If you've been reading Mini Truckin' for a while, then the name Courtney Halowell should sound very familiar. He's not only one of the founders of Negative Camber, he was also an editor at Mini Truckin' for a few years. After building several old cars, bikes, and whatever he could get his hands on, Courtney fi- nally decided to build another minitruck. He decided to build this '96 Chevy S-10 to take to SEMA 2007. This wasn't an ordinary build, however. This was a build for a good cause.
When we asked Courtney why he decided to build this truck, he said: "Dianne Collins told me what happened to Geoff Stott and that there was this unfinished project he and his father were working on, and it made me cry. I mean, it really broke my heart. I remember what it was like building my first VW with my dad and how it gave us something to talk about-common ground, you know.
I was a teenager and at the age when most fathers and sons couldn't be further apart; me and my dad were actually working together on something! It was something special that not a lot of fathers and sons get to experience. And I couldn't imagine what it must have been like to walk past this half- finished truck every day and be reminded of the son I had lost.
Dianne doesn't know this, but I had tears running down my cheeks after we talked about Geoff, his father John, and his truck for the first time."
Once the truck was in the hands of Courtney, it only took him roughly two months to finish the truck. It was the kind of project that almost built itself, according to Courtney. Every time he put a tool down, somebody picked it up and left off where the last person did. Courtney had friends travel in from all over Southern California, and even the Southern U.S. to help with the truck.
"Once people knew the story behind the truck, they all wanted to lend a hand," exclaimed Courtney. He also told us that this truck couldn't have been built without the help of the entire crew at Devious Customs.
The truck was built in time for the Sema show, where it took home the GM Design Award. Courtney would like to thank everybody who was involved with this truck, because without them, it wouldn't have been possible. And he would like to dedicate the truck to the memory of Geoff Stott.