The Egoless Car

[Jkustom]

I too subscribe to the "sinister intent" aspect of hotrods and customs..

My approach to designing/building a car or bike or whatever is pretty simple: the final result should be something that has an aire of danger, while still having a feeling of class doing it.
If a car or bike is truley bad ass, Everyone will just know it...it has nothing to prove.

If you gotta go as far as tons of skulls and iron crosses and way too much pinstripe work all over the car, then you stick with the car equivelent of the chiuaua that thinks it's a Rottweiler..

The Rott KNOWS who he is, and he doesn't need to tell you.

[zibo]

It's a bitchin car but not sure about the sinister term.

A 1.5"- 2" chop would get the top proportions right,
than I think it would be sinister.
TP

[mrdodge]

Originally Posted by LSGUN

I can't add too much to what everyone has already said, but you're dead on. I love the flashy show rods of the early '60s, but when you look at a lot of the hot rods that were built in late 40's and early 50's you see a reflection of this sedan. It seems like nobody really had anything to "prove" then, other than how fast their mill could push them down a strip, dry lake, or salt flat.

Well said. I sometimes think a lot of people miss the point that 40's & 50's cars were simple because, in most cases, they were also daily drivers and so needed to be kept easy to use without all the frilly add ons. Good words Ryan and an opportunity for us all to re-think our approach to future projects. I know I am doing this right now with my roadster. Ahh, the power of the written word......

[Half-Fast Motors]

I never thought an A sedan could look that good.

[VonMoldy]

Awesome post this should be in the rodders bible some where. I think there is a lesson here too about people not just cars. The many people these days get tattoos or walk around with a frown on their face to prove to everyone how tough they are. These people are the ones most vulnerable.

Be yourself and let the car be itself too!

What a cool car. I really get a sort of early muscle car vibe from it. I think a GTO could pull off the same look of this car. There is definitely something mysterious about it.

[zimm]

I could'nt sleep, so I get up and read this. now I really cant sleep

[Lowtech]

It needs courage to build a car like that. The courage to step back and say: I must leave it like that. It's perfect.

Great car, great blog.

[8bb]

It's what i'd call a sleeper, Kinda standard looking to the untrained eye. If you know what your looking at then you'd geddit otherwise it'd pass you by....Till you got to the lights.

[Chuck R]

This 29 has always looked very cool to me for the same reason as the sedan. Simple changes to highlight that beautiful Henry design.
chuck

[stude_trucks]

Fortunately (I guess?), my lack of spare cash and skills keeps my hot rod ego in check.

[safari-wagon]

I think many rodders from the old days subscribed to the "less is more" mantra, mostly due to their financial situation too.

To me the best hot rods are/were built to a vision or an idea of what would increase the performance of the car at the drags or on the salt. They did & always will take on many different shapes & forms.

And yes, some of them were "over the top" then too.

[Mike Zenor]

Wabi sabi.

[porknbeaner]

Originally Posted by Ryan

Remember that little model-t that we did a feature on a few months ago? It was sinister in simplicity. Through restraint, the owner/builder was able to create something that was worth more than the sum of it's parts. It's hard for me to put into wo...

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

Ego is a funny thing. My whole purpose in life is to go fast and find the perfect cheese burger.

Of course going fast with out anybody knowing about it or finding the perfect burger and not grinning after words would pretty anti-climatic,now wouldn't it. So there you are.

Good thoughts my friend.

[phartman]

The old-timers around here have a phrase: Humbly Proud. I like it. Says it all. Build your car, but know when to quit. Make it humbly proud.

[hotrodfil]

Wouldn't change a thing. Oh to be the custodian for a while. It belongs in that black on black on black thread from... err - yesteryear.

[bonesy]

First, what a cool car. Perfect
Second, what a cool article. Perfect

[Toby Denham]

Ego is always involved in the design and execution (and operating) of a hot rod or custom; there's no escaping it. However, what is important is that good aesthetic and engineering judgement is not overtaken by an ego that is running out of control. I see a lot of severely over-the-top cars these days. To me, it many times reveals an ego that seems desperate to express itself.

[1 foot in the grave]

thats weird, i had never thought of it that way. In recent years i have expressed less and less ego through myself, yet my car has gotten a lot more "bling" lately, with adding things like wide whites, flaked roof, lancer hubcaps, etc. I guess i'm expressing my ego with my car now. I like the way my ego ride looks, but i don't talk about it anymore. When someone asks about my car these days i just tell them what it is and drive away, i used to sit and tell them all about it when they asked. It doesnt matter what people think about your ride (good or bad) as long as you like it.

[sr]

There is no such thing as an egoless car.

[Al Napier]

Ego or not, that is one beautiful car.........

Al in TN..err I mean CT