Damnit Dick!

In 1957, Eric Rickman shot Dick Bennett’s roadster pickup in front of a gorgeous mid-century modern home. Those photos would later see publication in Hot Rod Magazine and decades later, those same photos were used by many as evidence to illustrate that Dick’s RPU could very possibly be the best ever built.

Bullshit R&C watermarks aside, I challenge you to find a cleaner hot rod built in 1957. Seriously, go through your stack of magazines and give it a shot. Young Dick understood the concept of less being more and one line leading to the next and contrast and… It’s a perfect hot rod not only because it was clean, but also because it was fast as hell. In fact, the little small block Chevy powered roadster ran the quarter in the very low 13-second range. Rad, right?

You know what I never realized though? Just two years later, Dick’s RPU was featured again in the 1959 Hot Rod Annual. I ran across the little spread this morning and was over-joyed to see the car once more. It felt like the good ole days all over again – fresh images of a car that I love on paper? Sign me up!

And then I was hit in the face with the brutal reality that Dick actually changed the two aspects of the car that I considered my favorite – the ultra simple dash with perfect gauge placement and the Chris-Craft steering wheel.

Damnit Dick!