The Driveway A

Most of us are here because we’re problem solvers. Not because we necessarily want to be, but because it’s the nature of this hobby. That need to solve issues big and small inherently comes with this old stuff. Build. Break. Repeat.

Then there are the select few who are makers too—those who have a vision to create something new out of something old, forlorn or discarded. More often than not, it takes an artist’s eye and a craftsman’s hand to be one of these and, regardless of what era we’re in, these men and women don’t come along every day.

I’ve never met Dennis Whitehead, but as far as I can tell he was most certainly a craftsman. You see, Dennis lived on Vancouver Island in Canada’s westernmost province during the golden era of hot rodding. It’s not too far from Washington state and it’s long been known for its picturesque landscape. Well, during those days, hot rodding was booming across the continent and Dennis knew he wanted to get involved.

Rather than wrangling a coupe or a roadster, he managed to score the skeleton of a ’29 Model body and some fenders. Once the pieces came home, he laid them out on his driveway. Solid tin? Yep. A lot of work? No doubt about it.

And so he built the A right there at his house, first with an Edelbrock equipped flathead—complete with single Stromberg—and later an Ardun. Coined the “Little Conqueror,” the sedan evolved quickly throughout the ’60s, moving from five-spokes and narrow whitewalls to a killer Skylark/Halibrand big’n little combo. By the latter part of the decade, it featured an exterior-mounted Moon tank in the rear, carriage lantern cowl lamps and a wood-paneled interior. Can’t get much more ’60s that that!

I first came across Dennis’ A while working on a TRJ piece about Vancouver Island hot rodding. It wasn’t until the other day that it turned up in an Internet search, and I couldn’t help but take another look. So, with the help of Canadian rodding and racing historian Dennis Besler, here’s a glimpse at the progression of the Conqueror—a true driveway built A.

—Joey Ukrop

 More photos of this nature can be found on the Vancouver Island Hot Rodding Page here.