In California, James D. Calabrese lay in his casket, a look of contentment on his face.

Friends and family had tricked out his gunmetal gray casket with chrome and aluminium parts from his beloved 1958 Chevy Biscayne, complete with license plates and dangling dice. Calabrese, a long-time Santa Ana resident and lifelong "motor head," was a regular on the car-show circuit.

Friends bolted to the side of the casket two pristine Hooker-brand V8-engine headers. They affixed to the top of the casket the hand-polished housing for an air cleaner that came from Calabrese's baby, his '58 Chevy. They fastened valve covers to both sides of the casket, and when pallbearers carried Calabrese's 6’2”, 300-pound body to his grave, they gripped clear-backing tape that had "ghost flame" designs on it. Near the headers, aluminium decals cut in the shape of flames provided the finishing touch.

If he could have opened his eyes, Calabrese would have seen three gauges staring back at him. Oil, temperature and volts. The gauges belonged on a dashboard of one of his prized hot rods. The arms on the gauges all pointed to zero. But on his final ride, Calabrese looked like he'd lived a life in full.