Were sports cars an influence to early rodders? I think YES! Pics please!

Is it ok to like them on this board? I'm mostly a hot rod/ lowrider afficianado. However at my local swap, I picked up a Fawcett book by Tom McCahill on Sports Cars, for a buck.
I was blown away at the slippery designs of these vehicles. I now see the light as to where the pre-war and early post-war designers, customizers, and hot rodder got ALOT of they're influences.
How can you deny the sexy lines of a Jaguar XK120...especially at a top speed of 132 mph!?!? The Alfa Romeo Mille Miglia or the Don Lee Straight 8 Alfa? I can only imagine the sound and the perfomance. What about the Allard J2? This thing looks so fast just standing still. With a cad motor to boot. I would have to say my fave that I was reading about were the Cistalias (aka the sissy) A 12 cylinder motor wrapped around a tube frame with some amazing body lines.
This book covered cars that screamed "custom" also, such as the Delahaye, Lagonda, Lago Talbot, the insane looking Veritas and the Jowett Jupiter.
I also read about races at Elkhart Lake, and Le Mans probaly dating around 50-51 I wish I could have been there...
I don't mean to rant and rave about how cool sports cars are, but it really opened my eyes as to how important these vehicle were to builders stateside. I hope some folks out there will post some pics that can relate to this post.

Cheers.

 

I couldn't figure out what the hell "spots" cars were...until I read your post...

I don't have the answer to that...not my call, but I'd say no...I think this forum is about hot rods/kustoms.

R-

 

There were NHRA sports classes back in the 60s but they were a little different than those that you have just described. Some of these cars were Bad MoFos. Bob.

 

There's some beauties out there.

One of my favorites.

 

Two words: "Max Balchowsky" (as in http://www.tamsoldracecarsite.net/MaxBalchowsky1.html

Two more words": "Old Yaller"

Ten more words: Honk! Magazine Cover with his '32 and his Irish Setter.

Early rodders were what kept the sports cars on the top of their game.

 

Baldwin-Payne Special

 

SPORTS CARS...sorry for the typo. Am I wrong in thinking european cars might have influenced Harry Westerguard or the Barris brothers?
Or how about G.I.'s
coming back with some influence and applying it towards a ford?

 

Delahaye

 

Oops here it is.

 

Here are a couple of pics of Old Yeller.

Built by Morgensen in Phoenix, Az.

These road race Specials were influenced by the European Sporst Cars, and a lot of them were capable of beating them too.

 

Later came the Cobra's, the Cheetah's ( pic ), the GT40's, etc...

Some of them were influenced by the European cars, some of them were part European.
And a couple really put the hurt on the top Euro factory teams.

 

I guess Rodger missed it being from the middle of the country, but after WWII the returning GIs on the West Coast built their hot rods in the style of the sports cars they drove and saw in Europe. To me the late forties and early fifties style roadsters just reek of sports car and aircraft influences. Belts to hold the hoods down, toneau covers, French fenders, etc. Yup, sports cars were a very important influence, IMO.

More pics please, guys. Especially Specials and hill climbers.

chili

 

He he Note the rear fenders on ol' yaller. Fifties Chevy pick up truck. Trippy, huh?

 

Very cool. I was reading about Max Balchowsky (sp?). 401 with 6 97's in Yeller 2. That is one mean machine. Maybe not the American Graffitti coupe, but this is what I'm talking about. Definately hot rod material.....

 

Man,
That is the most beatiful piece of metal I have ever seen!!!!

 

Allright...

Here is one I really like...Because its mine.

( The drawing of the Chassis is of its sister car. )

 

Can somebody post a link to the Thread we had about Streamliners, a couple of days ago?

 

Yay Yeah!!!! If a lot is good, can there be too much of this stuff?

The last car you posted, Metalshapes, is one you're working on, right? I've been following that one with great interest. My Viper brother Francois and I have a Special in the pipeline from the Viper Skunkwerks. More along the lines of the Baldwin/Payne car as we're using a Ford chassis. Please keep us updated on the car you're working on. It makes points on my T-shirt!!

chili

 

Absolutely.

I wil post updates every step of the way.

I thought I'd be farther along on it by now, but I need to finish some other things first...

 

Chili, I'd like to know more about the Special you guys are building too...
Can you me more?


And BTW... My Roadster has some Sports Car in it too.

 

Well, it's in the drawing board, gathering pieces stage right now. I have a Olds Rocket engine, gonna use a 5 speed behind it, '38 Ford frame and suspenssion with modified pieces. Hand formed body, made mainly from old car sheet metal. Using the top from a '48 Mercury 4 door to get some of the compound curves for the main part of the body, probably old truck fenders for the rear fenders, hand formed nose, hood and cowl, '36 Ford spare tire covers for the French fenders on front, King bee lights, diesel truck vent windows on end for Brooklands windscreens. Almost a Fred Sanford special, I guess. It'll be real low buck, if you don't count our hours. ha ha

But Francois and I have other cars to finish first. I plan to learn a hell of a lot about hammer welding on it.
The onliest firm idea is the name, "The Cluck-O Lube Special".

chili

 

Cool...

 

I don't think there can be any doubt that those deeply channeled East Coast roadsters were influenced by sportscar design. I have even seen some with the doors cut down like a TR-3. My guess is that the "rich kids" had sportscars and the working class guys built hotrods that would not only corner but blow their doors off.

 

I believe this is the same car a little further down the line development-wise.

It ran as an open wheeler a couple years earlier than the swoopy son-of-a-gun I posted above.

There are a lot of interesting road race cars prior to WW2.
A couple of small ones I remember, 636 horsepower from Mercedes I think.
And the other, whoever was doing front wheel drive found their drivers were having a difficult time with them due to their different handling characteristics.
Problem solved when they hired road-race motorcycle racers to drive the front wheel cars.

 

Killer top you made for that thing, the whole shape just flooooooows.

 

I can see your point but most guys didn't even know those cars existed . That's why the hotrod "thing" was such a phenomenon. Besides , didn't we fix that 132 mph top speed problem for them too ? For alot less $$ . just a thought. I do personally like the alfa romeo BAT cars the best but that wasn't till after the inception of the lakester. In the 50's .Oh well swaZZie

 

"And the other, whoever was doing front wheel drive found their drivers were having a difficult time with them due to their different handling characteristics.
Problem solved when they hired road-race motorcycle racers to drive the front wheel cars."

I don't know about front wheel drive, but the Auto Union racers used a mid engine design with swing axles that was absolutely terrifying just to watch, let alone drive. They used motorcycle racers mostly, as drivers that came up through automobile road racing couldn't master the understeer in, oversteer out technique that it took to make them fast. These were mid-engined cars with huge radiators in the front. At the time it wasn't understood that their handling was evil due to the combination of massive power, narrow tires, and swing axles. A theory took hold that the driver needed to be between the rear tires to feel what they were doing properly. Supposedly the Auto Unions, with their drivers more to the front, would get away before they could feel them snap into oversteer. This mistaken notion pushed back the conversion of race cars from front engine to mid engine by many years. Then again we have that many more years of classic roadster styling as a result.

Yes, I think that sports car influence on hot rodding was very real. And it must have been great fun to go out and whip the guys in the tweed caps and string-back gloves!

 

How bout kustoms?

 

i cant think of any gi coming back with a cisitallia...but they have some great lines.

if you want to look up an interesting might have been, look up the Ferdinand Porsche designed Cisitallia flat 12, 4wd, grand prix car...

 

Now that's a huge understatement!!!!!