing it remotely last year back when pandemic restrictions were still in effect. (Langley Advance Times file)
Legendary Southern California car builder Jimmy Shine will be making picks in-person at this year’s Langley Good Times Cruise-In, after doing it remotely last year back when pandemic restrictions were still in effect. (Langley Advance Times file)

Last year, with pandemic restrictions still in effect, the legendary Southern California custom car builder had to pick finalists for the Shine Speed Shop Award of Excellence from photos taken by helpers at the show.

“We sent pictures back and forth,” Shine explained.

In what has become a tradition, last year’s winner, Parksville’s Sean Sinclaire, will choose his successor this year, from a list of contenders identified by Shine.

“We usually pick eight to 10 runners-up,” Shine explained.

In making his picks, Shine considers several factors, including the “passion of the person” who built the eligible vehicle.

READ ALSO: TV star one of the attractions at Langley Good Times Cruise-In

“It’s the person, it’s the car, it’s the story [behind the creation], it’s all-inclusive,” Shine summarized.

An abbreviated version of Shine’s story starts with him growing up in the suburbs of Orange County, Calif., with his brothers, mother, and dad – Denny Falschlehner, who was a hot-rodder, drag racer, off-road bike racer, surfer, and dune buggy fan.

Shine built his first creation, a 327-cubic-inch Chevy-powered 1940 Willys pickup in 1987, when he was a teenager.

Later on, when he became a dad, his baby daughter, Morgan, was driven home from the hospital in a 1953 Hudson Super Wasp once owned by actor Steve McQueen.

Shine went on to apprentice at the well-known So-Cal Speed Shop working with talented builders like shop owner Pete Chapouris, Bill “Birdman” Stewart, and Jim “Jake” Jacobs – building custom creations like the sleek Bob McGee 1932 Ford Roadster that created the ubiquitous look of hidden door hinges, filled radiator shell, and three-piece hood to create a much-imitated seamless look.

He became a member of the 200-mph club by breaking a class record at the Bonneville salt flats in 2006 – going 206.454 in a D/BSTR (Blown Street Roadster) Ford. He then went on to set six more land-speed records, all over 200.

When he opened his own Shine Speed Shop in 2015, he, with Billy F Gibbons of ZZ Top, had a television reality show, “Rockin’ Roadsters” that aired on Discovery Channel. He’s also appeared on “Weaponizer’s,” “Car Warriors,” and “Jay Leno’s Garage.”

READ ALSO: Cruise-In: Preparing for road closures in downtown Aldergrove

Originally, he was not a fan of his nickname Jimmy Shine, which came from people struggling to pronounce Falschlehner, but he has come to embrace it.

He had lots of nicknames growing up, but when he was 13, and sweeping floors in a metal shop, he was called ‘Jimmy Floorshiner.’

A friend shortened it to “Jimmy Shine” and it stuck.


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Dan Ferguson

About the Author: Dan Ferguson

Best recognized for my resemblance to St. Nick, I’m the guy you’ll often see out at community events and happenings around town.
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