Roy Brizio

Roy Brizio

Born in San Francisco in 1956, Roy grew up with something he really enjoyed: hot rods and drag-racing!  He is the son of the late hot-rod legend Andy Brizio, a proud son of Italian immigrants, who took Roy under his wing and taught him how to weld and fabricate.

Roy went everywhere with his father and was a continual presence at his father’s shop and the adjacent Champions Speed Shop.  Roy enrolled in auto, metal, and machining classes in high school, ending up with a ’32 Ford Coupe, as mind-blowing as it is, as his first car in high school!

In 1977, Roy opened up Roy Brizio Street Rods (“RBSR”) starting out in a corner of Champion Speed Shop. Word of mouth and quality craftsmanship allowed him to move two years later to his own shop in South San Francisco. His business was boosted by the merging renaissance in the street rod aftermarket and for over 30 years the Roy Brizio “brand” has attracted a steady flow of customers.

RBSR has built Oakland Roadster Show winners and Hot Rod Magazine’s 50th Anniversary celebration “T” roadster, but perhaps their greatest pride comes from building dual purpose show winning drivers. No other shop the world can boast of putting more miles on their cars than Roy Brizio Street Rods.

The Brizio name has been synonymous with quality hot rods for nearly half a century and has spanned two generations. Brizio’s first famous customer was baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson commissioned RBSR to fashion a ’32 highboy roadster. Other famous customers include late rock guitarist Jeff Beck, Neil Young and Eric Clapton.

The San Mateo County Historical Association is proud to honor this special individual who has made a significant impact and contribution to the local community and beyond.