You can go to just about any hot rod & custom show and walk past a fleet of '32 Ford Roadsters. Suddenly, you see one that catches your eye and you spend a good 10 or 15 minutes looking it over, with that sheepish grin on your face. Why did that 1 ou... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
I can't tell you how much I pour over Concours D'elegance photos when they pop up here on the hamb or Old Auto Union cars for inspiration on my hot rod. I am far away form being started let alone completed but I feel like I have my car built to the smallest detail. Basically anything that was intended for performance I can get some inspiration from and I think the Europeans had a knack for putting the bull shit aside and getting down to the meat & potatoes as far as automotive design and performance goes. There is just so much taste wrapped up into the cars shown on the likes of Pebble Beach that as long as you don't get carried away the details incorporated into let say a '32 Ford 5 window could be very cool and still very much Hot Rod. Theme cars are not my thing but I certainly want my car to reflect my taste and interest in Hot Rodding from all four corners of the earth during a specific period of time if that's what excites me. The Devil is in the details for sure.
Lots of us can build a nice car. Most of us can show it spotlessly clean. That doesn't attract me either, without some impressive details. Details are where the owner / builder has their heart and soul exposed. Thats what I look for in a car or truck.
I've subscribed to over 100 threads just for one or more details that I was impressed with regardless of the make/model/style/paint/powertrain..... Details are what separate built from bought
Harry Westergard built cars have always impressed me. Lots of Euro influence. Steve Moal is another that is very eye opening in his pursuit of originality.
Jay -- I can't believe I didn't see you there! But you probably saw all the divots I left in the greens with my jaw. The real inspirational stuff for me were the Postwar Italian jobs, whose details would work great on a hot rod. I especially liked the Pegaso (where the quarters rolled into the wheel well), the ATS and the blue Siata. Imagine any of these motors in an early Ford...
Jay, that is why Jeems "ID this Model A" thread has some of us all worked up. Kitchen's car is just one of those that has IT.
The trick with details is knowing where to stop. The Kitchen car had just enough to really give it mystery and personality. I recall a '32 roadster from a few years ago built on an Indy roadster theme, which had about every possible rare piece of vintage speed equipment -- Ardun, SCoT blower, Culver City QC, Halibrands, etc etc, plus belly pan, louvered everywhere. Each detail was pretty amazing, but when you stood back they overwhelmed and detracted from the car as a whole.
Yeah Mike, I was just looking at that Moal Built Indyesque car the other night. Detial overload!! My pal Karl told me years ago when I started the Touring something very profound. "You can't put every cool part on the car, pick 3 and move on!" or somethinng like that. BTW, your coupe is one that pulled in a theme AND details and works.
I believe it's called Style. Form,functionality,simplicity, whatever the term, these things all add a certain pizzaz that sets certain vehicles apart from the rest. Just my ramblin', Cat
So glad you Cats are appreciative of other makes. When I finally trade in my sled for a Hot Rod, you can bet your bottom dollar it will have vintage foreign race car influences built into it. This ride was at Amelia Island last year. Betcha it made the trek out west as well. Details where astounding! JT aka...Buddy Palumbo
great thread!! my car doesn't fit in with the normal cars here,but I hope when I get it done all these tiny little details i've sweated hours over get noticed. I'll spend hours in the machine shop making some tiny little part that almost no one will even notice, hope the ones who do appreciate them.
I hadn't seen Rikster's site before, WOW! If any of you guys haven't visited it yet, chech out the wealth of cool material. http://public.fotki.com/Rikster/