Can anyone tell me if the Martin Hollmann 1915 T Bucket Roadster still exists? It was out of California,and was used in several TV shows in the 1960 era.
Was on the cover of HRM March 1961 with Norm Grabowski's T touring. It was the basis for my T bucket which I built in 1962. Marty passed away in I think 2012, he went on to become a plane designer and had his own company in that field. Very clever guy. Don't know about the bucket but would like to know.
When asked about Marty Tex Smith commented "That Marty, he was always wearing those damn liederhosen" They were both members of the LA Roadsters.
I believe the reason he sold the car was that his family was moving back to Germany. Someone out there has to have some info as to what happened to the car, and if it still exists.
34Joe I was working with Marty trying to find his T-Bucket up until the time he died... Up until recently, I was also trying to find a collectible company who would be interested in "striking" a model of same... ____________________________________________________________________ From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Sent: 11/23/2014 10:17:39 P.M. Central Standard Time Subj: Re: As coincidence would have it, Norm and Marty Hollmann were buddies and fe... Thank you very much for all the information. And yes, now I know who you are because he was so excited to be in contact with you at that time. When I read the conversation you once had with him, I can even hear him talking ;-) This is exactly what he told me, too. Well, for so many, especially for me, he has passed away far too early ;-( The one you thought is not Martin in this Hot Rod he truly is, a bit chubby but I know that picture, well. He was wearing a muscle shirt. Thank you for answering And enjoy your hobby. What would we be without our passion for the things we love. My best regards R*** C****-Hollmann ____________________________________________________________________________________ On Nov 23, 2014, at 8:08 PM, [email protected] wrote: R*** C****-Hollmann; Please accept my deepest sympathy on Martin's passing and please be aware that it was not my article that I had recently forwarded to [email protected]. Once I am on my own Personal Computer (not my Work Computer as I am right now), I will send you copies of the e-mail correspondence that I have had with your husband over the past several years. It was I who originally sent your husband Marty the VHS "77 Sunset Strip" episode that featured his T-Bucket as the "The Chrome Coffin". It was at that time that Marty stated he never saw that episode before and was surprised as to how rough they (The Warner Bros. Studio) treated his Hot Rod. Marty was also kind enough to transfer this episode to a DVD and send me back a DVD copy along with the original VHS tape. And, yes, I too still have (or obtained) most all of Hot Rod magazines that had his T-Bucket featured. Marty had also told me about "Norm" and what a "lousy" welder that he was. Marty went on to state that the original "Kookie Kar" (Von Franco later built a very nice much more substantial clone) was nothing more than a "pieced together bucket of bolts" with a "nice" paint job. It was Marty who told me that the reason why I could not decipher what kind of frame the "Kookie Kar" was built upon was because Norm had "frame rail" covers built by Valley Custom to cover up the hacked up frame that Norm had "messed" up. This was confirmed in an article later written by Ronald Kregoski where he goes on to state: A Rolling Chassis After a lot of trial and error work by Gordon [from Valley Custom] and other, the chassis was just about together. One thing we[Valley Custom] had to deal with though, was frame covers.In the process of building the original car, Norm hacked the frame up pretty badly. The front of the frame had been cut off then welded to the rear and ‘pretty’ was not at the top of Norm’s priorities. To cover the ‘ugly’, Norm had a set of frame covers made [by Valley Custom]. These added to the distinctive look of the little pickup and Reno Rods was able to faithfully duplicate them. And it was also your husband Marty who was kind enough to reply back to a letter I wrote him back in 1961 asking about certain details related to his Hot Rod. This was shortly after his T-Bucket was featured on the cover of the March, 1961 Edition of Hot Rod Magazine. I was 14 years old at that time and am going to be 68 on March 24th. I really wish I could find where I had put that letter away for safe keeping today. Another thing that I now regret is that I was never able to "track down" where Marty's T-Bucket is located today. One of the last e-mails I received from Marty stated that the "guy" who bought the car from him planned on removing that beautiful button tufted interior. And I believe I had found one "foggy" picture of someone other than Marty driving a very similar T-Bucket but with different tires (no slicks) and a different carburetor configuration. And last but not least is the fact that Marty stated to me that he never received any Royalties like Ed Roth, George Barris, Foose, and many similar others did when Lindberg Models [appears to have] "high jacked" his original T-Bucket design and began selling it as a "motorized" plastic model beginning with the "original" BOBTAIL "T" Model in 1961. It is amazing that Lindberg Models continues to sell Marty's design under several other different renditions today. It is a Real Shame that Marty did not see any $$$ coming his way out of that one, and out of respect for Marty, Lindberg Models should cease and desist selling that Model anymore.. http://www.tbucketplans.com/marty-hollmanns-hugely-influential-t-bucket/ ______________________________________________________________________________ In a message dated 11/23/2014 4:38:19 P.M. Central Standard Time, [email protected] writes: Dear Mr. K********, Thank you for your article you have sent to my husband's email [email protected]. I don't know if you are aware that he passed away two years ago. It was actually the same day, just hours apart, when Norm Grabowski and my husband Martin Hollmann have passed on October 12, 2012. I heard that Norm passed at 11 AM and Martin at 1 PM. What a coincidence! Great article you wrote and I appreciate those people, who keep the famous "alive" in stories etc. . However, you got the facts wrong. I still have that original magazine that you have shown in your article. Also, I