All of the hot rods here are based on cars built from around 1949 onwards, including 50's cruisers, 60's muscle cars, and 70's street racers.
SMOKIN' . . . Beavis Allen's '74 Challenger warms the tyres before a trip down the track at Santa Pod Raceway. In the near 20 years he has owned the car, it has been home to various big block Mopar engines, backed up by either four-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmissions. Originally metallic blue, it gained graphic stripes for a while, before being treated to a bright yellow coat of paint contrasted by a satin black fibreglass bonnet.
Chevrolet took the world by storm in 1955: they launched an all-new engine and an all-new bodystyle, both of which were to become legendary. Several manufacturers had already used overhead-valve V8 engines when Chevy introduced their own 265 cubic inch (4.3 ltr) version. However, this one was different, with a combination of light weight, strength and reliability, and a factory-encouraged aftermarket performance parts industry contributing to the success story that is the smallblock V8. So successful, in fact, that it is still in production today. The new bodystyle for 1955 was also destined for success. The previous year's models still sported echoes of the separate front and rear wings of the forties', so the new 'shoebox' style was a brand new look for Chevy fans. The bright orange of this 2-door sedan is set off by the silver painted trim and Centerline wheels, and makes for a nice example of what is probably the original street machine.
The following year, 1956, brought an improved smallblock, now including an oil filter (!), and revised front and rear panels on the same basic chassis and body centre section used in 1955. This bright red pro street 2-door was run by Paul Warne in the early nineties. A combination of high powered big-block engine - not a factory option! - and heavy original steel bodywork, was hard on drivetrain and transmission parts. The current owner has added an even bigger 600+ ci Sonny Leonard-built engine, and has taken the still-clean hot rod into the mid nine-second zone at over 150mph in full street trim!
By the mid-sixties horsepower was king, and everyone wanted some! Ford and Chevrolet had introduced their (comparatively) small Mustang and Camaro, but they were initially only offered with smallblock engines. If you wanted a big-block you had to have a 'mid-size' car, in the case of Chevrolet, the Chevelle. Chevrolet's big-block was introduced with 396 cubic inches in 1965, growing to 427 inches within a couple of years. This black 1967 SS - for Super Sport - was home to a 427 in the late eighties. A relatively rare model this side of the Atlantic, after appearing with contemporary silver and yellow graphics, the Chevelle seemed to disappear from the scene.
Popular with the street car racing scene in the eighties, 'Rat Fink' was powered into the nines by a big-block motor, with a five-speed manual transmission aiding wheel-standing launches, as witnessed here. Following a spell under different ownership, and an altercation with the Armco at Avon Park, the '67 Camaro has re-appeared running faster than ever, now in the 8.90-second index Super Comp class. No longer sporting a manual transmission, but remaining essentially only a 'back-halved' chassis, driver Andy Kirk still entertains leaving the line with front wheels in the air. Perhaps it should now be in the Race Car gallery?
This '66 Pontiac GTO was built in the eighties as a replica of a sixties A/FX drag car. It is not in the racecar gallery because it wasn't built specifically for racing, and was usually seen at events like the Hot Rod Drags, and run-what-ya-brung weekends. Initially as seen here using stock front suspension, it later had a beam axle on parallel leaf springs pointing the front end skyward. A car that has not been seen for a while - where is it now?
Word has it that the GTO is somewhere down in the west of England, so if you know of its whereabouts, please let us know.
English Ford's first venture into the 'new age' of unit-body construction in the 'Fifties, the Mk.1 Consuls, have long been popular subjects for customs. Their rounded good looks, and availability (at least in the 1970's and 1980's) helped this. Their only disadvantage was the fact that they only came with four doors, unless you were lucky enough to find a convertible. However, this nicely finished example loses nothing for having two doors each side, disguised by the shaved door handles. Pictured at the NASC Internationals at Stoneleigh Agricultural Centre in 1986, the lemon yellow cruiser features front wings peaked over stacked quad-headlamps, frenched aerial, moulded front valance, number plate and grille, a sunvisor, dummy Appleton spots, and finally, six rows of hot rod louvres in the bonnet.
More yellow! Acres of yellow, in fact, covering this pro street '68 Plymouth Satellite. The sixties was an era of massive rivalry between the major motor manufacturers, with everyone vying for top honours at the drag strip. The Satellite was the chosen weapon of Chrysler's Plymouth division to do battle against the Chevelles and Galaxies of the era.
Part of the appeal of Chevelles is that they are (were) readily available as hot rod material. Being 'medium-sized' means that they are probably the most prolific of models each year - more space than a Camaro, and cheaper to run than a full-size Impala, making them the most popular family car (for Chevrolet fans, at least). The '68-'69 models are particularly sought after by street machiners and drag racers alike. This clean, straight, red '69 needs nothing more than a set of Centerline wheels to set it off.
