SEMA Garage Products, part 1

Founded in Switzerland in 1945, Lista originally manufactured a wide variety of metal products. During the 1950s, the company began focusing on producing modular storage systems and office furniture. Soon, manufacturing operations began at our Holliston, Massachusetts factory.

Auto enthusiasts who want to realize their dream garage have uncompromising standards and discerning taste. That’s why so many home garage owners rev up their organization with featurepacked, highly functional and clean workspace systems. Built to last, these products are made from heavy-gauge steel and have the look and feel of a high-end automobile.

Die-cast GMP collectables

For me it started with Tonka trucks and plastic model cars. For others it might have started with Hot Wheels. I think we can all trace our fascination with cars to our youth and the toys we had. If you're a car enthusiast you probably have some automobilia around that includes a few die-cast vehicles. Quality, detail, and rarity can vary by manufacturer, but GMP die-casts rank among the best.

GMP is headquarted not far from Atlanta and I had the opportunity to tour their facility last year. The offices have models of die-casts covering the walls, inside display cases, and on every desk I saw. It was like attending an amazing car show in 1:18 scale. I've always been a GTO enthusiast and I saw a display of GTO's in a rainbow of colors, hardtops and convertables. But the displays that included 1:12 scale replicas blew me away! The quality, craftmanship, and detail make these a true works of art. Yeah, they're on the expensive side, but after you get close and examine and handle them, you begin to wonder why they aren't twice the cost. There are more than cars on display. GMP has produced a series of replica dashboards from a '57 Chevy to a '65 Mustang to a Ferrari. In the past they did a series of Fender guitar replicas. My personal favorites are the GTO's and '32 Ford Deuces. If you haven't seen them you should check them out. If you have GMP die-casts you know what I mean.

Garage Essentials...first is a garage vacuum

OK...it's a new year, maybe the year you get moving on the garage project you've been dreaming about. Where do you start? A garage vacuum is where I recommend you start. Not a noisy shop vac, but a wall-mounted, quiet, powerful vacuum with a long hose. Now you can clean the seats and carpet anytime with the push of a button. No more broom and dust pan when cleaning the garage floor. Now you can reach the far corners with your vacuum and in minutes have a clean floor. When you're ready to do something with the garage floor the vacuum will prove itself in the floor prep. There are several choices for a wall-mounted vacuum, but my choice is GarageVac. It's made in the USA and has a 6 year warranty. GarageVac has a sleek, injection molded from polycarbonite exterior, and a 12 amp, 113 cfm twin fan 5 hp turbo motor. So get off the couch and get in the garage...Spring is just around the corner and you know you want a garage to show off to your friends.