have the movie with his Hot Rod that was made for 77 Sunset strip. Video clips of it you can watch on the Aircraft Designs website. I know all the stories and I know that my husband was paid when he rented his Hot Rod as a very young man to Hollywood for not only the 77 Sunset Strip but for many more. It is written in his book "My Life ", which you can order btw. at the Aircraft Designs website. The correct facts are also mentioned in his obituary, which is still posted on the front page of the Aircraft Designs website. Norm Grabowski might have been a famous man. But, common, those need to be honored who are the actually creators and don't let the halo shine on the wrong man ;-)) I would highly appreciate if you would correct your errors. Great article by the way, but unfortunately your facts are wrong! Best Regards R*** C****-Hollmann Sent from my iPhone On Nov 23, 2014, at 7:38 AM, [email protected] wrote: http://www.tbucketplans.com/norm-grabowski-and-the-kookie-kar/ From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Sent: 7/17/2007 9:29:17 A.M. Central Standard Time Subj: Re: Did you construct a T-Bucket back in the '60's? Hi-yes that is me and my T bucket. I loved hot rods back in those days and still do. I also was member no. 11 of the LA Roadsters. My friend Norm Grabowsky (also known as Grab Assky) was no. 10. Martin Hollmann ----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Cc: xxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Monday, July 16, 2007 10:39 PM Subject: Did you construct a T-Bucket back in the '60's? Martin; Are you the same Martin Hollman(n who constructed that great T-Bucket back in the '60's? If so, whatever happened to it. I did know that Lindberg used it as a model (in various forms) for years. My cousin Chris really loved that car. If not, I apologize for the intrusion. http://www.aircraftdesigns.com/hollmann.html
No, Von Franco cloned both versions of Norm Grabowski's "Kookie Kar"; Uploaded on Sep 4, 2007 IN 1955 NORM GRABOWSKI STARTED TO BUILD HIS"T"NOT KNOWING THAT THIS CAR WOULD STAR IN TELEVISION SHOWS LIKE 77 SUNSET STRIP AND LAUNCH A TREND KNOWN AS THE "FAB -T". VON FRANCO BUILT A CLONE OF THE "KOOKIE" VERSION AND NOW, 20 YEARS LATER, HE CLONES THE "LIGHTNIN'BUG"VERSION . VON FRANCO TELLS THE HISTORY OF NORM'S CAR ALONG WITH NEVER BEFORE SEEN HOME MOVIES AND PICTURES ...THIS IS THE STORY OF...THE CAR THAT ATE MY BRIAN!!
From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Sent: 9/17/2009 6:38:21 P.M. Central Daylight Time Subj: Re: Martin, you sold it for $2500? Yes I did but I have regretted it ever since. I wish I had it back-it was really a good driving car and it was fast. Martin ----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, September 17, 2009 4:01 PM Subject: Martin, you sold it for $2500? http://yblock.blogspot.com/ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.409 / Virus Database: 270.13.103/2378 - Release Date: 09/17/09 06:18:00
From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Sent: 11/24/2014 11:58:47 P.M. Central Standard Time Subj: Re: Martin and I were life long friends In a message dated 11/24/2014 11:20:28 P.M. Central Standard Time, [email protected] writes: Martin and I went to Van Nuys High together, we played on the basketball team for coach Mercer, and both of us came to the US with our siblings and parents as immigrants after WW2. Both of our fathers were high priority engineers that the US needed to get ahead of the USSR with the start of the cold war. Martin and I drove in his hot rod in the local San Fernando area, but took his Model A to the local mountains to ski. For the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley and many ski seasons thereafter we converted an old Dodge delivery truck and made it into our ski wagon with an illegal heater and cots, spending cold nights right next to chair No1 in Mammoth. Was wondering what happened to his rod. I did find a magazine with Martin sitting in his rod on the front cover a few years ago, those were the days. Kxxxl Dxxxxxx
http://www.aircraftdesigns.com/Books/My-Life/aircraft.tpl.html View Full-Size Image My Life $20.00 by Martin Hollmann The life story of the author. How he and his family escape the Russians and come to the USA is told. In the USA, he builds models airplanes, cars, surfs and then goes on to design and build the world's first, two place, experimental gyroplane, the Sportster, for training and world's first ultralight gyroplane, the Bumble Bee, and how he designed some of the very well known experimental aircraft that are flying today. A story of a well known, present day, aircraft designer. 114 pgs and 90 pictures Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} A friend writes: Marty, I would like to get a copy of the R.T. Jones work on aerodynamics. As you might recall, I had the honor of meeting Mr. Jones at a small house party you had back in the early 1980s. I’ve had the chance to meet a number of aviation greats over the years, and talking with Mr. Jones is one of the best. I’m almost finished reading the book “My Life.” It’s right up there with the other great aviation great’s tales I’ve read by Adolph Galland, Chuck Yeager, and Bob Hoover. A great read! My best wishes. Jim
I wish you luck in locating this bucket. It's difficult. I tried to track down the Dennis DeBenictis bucket a few years ago. I tracked it to an owner in Santa Rosa Ca. and asked all the old car guys there. Nobody knew nothing. These things went through so many changes and owners over the years and most ended up parked in somebody back yard to rust away. One old timer told me "we all had one of those". Again I wish you luck and keep us posted. Gary
Mine is not a Grabowski clone, although numerous ideas came from Norm's car. But there was also some Hollmann influence: the four carb 324 Olds powerplant. Norm asked me one time about frame covers. I told him how I had done my frame and he said,"You got it right the first time!" Yea, my first bucket (from 1965) should be in the St.Catharines (Niagara Peninsula) area. Happened upon it in the summer of '85. Also, Jim Wiley's (Welland, Ont) Li'l Leprechaun T-Bucket show car of the late '60s seems to be in hiding. I saw it in a cinder-crete block storage shed gathering much dust and rust in the mid '80s. Those I talked to in the Niagara region this past summer were unable to clue me in on the location of either car.
The Jalopy Journal