Definitely not mid-sized is this aircraft-carrier of a 1962 Mercury station wagon, caught on a trip to the '99 NSRA Hot Rod Drags at Avon Park. Gallons of metallic teal paint cover the sheet metal, and there is just enough chrome to accent the polished Drag Star wheels. The early sixties saw a more subtle approach to car styling compared to the excessive fins of the late fifties, but size was still everything. You could take a marching band on tour in the average full-size car of this era, but we suspect that there were slightly fewer passengers for this trip from the behemoth's home in the Netherlands.
From monster-sized car to monster-sized engine and tyres: this bright yellow '69 Camaro has all the ingredients necessary for the pro street look. Sitting as low as practical (probably lower!), with the scoop perched on top of a twin 4-barrel carb-equipped big block engine, the narrowed rear axle resides between the 14" wide rear wheels while a pair of skinny fronts guides it down the road. 'Pro street' is all about putting the race car look on the street, and that is precisely what this Chevy does.
Your car doesn't have to have a shiny coat of paint to be cool. It usually helps to, but this slammed '55 Cadillac still looks good in primer and patches. A fifty-five Chevy station wagon is a treat, even in stock form, while three more mid-50's GM cars, an Oldsmobile and two Buicks, complete this line-up.
While we're on the subject of the Fifties, is there anyone out there who wouldn't want an early Corvette, like this '58 roadster? Thought not. All that's needed is a set of American Racing mag wheels and a sunny day!
Plastic model kits of custom cars and hot rods have been popular for many a decade, most emanating from the US.
Actually, this super-low pro street Ford is anything BUT a kit car. Although you can buy all the powertrain parts, seats, instruments, and rolling stock to build a hot English street machine, you don't get any instructions on how to fit them into a little steel body, and build a functioning vehicle. For that, you're on your own! To make life more difficult, although Mark 1's are great candidates for small-block V8 transplants, this one has a big-block shoehorned under the bonnet. When the throttle pedal hits the floor, the power quickly makes its way back to steam-roller rear tyres, enough to leave two large trails of smokin' rubber on the tarmac behind.
No front bumper, big-block engine with fender-well headers, fat back tyres, roll cage, jet-black paint. Exactly how a '57 Chevy should look.
This was probably the first 'tubbed-out' tri-Chevy on the road in the UK, back in 1988. It's fair to say that most '57 Chevrolets in the UK retained their stock looks back then, but this one helped break the mould. Stock ones look 'nice', but we'd rather a tough one any day.
In the Seventies, the Mk.1 Ford Cortina was only about ten years old, so was just another used car. The usual format for a 'hot' Cortina involved extended rear shackles to jack the back up, some nylon fur on the dash, and a pair of fuzzy dice. Oh, and perhaps a long whippy aerial! How different things are now - as well as being popular as classic cars, there are some very nice modified Mark 1's around too.
There is nothing uncool about this pro-streeted four-door: arrow-straight bodywork bathed in a wet-look candy red surrounds a blown and injected smallblock Chevy, all rolling on very big and little rubber. The computer-controlled injection helps make this classy ride as happy on the street as when running 10's in the quarter mile.
The Mk.1 Cortina was - surprise, surprise - followed by the Mk.2 Cortina. Then the Mk.3, then the Mk.4. Each generation has suffered from the same initial lack of street credibility as the previous one, until eventually 'coming of age'. Even the final incarnation, the Mk.5 (really only a mildly face-lifted Mk.4), is acceptable hot rod material, if built right. Two-doors like this one are quite rare - after all, most were four-door family cars - but this one has been saved from the great rust-pile in the sky. The Ford (Cleveland?) V8 breathes through two four-barrels on a tunnel ram manifold, power making its way to the tarmac through another healthy dose of rubber.
Big, bad, and black as night.
No, we're not talking about Richard Roundtree in SHAFT, although he could well have cruised in one when he was an apprentice PI. We're talking '64 Impala SS here. This one has acres of shiny black sheetmetal, and rolls around on black-painted Rallyes. We are hoping for 409-power. And we're jealous, 'cos we want one.
Spaceship? Hovercraft? Aeroplane? What had the designers at Nash been dreaming about when they came up with their all-new '49 models? No one (except perhaps the owner) would claim this is the most beautiful car in the world, but the finish is superb, and you have to see it in the flesh to really appreciate the way the colour changes from green to blue to green as you walk around it.
Beep! Beep!
Road Runner.
Beep! Beep!
Mopars have always been popular with the musclecar crowd, and fans of the 'Pentastar' brands are amongst the most enthusiastic gearheads out there (get two Mopar drivers together, and the conversation usually involves recitation of complete lists of part numbers). We just appreciate a good looking car, so our favourite Plymouth Road Runner is the 1970 model - a little smoother and leaner than the '68-'69 ones.
This particular car was a regular at street car events at Santa Pod in the late-Eighties, rolling on a set of Centerlines, its bright yellow paintjob accented by the flat-black bonnet.
The little mural in the corner of the bootlid claims that this Mercury was "kicked out of hell". Well presumably they don't like COOL cars down there! You would have thought that the deep black paint would be appropriate, and flames shouldn't have been a problem either (they might have preferred red and yellow to candy purple, though). Perhaps they just don't appreciate a well-dressed dual-carbed flathead engine, but that's their loss, and our gain!
