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Tom Pollard roadster 1950's

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by nostalgia59, Dec 23, 2011.

  1. The Tom Pollard roadster is one of those iconic So Cal hotrods that is still around. Richard Loe has owned it for some time now and uses it occasionally. It has gone through many owners and changed it's look several times but was always a cool hotrod. The story is told here on Kustomrama http://www.kustomrama.com/index.php?title=File:Tom-pollard-1932-fords.jpg

    I personally like the lime green with burgandy flame version best. Maybe we can influence Richard to restore it to one of it's former incarnations...

    Hot Rod 1955

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    By 1957 it looked like this...

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    Last edited: Dec 23, 2011
  2. Today it looks quite different...

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    Tom in the car some 50 years later...

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  3. [​IMG]

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    I love this shot the best...


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  4. R&C august 1954

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  5. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

    I love every iteration of that car.
     
  6. 50Fraud
    Joined: May 6, 2001
    Posts: 10,101

    50Fraud
    Member

    It's a neat car, and I'm glad to hear that it's still around. The current flames are hideous -- it's probably time it got a new paint scheme.
     
  7. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

  8. Neat car. Richard's a lucky guy.

    CM
     
  9. This car is definitely one of my favorite hot rods.Loved it since I first saw it in the 57 paint scheme.How many people would have painted a car green back then ;let alone put maroon flames on it? The striping looks like Von Dutch's work.
    I would love to see it re-done to the 57 scheme but if it's present owner is happy with it now then so be it.
     
  10. need louvers ?
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 12,903

    need louvers ?
    Member

    There has always just been "something" about that car... Always has been one of my favorites, but if you just discribed say the '27 windshield to me, my first reaction would be, EEEEERRRRRRR ok? Then say, Lime green with bronze flames... Same deal. But as a whole, it all just flat worked, and even more surprising has worked in several different configurations. I admit that the present paint and flames wouldn't be my choice, but they aren't completely terrible either. It's so cool to see it out and about, but I too would love to see it go back to the lime green / bronze flames with the fenders. (anther one of those elements that on any other car would be HHHHMMMNNNN!)
     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2011
  11. Flat-Foot
    Joined: Jul 1, 2010
    Posts: 1,710

    Flat-Foot
    Member
    from Locust NC

    What a great car! I dig all the versions but the red is by far my favorite.
     
  12. fatkoop
    Joined: Nov 17, 2009
    Posts: 713

    fatkoop
    Member

    Sorry to highjack this thread but just a note: the coupe on the cover of the '57 Car Craft shown was known then as "The Flamer". I think Barris built it or had a hand in it. Von Dutch striped it. It's currently in Pueblo, Co. and has been owned by a friend of mine for about 40 or more years. He got it from the Zupan bros. through a trade I believe. Zupan's also owned the Ayala Bros./Bettancourt/Barris Merc, and a beautiful '50's F100, as I remember, it was green with scallops, also a cover car back then.
     
  13. I've always liked that roadster especially in the green and maroon. It would be nice to see the George Seine 32 5w restored to it's original paint scheme as well, as pictured on the cover of Car Craft above.
     
  14. Aaron Kahan
    Joined: Apr 29, 2011
    Posts: 123

    Aaron Kahan
    Member

    Thanks Lynn for starting a post about one of my favorite roadsters! It is amazing in all its incarnations. Richard found pics of it in Don Montgomery's books before Pollard owned it.

    The main reason it hasn't been restored is because Richard can't decide which way to restore it. I would have to do it the lime/bronze version simply because it was so wild for the time. The flames going from the hood onto the dash couldn't be any cooler. The paint that's on it is from the 70s.

    Richard has owned the car twice. He once sold it and felt sick about it and was able to get it again. Richard is an unsung hero for saving cars like this when people didn't care about the history. He is a really knowledgable and humble dude.

    The striping is Von Dutch. It was Barris' idea to paint the car some kind of crazy and outlandish colors. Pollard was talked into it before one of the Motorama shows. When I was working on "The Art of Von Dutch" book by Tornado design, we unearthed some amazing shots from the Barris archive. Richard was blown away by the detail shot on the dash which is a caricature of Pollard and it's signed by Dutch.

    Man I love this car!
    -Aaron
     
  15. I've known Richard since 1981 when I sold him the '40 coupe I had that is now Vernes car. We need to work on him to do it. The color sceme is so off the wall but works so well. The Flamer is also one of my favorites from this period and nice to know it's still around...
     
  16. Nobey
    Joined: May 28, 2011
    Posts: 1,489

    Nobey
    Member

    It's hard not to fall in love with this roadster!!!!
     
  17. caseyscustoms
    Joined: May 15, 2005
    Posts: 1,031

    caseyscustoms
    BANNED
    from st.joe, MO

  18. brady1929
    Joined: Sep 30, 2006
    Posts: 9,253

    brady1929
    Member

  19. So cool.
    Is that a T windshield/ posts?
     
  20. Hot Rods Ta Hell
    Joined: Apr 20, 2008
    Posts: 4,670

    Hot Rods Ta Hell
    Member

    I agree with Ryan, in that every version of the car has "worked".

    I'd love to see it rebuilt in the original full hood, fendered, Merc capped version.
    Would love to see the coupe done up the same. Would make a great magazine cover shot. Though "Flamer" might not be what the owner would tag the car in present day lingo.

    Does Richard have the hood sides and louvered cycle fenders?

    Who punched the funky teardrop louvers in the fenders? Don't recall ever seeing them on any other car.
     
  21. Yes those are T windshield posts. Unfortunately the fenders and hood sides are long gone but could be easily replaced. I think the transformation from red to green & flames happened in 1954 looking at the license plate. The 1955 hotrod pics show it red but we all know photoswere probably taken months and months before print..

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  22. Studying the car I see the late version would need hood sides, cycle fenders, chrome pipes under frame rails, '53 anniversary steering wheel, Merc wheels/caps, upholstery, paint and pinstriping.
     
  23. showrod
    Joined: Feb 8, 2007
    Posts: 779

    showrod
    Member

    one of my favorites. Does anyone know what the chromed box on the passenger side firewall is? voltage regulator is clearly on drivers side. and its awfully large for a horn relay.
    ???
     
  24. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    IIRC, the deuce had a cad in it, with the engine painted bright yellow? No-one would have the balls to do that now.
     
  25. need louvers ?
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 12,903

    need louvers ?
    Member

    Damn, I have loked at pictures of this car all of my life and never noticed the louvers in the fenders! If he ever wants to replicate fendered/flamed version of the car, I could probably make a die quick enough to punch them...
     
  26. S.F.
    Joined: Oct 19, 2006
    Posts: 2,895

    S.F.
    Member

    Ok, I always wondered where I had seen that dashboard. In my opinion that is the best hot rod dash I've ever seen. Is the dash the same way today?
     
  27. The roadster today has a chevy engine, black upholstery, 40 ford steering wheel and of course different paint. I don't think anything else has changed...
     
  28. 296ardun
    Joined: Feb 11, 2009
    Posts: 4,673

    296ardun
    Member

    I've always liked this roadster (maybe the rear fender flames are too much) ... but never noticed until someone asked that it has a T windshield.

    I hope that Richard does restore it, it's his car and he certainly can do it anyway he wants, any version would be great....
     

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