Project Cars Garage

As we go to press, the Indy 500 just reached its 100th anniversary (see Roddin’ At Random, page 15), so it seemed appropriate to dig through the archives and find a cool shot from Indy’s past. This was the start of the ’64 race, and it’s significant for several reasons. First, the Mustang had just debuted to enormous fanfare and was selected to pace the race. Second, A.J. Foyt scored his second Indy 500 win in the last front-engine roadster (the No. 1 Watson/Offy in the third row) to ever win at the Speedway. That green and yellow No. 6 car in front is the Lotus/Ford belonging to Jimmy Clark, who would go on to win the next year. The third from the back is Dave MacDonald in Mickey Thompson’s radical streamlined car. Tragically, MacDonald lost control of the ill-handling car and died, along with fellow racer Eddie Sachs, in a horrible, fiery crash that involved five other cars and forced a fuel change and other safety measures to be put in place.

Photo Gallery: Indy 500, 1964 – Hot Rod Magazine

Reader Chuck Weitlauf had a homework assignment from a photography class he took with his wife a few years ago: Find old slides. After his wife’s passing, he began looking through the boxes again. In his search he found one marked “Korea/Drag Racing.” Chuck thought to mail the drag ones to us. They are from 1960 and 1961 at the legendary Lions Drag Strip in Long Beach, California. The photos depict the scene at Lions in the pits and in the stands. Lions was in Chuck’s backyard, and in the evenings he used to sit on his back porch and listen to the sounds of the track—on the days he wasn’t there playing with his camera, that is. This collection of photos includes a famous car before it became famous, wearing an earlier, different outfit (photo 1), a first of its kind (photo 5), a less-famous sister car (photos 2-4), and a very famous Bonneville record holder (photos 6-7). Thanks, Chuck—you have a good eye for the cool stuff.

Photo Gallery: ’60 and ’61 at Lions Drag Strip – Hot Rod Magazine

Photo Gallery: ’60 and ’61 at Lions Drag Strip – Hot Rod Magazine

1980 HOT ROD Magazine Covers

Photo Gallery: All the Covers of HOT ROD Magazine from the 1980s – HOT ROD Magazine

Photo Gallery: All the Covers of HOT ROD Magazine from the 1980s – HOT ROD Magazine

2000 HOT ROD Magazine Covers

Photo Gallery: All the Covers of HOT ROD Magazine from the 2000s – HOT ROD Magazine

Photo Gallery: All the Covers of HOT ROD Magazine from the 2000s – HOT ROD Magazine

2010 HOT ROD Magazine Covers

Photo Gallery: All the Covers of HOT ROD Magazine from the 2010s – HOT ROD Magazine

Photo Gallery: All the Covers of HOT ROD Magazine from the 2010s – HOT ROD Magazine

Photo Gallery: HOT ROD Magazine article from January 1954 – Operation Drag Strip by Wally Parks

Photo Gallery: The February 1954 HOT ROD Magazine Hot Rod of the Month – Fantastic Coupe!

Photo Gallery: Vintage HOT ROD Article from January 1954 – The Streetliner

Photo Gallery: Coverage from the 1949 Southern California Timing Association Meet at El Mirage – HOT ROD Magazine

Photo Gallery: HOT ROD Magazine artticle from January 1954 – Los Angeles Motorama

Photo Gallery: HOT ROD Magazine artticle from January 1954 – Northern California Drag Championships

You know all about the Detroit Autorama, the big rod show held at Cobo Hall every year, and its top trophy, the prestigious Ridler Award. Well, while all of that high-end stuff is starring upstairs, things downstairs are considerably more laid back. That’s where the Autorama Extreme, the show for the rat-rod and traditional-rod crowd, takes place. This year’s basement bash featured fewer rats and more trad rods, which we take as a sign that the movement is maturing. For more info on the show’s booming indoor rodding scene, visit Autorama.com.

Photo Gallery: HOT ROD Deluxe’s Coverage of the 2011 Detroit Autorama Extreme – HOT ROD Deluxe Magazine

Photo Gallery: HOT ROD Deluxe’s Coverage of the 2011 Detroit Autorama Extreme – HOT ROD Deluxe Magazine

STYLE. Countless hot rods have been built in chicken coops over the years. However, few are as sleek or as beautifully constructed as the ’50s dreamboat you see here. Clearly, this was no ordinary chicken coop, and Arthur Bentas is no ordinary farmer. A genuine Yankee craftsman, he fabricated the Raven over a nine-year stretch, largely from scratch. The Chelmsford, Massachusetts, chicken coop was the same, special place wherein Arthur and his brother operated the Bentas Bros. Co., makers of the Kavalla Kart, a well-known machine in New England and elsewhere during the huge karting fad of the late ’50s and early ’60s.

Photo Gallery: 1950s Kustom Roadster- The Raven Returns – Hot Rod Deluxe Magazine

WALLY. Long before he became HOT ROD’s editor (1949) or cofounded the National Hot Rod Association (1951), Wallace Gordon Parks was a dry-lakes racer and hot rodder. Born in Goltry, Oklahoma, in 1913, his life’s work–and the course of hot rodding–was set by his parents’ relocation to Los Angeles in the ’20s. Like most boys back then, the youngster was fascinated by automobiles. The first time he made the trek over Mint Canyon Road to Muroc dry lake to watch the flivvers speed across terra firma, the teenager was hooked. According to the late Dean Batchelor, Wally raced a fenderless ’27 Chevy convertible coupe to 82.19 mph, joined the Road Runners club, helped form the Southern California Timing Association in 1937, and, together with Eldon Snapp, produced SCTA Racing News. The young man’s leadership and journalistic abilities were already evident.

Photo Gallery: Wally Parks’ 1929 Model A Ford Then and Now – HOT ROD Deluxe Magazine

Hot rods aren’t often criticized for having too many louvers. Besides adding a measure of period-appropriate image to a vehicle’s appearance, they’re also functional as they provide an escape for hot air. But shame has befallen many cars either because louvers weren’t punched properly or the design strategy was so aggressive the result looked more like a rolling swamp cooler than a cool ride. Louvers should accent and complement a rod or custom, not dominate the appearance. While a fertile imagination is still key to laying out a louver pattern, working with a knowledgeable shop will help ensure a respectable finish. Jason Pall of Bear Metal Kustoms (BearMetalKustoms.com ) in Morro Bay, California, offers these tips on punching louvers.

Photo Gallery: Bear Metal Kustoms Show You How to Louver a Steel Hood – HOT ROD Deluxe Magazine

Photo Gallery: Bear Metal Kustoms Show You How to Louver a Steel Hood – HOT ROD Deluxe Magazine