Cars that influenced history....Hotrods and Kustoms

Been thinking of doing an ongoing article for my club newsletter that would cover cars that had an impact on hot rodding and customizing in the 50's-60's and even the 70's.

If you have an opinion, let's hear it. I don't want any brawling over this though...... I would love to have pics I could run with it, if possible. Accurate history is definately a plus.



I have a couple to start off with.
I think from the early days....The original Kookie car. Norm's car was in early TV and movies. I don't have a lot of history on the car but maybe Flt-Top can help us out. This car still influences cars being built today.

Customs....everyone knows that I love the Joe Bailion built 49 Chevy, owned by Frank Livingston. It still has influence on my car today that I am building. I'll try and get some pics up and running soon. Modern version shown.......

 

Hey, I like this idea. I got one how about the ala kart. I wonder if they are done restoring it yet. I saw it in AZ when it was in rough shape. I couldn't control my drool.

 

How about Tommy Ivo's T.....

 

Cadzilla brought customs back from the dead.

 

I was torn between Tommy Ivo and Norm's T.

 

Lil John Buttera's 32 3W Coupe.
If that was the first full on Billet car, I would say that it had one hell of an influence...
No matter if you like that influence or not.

 

Norm's T in it's first incarnation..(Top)

 

More...

 

Last one..

 

Norm Wallace's roadster was a big influence in the East

 

Norm Wallace again

 

on the kustom side first would have to be the sam barris 49 merc, it set trends that are still closely followed. the matranga merc, because not only is it a work of art in itself ,but, it also inspired the hirohata merc because of it's hard top treatment. the polyesian by valley customs, it showed that more isn't always better. rev.larry ernst's 51 chevy it set the standard for all chevy hardtops. and finally the moonglow it showed that you could build a world class kustom in your driveway.

 

Larry Watson's "grapevine".

 

Though it may ruffle some hard-core feathers, John Buttera's "Cad T" 1926 Ford Tudor was a pioneering effort for it's time...built in the very early 70s, it brought things like fully independent suspension, tubular frame construction, new car electronics and climate controls, and a superior level of workmanship to the street rodding world.

Today's goldchainer billet queens evolved from the example set forth by that car, which was built by a dedicated hot rodder with the help of a few friends in his garage. Kind of ironic, then...that cars copying that style would come to be 1-800-BUY-THEM rods over the next three decades...but that particular car was a one-off, hand built effort by a fabricator who had seen enough of his hard work torn to pieces by racers who were getting more and more careless in their quest for speed. He quit the funny car business and spent the next several years just building trend-setting rods that would go on to further influence the contemporary side of the rodding community.

Boyd Coddington was always one step behind Buttera...seeing what he was doing then trying to upstage him and sell the idea to the public in mass produced quantities of parts, wheels and kit rods! Buttera built his Cad-T, so Boyd built his Fantastic T...John built a smooth roadster employing custom wheels cut from aluminum blanks given to him by a friend at Centerline...and Boyd churned out a string of smoothie roadsters and went into the billet wheel business!

Buttera and his cars, starting with the Cad-T back in 1972, influenced the world of street rodding heavily...although it was not his intention to do so. His hand-crafted rods fueled the fires for those who would copy his efforts and sell them to the world...making Lil John both influencial...and infamous at the same time!

Sure, we all hate what has been spawned from the ideas and concepts he helped to bring to the hobby...but when it comes to having an influence on the types of cars that would come to symbolize contemporary rodding, there are few builders who've done so much! Funny, that a humble little guy building cars from scratch out of a small garage just the way that most of us do it would reluctantly lead the masses into what came to be known as the Billet Revoloution! That stigma drives people to far extremes one way or another...either ya love John, or ya hate him...but whatever you feel, you can't deny his influence through cars such as the Cad-T, his silver Model A roadster, and his other projects. He was the Jesse James of his day....just a talented fabricator who found himself thrust into the spotlight and labeled as a sell-out at times, but at heart, he was...and is...just a down-to-earth backyard builder who digs hot rods and would rather make what he needs than buy it!

 

Sam Barris's ,50 Buick Sedanette, the Matranga Merc, the Westergaard '36 three window, Link Paola's '40 Buick, the Jade Idol, Larry Watson's '58 Caddy Brougham, the Doan Spencer roadster, any Tony Nancy car, the Peirson Bros coupe, the Tom McMullen roadster, the '55 from Two Lane Black Top and the bench mark of roadsters…the one Arin Cee drove in the Pete Millar 'toons in the old R&C. I think it was the inspiration for Bill Burnham's Old Blue.

I know I'm talking to a knowlegable group, so if I missed anyone, I'm sure I'll be set straight.

Those are the cars that I think set the trends and fashion in their time and still have the ability to cause drooling now.

Of course, your mileage may vary. Seize door for details. Call now for freak consultation…

 

While Bill Niekamp's 'A' track roadster won the Oakland Roadster show in 1950, and the Dick Flint 'A' got a lot of ink, I always preferred the Dick Kraft 'T' when it came to track roadsters. Later known has the Highland Plating Special, it was a work of Hot Rod art. It's still around.

