Book Review: Art of the Hot Rod

Review by Russell Purcell

The type of car you choose to drive says an awful lot about your character, style, and lifestyle. For those individuals looking to make a bigger statement, or who just can’t find an “off-the-rack” model to suit them, customisation becomes an option. There are literally thousands of aftermarket parts available to those consumers seeking to make their cars perform better, stand out from the crowd, or just stand as a better reflection of who they are. Don’t even get me started on the endless palate of colours, tires and wheels out there. Customizing automobiles largely arose during World War II, as the rationing of materials for the war effort made it difficult to acquire new automobiles or parts. Determined young men armed with tools and mechanical skills would scavenge what they could from older cars and scrap yards in order to fabricate what they needed in order to get their cars on the road. In his latest effort, Art of the Hot Rod, author Ken Gross explains that the term “hot rod” is believed to be derived from “hot roadster,” as open-topped two-seaters defined the genre in its early days. The cars were stripped down, older cars that could be purchased cheap and then souped up by young, technically skilled men. Los Angeles is considered the birth place of the hot rod phenomenon, as its proximity to the culture shaping machine of Hollywood brought exposure to the hobby in magazines, movies, music and television.
The book reveals that the modern interpretation of the hot rod is usually highly sophisticated, and features extraordinary craftsmanship and mechanical ingenuity. The scope of the hobby has expanded to the point that it is now an industry in its own right, with parts suppliers and manufacturers paying more attention to the rolling art pieces they see custom shops creating for well-heeled collectors, diehard enthusiasts, and hot rod fans just looking to relive some of the joys of youth.
This glossy coffee table book takes a look at twenty carefully selected rod and custom shops that set themselves apart from all comers when it comes to design (a high level of individualism and creativity is a key element in this segment of the auto world), as well as the exceptional standards and workmanship their projects demonstrate.

Old is good
Builders like Jim Lowrey Jr. of Lowrey Restorations in Tilton, New Hampshire work hard to retain some original elements of donor cars to preserve period correctness and maintain value.
Dave Simard of East Coast Custom in Leominster, Massachusetts reveals the importance of restoring a car prior to developing it as a hot rod so that you don’t lose valuable reference points.
Ken Schmidt and Keith Cornell of the Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop in Albany, New York manage to create brand new cars from authentic old parts, then painstakingly weather and distress them to mimic years of use. Pete Chapouris began as a parts supplier and builder of classic hot rods before revitalizing the storied So-Cal Speed Shop brand to the point where he now oversees ten retail outlets and a booming mail order business that includes a burgeoning clothing line. Pete, along with his star builder Jimmy Shine, is at the forefront of the hot rod movement when it comes to marketing and name recognition.

New is better
Steve Frisbie (Steve’s Auto Restorations in Portland, Oregon) reproduces 1933-34 Ford Roadster and Roadster Pickup bodies using modern welding techniques under the Real Steel banner.
Richard Graves of Long Beach, California’s Richard’s Wheel and Chassis has been building hot rods for 40 years, and at last count, he had created more than 400 cars. Richard stresses that his cars are to be driven and enjoyed, so he works with his clients to meet their needs. This includes bold steps like slipping V8 engines from the likes of Lexus and Porsche under the hood, rather than Ford flatheads.

Other Notable Builders
Bobby Alloway, a Ridler Award winner from Louisville, Tenessee. Classic roadsters are his forte, often painted with bright flames. The cover of the book features his stunning 1933 Ford Three Window Coupe.
Troy Trepanier has been featured on a number of television programs and is known for making some truly sick cars for his celebrity clientele. His shop, Rad Rides by Troy, is located in Manteno, Illinois.
Barry Lebeck, owner of Lebeck’s V8 Shop in Springfield, Ohio is unique in that he refuses to build a car if it can’t be driven. In short, no trailer queens or show slugs roll out of his shop.
Rick Dore of Glendale, Arizona, believes that “colour is 99 percent” of a build. “It has to draw you to the car. Then you look at the details.”
Dave Crouse is the owner of Custom Auto, located just outside Denver, Colorado. Along with several partners, he “restores old hot rods with interesting histories and then reunites them with their original owners (builders).”

A picture is worth….
Peter Harholdt is an exceptional photographer, and the efforts he took to capture the highlights and details of each subject car give us an essence of what each shop and builder is about. Each chapter focuses on a single shop, and three or four builds are featured in large format photos to honour the fine degree of workmanship. A portrait of the shop principal or key builders is also included, often in a very whimsical manner (see Ken “Posies” Fenical captured mid-yawn on page 41).
Peter performed his own build for this project, creating a mobile photo studio that would allow him to isolate his subject and better control the lighting than would normally be possible when shooting on the road. This permitted him to keep the look and feel of each image consistent throughout the 245-page book, and the end result is impressive.

Conclusions
The hot rod culture is unique in that it is very social. Men and women with advanced trade skills, boundless imaginations and a passion for automobiles get together to share talents with one another – you machine a part for me, and I will paint for you. The proliferation of hot rod clubs and a seemingly endless supply of aftermarket parts have allowed garage builders to create incredible dream machines. The twenty builders featured in Art of the Hot Rod have been lucky enough to turn their dreams into careers.

www.motorbooks.com
ISBN-13: 978-0-7603-2282-6
Price: $40.00 US / $43.95 CAN