Hot Rod

Hey everyone! I just got home from a weekend attending the Goodguys show in Columbus, Ohio, and it was great. I’ve been trying to recall when I last attended that show, and my best guess is that it’s been at least eight years, and probably more like 10. Despite nearly a decade’s absence, the Ohio Expo Center felt instantly familiar, and it was nice to be back in a familiar place reconnecting with old friends, while also making new connections. There’s a lot to be excited about in our industry right now. First, I must compliment our automotive community for the quality of work being turned out. The cars I’ve seen in the various big shows I’ve been to in the last few years are incredible and have been built with…

Founded in 1964, the Ridler award has become the top prize for custom car builders, and the battle for this yearly prize has morphed from building hot rods into creating works of art. Yeah, the cars built are functioning hot rods, but these days they are something more, and that’s an important thing to keep in mind. The Ridler is an exercise in what’s possible if builders have unlimited budgets and unbridled creativity. But, like all hot rod project cars, Ridler builds start with an idea. Don Ridler, who passed away in 1963, was known for his creativity when it came to custom car building, so naming this award for him is very appropriate, since it’s all about creativity. These days, the Ridler is sponsored by Meguiar’s, and the competition has…

It’s great to see a husband-and-wife team who share a passion for hot rods like Beth and Ross Meyers. The couple has amassed a collection of iconic hot rods from the past, and they continue to have amazing hot rods built and thoroughly enjoy driving and sharing their cars with the hot-rodding community. Their latest car is Beth’s ’32 Ford Phaeton, built in true hot rod form by Roy Brizio Street Rods. The phaeton body design, which, as a rule of thumb, featured four doors, a folding top, no side windows and a removable windshield, was not exclusive to Ford, as Chevrolet and others also produced phaetons. They were designed as a touring sedan for people to enjoy the latest trend: driving. The couple already have a full-fendered ’32 Phaeton in…

Think for a moment about the early 1950s custom car scene. A large number of American automobiles manufactured back then proved ripe material for customization, as they featured voluptuous shapes. Some might even argue that they were visually on the heavy side. These vehicles practically begged for a chopped top and, on occasion, a sectioned body. Yet, Detroit’s designers exhibited increasing audacity as the years progressed, crafting sleeker automobiles, particularly from 1957 onwards. The models rolling off the assembly lines during this period were wider and visually lower, with rear fenders sometimes adopting bold shapes. Certain offerings, such as the 1958 Chevy coupe, appeared almost like factory customs. There’s a reason why you rarely encounter ’58 Chevys with a chopped top: they simply don’t require one. The second-generation Ford Thunderbird (1958–1960)…

Larry Stanley looks at his 1966 Mustang convertible, transfixed, as if he’s seeing it for the first time. He doesn’t say much; he’s still trying to wrap his head around the notion that he actually owns it. The 78-year-old retiree from Indian Wells, California, ran a moving business for more than 50 years. Now, after a lifetime of hard work and sacrifice, he contemplates what it will be like to drive off into the proverbial sunset in his dream car. To arrive at this moment, Larry has put incredible faith in one man: Eric Bishop, the owner of Bishop Custom Cars in Palm Desert, California. Like many successful retirees, Larry spent much of his life focused on building a business and supporting a family, not on building hot rods. To a…

The craft of hot rod building has gone through a technological transformation over the past 30 years. A new generation of young builders has been unafraid to embrace high-tech tools and materials in order to gratify a clientele that is not only younger but also less influenced by the history and culture of traditional hot-rodding. But even as this new generation of customers and builders create a style and feel all their own, more traditional builders are preserving the old ways and maintaining a loyal customer base for those who desire to preserve the historical narrative and techniques of traditional hot rod building. Bobby Alloway of Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop in Louisville, Tennessee, is one of those builders fighting the good fight to preserve traditional hot-rodding ways with time-honored fabrication techniques…