Hot Rods Hop Up Test No. 4

[Ryan]

My absolute favorite feature of early Hop Up Magazines is the rod tests. Essentially, the staff would find a deserving hot rod or custom and do a proper road test and review similar to how Road & Track would treat a piece on the new for 1952 Cadillac...

To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.

[JeffreyJames]

Really neat idea. I feel like Garage Magazine used the idea (with good reason) for a couple cars. The Foster Built '36 and the Purple People Eater both had reviews of how a typical drive would be with these cars. Although Garage always has to add a bit of humor in their articles which was cool. I think that the early magazines had all the basis' covered and really offered just about every aspect of rodding that was needed. I wonder if today's rag could stand up against them.

As for the car review in the No. 4 test, I love the rear Nerf Bar and how it wraps around and includes the taillights into it. The windshield is also cool because of how chopped it is in relation to such tasteful car.

To each is own but who the hell wouldn't want that thing? Crazyness.

[Alex Yohnk]

I like the response to the question "how much did it cost?"...."i'd rather have a cadillac"...... lends credit to the argument that the cost of building a hot rod of this quality has been and still is expensive.

[Gigantor]

That just makes me want one under my ass all the more.

[1950ChevySuburban]

I really like that rear bumper setup on that car. Very neat and well thought out!

Personally, I'd love it if I had a car media-worthy of a test flogging. Hell, go for it, and if ya break it, it was weak anyway!

[Old-Soul]

Thats a slick looking roadster, thats for sure! i wonder what became of it. I like how they 'revued' the vehicle (just like you said) as if they were reviewing the lates-greatest luxury car.

Thanks!

[49ratfink]

you couldn't build that roadster for the price of a new caddy today... isn't that a $4,000.00 Merc wheel?

[Fig Newtron]

The rear nerf with integrated tail lights absolutely ROCKS! Its a piece of art!

I would never fit behind that monstrous steering wheel.

Beautiful car. Anyone know what happen to it?

[Jive-Bomber]

As a current Hop Up staff member, I'd love to see us do a few of these road tests in future issues- There was just so much good stuff in the original issues that would be worth bringing back...

Thanks for digging this up Ryan!

[VanHorton]

wow, im with everyone else who loves the rear nerf bar! that has got to be the nicest nerf bar treatments i have ever seen... excellent car

[-Brent-]

Ryan, does this car still exist? Great write-up and cool little car.

[thunderbirdesq]

What a nice little roadster and a cool idea for an article! Hop up should do this again.

[50Fraud]

I remember this road test from back when, and agree that this is a spectacular car. I, too, have wondered for years what ever became of it.

The road test, if I remember correctly, was written by the late Dean Batchelor: editor of Hop Up (and later Road & Track), designer and occasional driver of the So-Cal streamliner, one-time curator of the Harrah collection, and author of a couple of excellent books. What a cool career!

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by 50Fraud

I remember this road test from back when, and agree that this is a spectacular car. I, too, have wondered for years what ever became of it.

The road test, if I remember correctly, was written by the late Dean Batchelor: editor of Hop Up (and later Road & Track), designer and occasional driver of the So-Cal streamliner, one-time curator of the Harrah collection, and author of a couple of excellent books. What a cool career!

I was wondering if Dean wrote it... Credit was not given in the magazine.

[60'shotrod]

Nice road-test, what a terrible job they had/have at Hop-Up magazine!

Nick.

[autobilly]

Young Hoodlums don't need cargo space or knee room, they just need go,go,go!
I wonder how many builds were inspired by the great performance, lines and stance of this car and it's Hop Up roadtest article.
As for the Cadillac question, as Jeffrey James said; "who the hell wouldn't want that thing?"

[meteor]

What a perfect roadster - love it.

[Lowtech]

Great article! Road tests like that are something I'm often missing in many of today's magazines... as most of them concentrate on the history of the car and its build-up... which is great and interesting, of course. But as a car is something that should be driven, I'm always asking myself when I read about certain feature cars: damn, how would it be to drive this thing? It's not just that I wanna know all the performance figures, like in a serious road test... it's more that I'd like to get an impression of how the car drives, how it sounds, how it feels like.

[AV8-Rider]

Lovely car.
Unfortunately I don't have this issue of HopUp.
Does the article say anything about the engine specs?

Has a 2 coil ignition of some kind. Anyone know what kind?
etc

Paul

[JimA]

That is one beautiful car- has details that remind me of the work Valley Custom did to the Dick Flint roadster. Would be really interesting if any further info was available on the car and its existence or demise. One of the best channeled '32s I've ever seen.