They pushed the beaten Jalopy up to the victory podium, the winner firmly wedged in his single seat cockpit, heart still pounding from the fight. Lap after lap, and mile after mile as oil and dirt accumulated on the racer’s face, he pressed on towards the prize. Battered and bruised with so many close calls, [...]
The Spoils of War…
Clarence? He Needs Clearance…
So… My cousin’s uncle’s roommate is a guy named Clarence and he has a 1937 Ford. Or maybe it’s a 1939… I don’t know the details, but apparently he is putting some super tall power plant in the old car and lacks about 2-inches of hood clearance. He came to me for advice. “Hood scoops?” [...]
Sacrificed on the Altar of Speed…
In the late 1920s, Stutz Motor Car Company sales were dropping and company president Frederick Moskovics needed some good press from a fast driver to bring buyers back. Crackerjack Indy winner Frank Lockhart was just that person. He had already set a world record of 171.02 mph at Muroc in a lakester powered by a [...]
Memorial Day
The muffled drum’s sad roll has beat The soldier’s last tattoo; No more on Life’s parade shall meet That brave and fallen few. On fame’s eternal camping ground Their silent tents to spread, And glory guards, with solemn round The bivouac of the dead. No rumor of the foe’s advance Now swells upon the wind; [...]
End Over End
I’ve told this story before, but it’s pertinent… And so, I figured I would tell it again. I think it was 1994 and my dad and I were busy campaigning a Lee Shepherd built Super Comp car all over the south and midwest. On this particular weekend, we were in San Angelo, TX at Wall [...]
Styling at Ford Motor Company 1957
I saw this brochure elsewhere online but figured it would be appreciated here. Ford Styling Department made this brochure attempting to show that they could be as hip as GM when it came to exterior & interior design and future concepts. Truth be told, Ford Motor Company had strong sales, but was still trying to [...]
Mad-Fab-A-Go-Go
The relatively recent availability of affordable HD video equipment is changing the world and I love it. My first realization of this impact came as I watched the stuff from Luke and Tom over at Fuel Tank TV. It’s the same quality (and in some cases even better – much better) as the stuff you [...]
Rulon McGregor’s ’39 Mercury
The Rulon McGregor 1939 Mercury has been at the Petersen Museum since 1999 and was featured in Rodders Journal #21 (the ‘B’ cover) some years later. The car is just a great example of a very pure early post war custom in California… Before massive chops and body panel swaps. The Merc was dropped front [...]
Seven Degrees
When people ask me who my favorite historical hot rod figure is I always blurt out the same name – Mal Hooper. And it’s funny, because I don’t really know a lot about who Mal was or what he did. There just hasn’t been much reported on him. In fact, I’ve only really been able [...]
Through the years we’ve had some pretty amazing articles pop up here on The Jalopy Journal. The following is just a few of them:
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Tom Cobbs
The story of Tom Cobbs, his legacy, and his hot rod roadster. Read: Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3.
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The Bob Roddick Story
The story of a set of lost photos that literally take us all back into time. Read: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, or Part 4.
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The Ferrari Shoot
Comparing and contrasting three very different cars with three very different purposes in life. Read It >>
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Inspiration
This post is actually a continuation of two other posts that were written in 2006 (Part 1 & 2). The stuff you guys came up with is breathtaking.
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Gary Howard
Gary is one of my heroes and after interviewing him, I got to check off an item from my dream list. Read It >>