Chopped, shaved, slammed, frenched, and finished in blue suede metallic, this '53 Chevy typifies the new wave of nostalgia hot rodding, a car built to be used (and that is not an insult, by the way!). It could have been built in the Fifties (might not have been able to get orange '59 Caddy taillight lenses then, though), but was more likely built 30 or 40 years later. There are still plenty of early Fifties GM's out there - Chevrolet alone were selling more than a million a year - and although not as popular as the later tri-Chevies, they are all perfect candidates for anything from just a nose'n'deck and some wide-whites, to a full custom makeover.
It is impossible to do full justice to this chopped Mercury in one picture, but we're sure it will receive magazine coverage, if you need to see more. The superb bodywork, including the top-chop, is covered by about the smoothest, darkest, metallic green imaginable, highlighted at each end by the heavy chrome bumpers, enveloping a classy interior that features more than a little of what looks like alligator-skin, and a wildly painted dash. And did you notice the single gold tooth in the grille?
Mopars are usually associated with performance, and events like Gary's Picnic or Doorslammer meets in the Eighties were always well attended by fans of the Penta-star. Perhaps because of their Stock and Super Stock racing heritage, it seemed that most owners went for a resto muscle-car look, and we were used to seeing raked Chargers, Satellites, Cudas, and the like: every now and then, though, someone would buck the trend, and we would witness something like this low, tubbed, jet-black Coronet. Nice.
On the subject of Mopars, most early-60's ones wouldn't win any prizes in a beauty contest, but by the middle of the decade the design teams had sharpened their pencils, and were turning out some classy rides. The '65 Plymouth is one of the nicest, and the availability of the 425 horsepower, 426 cube, Max Wedge engine made it a popular choice for the Stock Eliminators. We don't know if this street-driver is really home to the legendary mill, but the race-style lettering, and the logo on the hood scoop, suggest it could be.
Still in the Sixties, Buicks were not really regarded as musclecar material, but they make perfect customs. This '63 (or '64?) Riviera Hardtop is spot on in gleaming metalflake blue, lowered to the deck on polished 5-spokes with narrow white-bands. A subtle make-over includes the addition of '54 Mercury-style taillights in the trailing edges of the rear quarters.
A VW hot rod? Although the hot rod and hot Beetle scenes have tended to travel separate roads, the passing of time has mellowed attitudes a bit. Hot rods are about performance, and, well, let's face it, VW's are slow, but any gearhead can appreciate a low ride, a nice set of wheels, a trick paint job.
Well all that's true, but this bug can bite: the sting isn't in the tail - in this case it's up front in the form of a 460ci big-block Ford V8!
What is the best-looking station-wagon or estate car ever? Didn't Aston Martin make a Shooting Brake based on a DB6? Yeah, that would have to be it. However, as few of us are members of the Royal family, we'll stick to cars that we can at least have a chance of being able to afford.
We've mentioned elsewhere how 1955 was a landmark year for Chevrolet, both for the introduction of the smallblock V8 engine, and for their new body styling. In '55, they sold a record total of 1.7million cars, but of these less than 8,500 were the new 'hardtop wagon', the Nomad.
Why were so few sold? Probably because the idea of a two-door station wagon hadn't caught on yet - after all, estate cars are family cars, so four doors make more sense.
The '56 model year brought with it a mild restyling, hinting at the excesses to come later in the decade, with a full-width grille and swoopy side trim. Less than 8,000 Nomads were built for 1956.
The final year of two-door Nomad production saw little more than 6,000 built. The original Nomad styling was based on a 1954 Motorama show car, a Corvette wagon, and for three short years gave us the best-looking production station-wagons ever.
Tri-Chevies will always be popular with both collectors and hot-rodders, and the rare Nomads will always be up there with convertibles as the most prized of these.
What happened after 1957? The larger and more luxurious 1958-model Nomads had four doors, and conventional styling, although Chevrolet did offer a 'plain-Jane' two-door Yeoman wagon. Wagons of all sorts are cool, but the '55-'57 Nomads are the coolest!
Satin black.
Red wheels.
Whitewall tyres.
Just a flash of chrome trim.
The classic nostalgia look.
But can you imagine how modern the sleek new Ford models looked in 1949, compared to the previous years' cars with their bolt-on front and rear fenders? OK, so they still had flat glass 'screens, but their smooth flanks seem to flow to the rear, definitely announcing the arrival of the Rocket Age of the 'Fifties.
Leaping forward a decade or so, the enormous (and sometimes almost vulgar) fins and chrome of the late 'Fifties have given way to the clean simplicity of the 'Sixties. The dawn of the musclecar is breaking over the horizon, an era of 409 Chevys, 426 Max Wedge Mopars. Oh, and maybe even some big Fords.
Popular Hot Rodding - if you prefer your hot rods newer than 1955, this is one place to look
CARNUT - pages of pictures of hot rods, muscle cars and bikes