J.Ukrop submitted a new blog post: Remembering Mike Alexander Continue reading the Original Blog Post
Great article. Grew up just a few miles from their shop on Schoolcraft but it might as well been on the moon to a 10yr old. They will be missed.
R.I.P. Mike. Here's one of the many cars that the Alexander Brothers built. This was a brand new '58 Ford that my friend, Tom Biles, drove to their shop to be customized. It was on the ISCA circuit for a few years and then Tom sold it--marriage, house, etc.
Very well said. I worked with Mike on several special projects when he was with ASC, top man. We even went to the same barber shop on Michigan Ave. in Dearborn and would talk a bit about cars and what might going on at Ford and ASC. I think he had a life well lived.
A well written tribute about one of my childhood heroes.As a five year old Deora was my favorite Hot Wheel ever.Clean,elegant,and ahead of its time.RIP,Mike.
The Michigan area, and the A bros., and the Little deuce coupe, are part of my heritage. I, too, have my little A bros pin and many memories. As a tribute to the A bros, go to the Gilmore Museum in Hickory Corners, Mich. and see the Little deuce coupe as part of the Michigan hot rod tribute. Dennis Lesky has put together a tribute to Mich. hotrods and it is very impressive. I last saw Mike a few years back when he displayed the Vargo roadster recreation, and his latest Ridler contender 60 years apart, and he was still going. They both will be missed. R.I.P., A bros.
Excellent tribute! It's great to hear that despite the kickass cars he built, he seems to focus more on the family....What a cool dude..May another legend rest is peace.....
This is very sad to hear. All of the great ones are passing on. I hope to meet a few of them before they are all gone. You will be missed Mike. RIP
I was at the Detroit Autorama about 2006, for some reason Barris and Mike Alexander were making their way through the basement more or less together... Barris with 2 of swimsuit models in tow, his signature bright yellow satin jacket, non-stop talking., pressing flesh, either with people or the 2 models, paying more attention to. As pictures of George and his entourage are being taken on the drivers side of DirtyT's Space Herpie. I was standing on the other side of the Herpie watching the circus. I didn't know what Mike Alexander looked like, so somebody pointed out to me that he was standing next to me looking at the car. My eyes got wide and I awkwardly stuck out my hand to shake his and blathered something about being an admirer of his work... He smiled and said "thank you". Then somebody handed him a Sharpie and he signed Brian's glove box and wandered off to the next car, quietly shaking the hands of those who knew who he was. Meanwhile George continued his mini-circus molesting his confused escorts. If you had never seen either of their work after seeing them 30 seconds side by side as I did, you could probably walk into a garage filled with their creations and pick out who did what.
Great story Joey! Did you scan or photograph more old photos? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Thanks for the kind words everyone. @Nick32vic, @SuperFleye I did. With any luck, you'll see more of them down the line.
Joey, thanks for sharing this story about one of the greats of customizing(along with his brother). Look forward to seeing the Deora pics. Thanks again, Carp
As kids, we know of the Alexanders from model car kit boxes. Some of the AMT 3-in-1 kits had the custom versions that were inspired by them or they were consultants for AMT.