 

Back side...

 

Liked hot rods, street machines, pro streeters ...hell anyhting with wheels till i saw Cadzilla, and then i was hooked on Kustoms 4evr!

cheers

 

"The Little Deuce Coupe" Not so much the Alexander brothers car but the car in the song. I am not criticizing the Alexander bothers "Little Deuce Coupe" but what they built and the picture in my mind from the song, are two different cars. Tried to post a link to the picture in my mind but all that came up was garbage. You will have to picture it in your own mind.

 

it's a hard choice between norm's kookie car and ivo's. they are the top of the t-buckets. hard to think norm had 7000.00 in his car in 1957. that's alot of coins in 1957. i like the kookie car in it's second version best, no blower with more rake and blue paint. also what about billy's eliminator coupe and the california kid. they both started a ton of people down the road of rodding!

 

What movie was Tommy Ivo's t in? I think it was his car I seen in a movie on AMC late one night. The movie had that killer T and a bad ass roadster with ,if I remember correctly, a nailhead.

 

Boy, talk about a tough question..... Each time period has had its benchmark cars. A couple famous ones that have not been mentioned here are Tom McMullen's flamed highboy, and Jake's truck-grilled coupe. I know that some will say that the roadster was not as handsome or graceful as some others, but it got a lot of ink, and was influential in its day. The Jacobs coupe was there at the beginning of the real hot rod revival of the early 70s. That both have been copied (cloned, even) is indicative of their influence.

 

[ QUOTE ]
Lil John Buttera's 32 3W Coupe.
If that was the first full on Billet car, I would say that it had one hell of an influence...
No matter if you like that influence or not.

[/ QUOTE ]

I totally agree. I was about to write the same thing...

That car made a huge impact on me as a teen. I still have a very tattered issue or HRM with that car on the cover. Such a statement in garage built, one-off cars at the time...it's too bad what it lead to.

Along with that issue, is the R&C with Jim Jacobs and Niekamps roadster on the cover. That is the other car that had a great influence on me. Also a statement in garage built cars of the time. The Niekamp roadster is still one of my all time favorite hot rods.

Neal

 

The 70's

The California Kid
John Milners deuce
Falfas 55 or 2 lane blacktop, whichever influenced you more

 

The oldest hot rod around is still running.....Art Chrismans 25 car.It was at the first race ever held at Santa Ana.
Also whatabout Ed Isky's car.
These two cars are very early,Arts being the earliest for sure.Some say his car is the oldest hot rod ever.....Shiny

 

The "Ricky Nelson" roadster built by Ray DeFillipi had to be influential.

 

"dragula"

 

[ QUOTE ]
The 70's

The California Kid
John Milners deuce
Falfas 55 or 2 lane blacktop, whichever influenced you more


[/ QUOTE ]

Root,
I think I was probably influenced more by the Falfa '55 and the California Kid than the Milner coupe. Odd as it may seem, and the cars on both ends of the spectrum.

 

Bob Mc coy's 40 tudor was famous all over the world. It was in Life magazine's article about the hot rod phenomonon as well as Hot Rod. It ( among others) started the flame paint craze still popular today/

 

I find it interestnig that without exception, every car posted so far has been seen in print.
Getting in a magazine, any magazine, or in a book is a prerequisite of becoming part of the "influenceof the history of.." group.
I know that sounds like a "Well Duh!" cause and effect, but in reality, there may have been half a dozen cars that never saw print that influenced THOSE cars that made it into the mags that were really the cars that influenced the history of cars in the actual trenches, or gutters or whatever.
This list is really easy. Just list all the cars in all the "History of" books Southard Jr and Batchelor and Ganahl and Medley and Drake have written. Deduct any car entries you don't personally care for and there you have your list.
If the car isn't in a history book it obviously didn't influence history.

My fav's
KookieT AND Ivo T and a lot of the "clean" FadTs that followed.
Matranga Merc (Actually I like LurkerMick's better but it's not in the "history books")
Hirohata Merc
Neicamp Roadster
R & C Dream Truck
Golden Sahara
Matador
Scritchfield Touring
Scritchfield metalflake roadster.
Predicta
Jade Idol because it made paint people want to develop "Chameleon paint"
Ala Kart
Dick Landy's altered wheelbase Dodge. it was the first car printed in color inside Hot Rod Mag... ( I think)
"COlt 45" glass bodied Mustang, the first "funny Car" I ever saw, at the '65 Winternationals
Jake's Yaller coupe because it was the first back to basics "rat rod"
Pac Man Rod because it was at the nadir of the dark ages. (It's influential like Atilla the Hun or Hitler)
Buttera's T sedan because I saw it on the street before I saw it in a mag.
the pre-foose Boyd cars. before they moved away from hotrods and into that realm RPW was talking about about the DiDia Bobby Darin Dream car...coachbuilt one offs, they aren't exactly hotrods or Kustoms.

Not mean't to be knocking none's choices because I think they are great choices but I found the list so far interesting in that most of the cars, with the exception of Ivo's drag strip proven T and the Chrisman car, the rest are mostly "Street Rods"