If there is a downside to being a professional builder, it's that they're usually too busy building hot rods and customs for customers to build anything for themselves.
Illustrator Eric Black approached R&C with the idea for giving some prominent builders a chance to be their own customers, and to imagine the dream car they'd like to build, own, and drive. There were no rules, no imaginary budgets, no practical considerations whatsoever.
These eight cars are fresh from the imaginations of Brian Bass, Neil Candy, Zane Cullen, Doug Jerger, Troy Ladd, Donn Lowe, Eric Peratt, and Tim Strange-drawn and described by Eric Black, Jeff Norwell, Jimmy Smith, and Brian Stupski. As it turns out, at least a few of these pro builder concepts are now in the process of getting built. What you see in ink today, you may see in reality tomorrow.
-Tim Bernsau
'40 StudebakerCommander/President Coupe
Builder: Donn Lowe, Donn Lowe Customs
Donn's affection for the '40 Studebaker started in high school. Fifty years later, the shape of a coupe is still stuck in his mind. If he were building one, he'd rework the overall proportions with a chop, channel, and section. The bustle area is darn near perfect, but up front he incorporates a '50 Plymouth grille, which makes good use of the Stude's defined nose. The area above the grille gets some major metalwork to flow from the hood to the fender, with quad lights filling the space above the grille to provide a distinctive late-'50s custom look. The rear portion of the front fender is pulled back, almost in fade-away fashion. The running board area is massaged, and adorned with a dash of chrome. No need to change the shape of the rear fenders but some skirts finish the look. Add whitewalls centered with Sombreros, and you're set.
Many colors would work well-from the deep hues of the early years to the candy limes and golds of the late Fifties. But considering Donn's metalworking skill, isn't it nice to imagine it before paint, in a bare-metal photo session?
Model T Modified
Builder: Eric Peratt, Pinkee's Rod Shop,
www.pinkeesrodshop.com
Think of Chrisman's Hustler and you're in the ballpark for this wonderful shade of bronze. A set of uber-rare Indy car wheels in Coker's new 18- and 16-inch 'Stones are in place at each corner. Eric and I couldn't settle on the perfect powerplant for this little buzzbomb: V8-60? Offy 'banger? Quad four? Maybe a neat old Nailhead? In any case, the exhaust runs individual tubes for each cylinder exiting under the little V-8 quickie at the rear. Front suspension consists of a mild drop tube axle with a smile cut front and back and cut pieces swapped and welded to create a recess, then drilled full of holes. Long radius rods (more holes) with spring mounts welded in for a spring behind the axle setup, and hidden bellcrank-activated shocks clean up the exterior view. Posies quarter-elliptic springs with Pinkee's triangulated upper links control the rear.
Don't forget the most unusual features of this car-a cockpit tonneau, quick release, removable bellypan, and inner wheel "smoothers" made of durable cloth. The tonneau fits to a lightweight tube frame installed over the interior as a unit. The slick bellypan attaches with quarter-turn fasteners over stringers off the chassis. The inner wheel covers are doped and molded hard with integrated brake scoops.
'55 Chrysler
New Yorker Deluxe Convertible
Builder: Tim Strange, Strange Motion Rod & Custom Construction Inc., www.strangemotion.com
Only 50 New Yorker Deluxe convertibles were made in 1955. Tim and I created our modern interpretation of the luxury/performance theme, starting with a full-custom chassis to slam the car. One-off Billet Specialties Apex-G wheels (20- and 22-inch) get coated with Dow-7 for a classic magnesium look. Big, modern brakes attach to a Morrison frontend, cradling an intercooled Pro-Charged Hemi backed by a six-speed.
The mildly-chopped '60 Starliner windshield is laid back below a Haartz cloth top. The mildly-pancaked hood got some bead-rolled accents. A DeSoto-esque front opening feeds the intercooler. Stock upper grille openings are Dow-7 coated and halo-type lighting fills '56 Olds headlight rings. The lower grille bar is recessed, with combination lamps in outer housings. The bumper is smoothed and narrowed, and the wrap-around trim is ball-milled to match the hood accent. Custom taillight housings (sleeker than factory) feature hand-formed lenses. The narrowed bumper is notched for exhaust exits.
Paint is metallic British Racing Green. Gold side panel inserts match the top and interior. Inside, we added A/C and full power-including heated '62 Grand Prix seats and a handmade rear seat with heat, massage, recline, and footrests. Custom surrounds in the stock dash house one-off gauges. A full navigation and camera system keeps the clean lines unbroken by mirrors.