"Hello - I'm A _______ And This Is My Story"

The reason for the blank is where one would fill in the year, make, and model of a specific American vintage automobile. Picture a bunch of
pre-'75 Detroit iron sitting in a circular row of chairs, starting their story with this opening line. Although I was clueless about this concept as a kid growing up in suburbia in northern New Jersey, now I look back through the time glass of life, and this statement has never rung more true. As I've said before; this is one of the major reasons why I like beaters so much. They are original and unrestored. They have lived the car life and have the scars to show it.

Once a particular year, make, and model was underway with their history, within the first minute, they would probably expound on a particular owner - original or otherwise. A few examples that pop into my head are as follows: One is a friend of mine when we were just pups in said suburbia. He had an older brother, (he was the youngest of six), who purchased an rather worn 1957 Chevy Bel Air back in 1968 and promptly turned the pedestrian coupe into a full-on A/FX Gasser. He didn't even touch the faded paint. The car was all function.

The other example was my next door neighbor in the

same suburbia neighborhood one year earlier. He purchased a new Plymouth GTX with the 426 Hemi engine in 1967, bombed around in it for a few weeks, then spent about a about five nights and one weekend, turning it into a drag strip terror. I remembered when he fired up the GTX in his garage... complete with open headers. It nearly blew the windows out the structure. Even though it sounded savage, it ran perfectly. It was a cross between a Swiss watch and an atomic bomb. Can you imagine the stories those two vehicles could tell?

I was reading in Hot Rod Magazine just about month ago regarding Drag Week 2016. While there is the usual assortment of beaters in the mix, there are some that stand out, including one that hasn't been seen for a while, nor the team of guys campaigning it (or one like it to my knowledge). Aside from the patina-laden, crazy-ass, twin turbo '69 Chevelle SS that received tons of ink, two of favorite real-world street-strip drag cars are Shane McClelland's 1962 twin turbo Nova which made some serious noise a year or two ago, as well as the 1959 Pontiac Catalina campaigned by Brent "Buck" McCoy and his team.

The Nova wore well-loved faded white paint, had some surface rust along the rocker panels, but carried some cues to it's true nature. As beat as the Nova was, you couldn't help but notice the purpose drag wheels, modern gauges, and trick roll cage. McCoy's Catalina, however, was at the opposite end of the spectrum. It was a 4-door sedan, adorned with rust, patina, and faded paint on every flank. Aside from the rear slicks, you would never guess this boat ran in the 10 second bracket. Even the front wheels had the plain factory hubcaps. To cap off the look, Buck and his team even dressed in overalls and straw hats. There goes the neighborhood...

When these two cars rolled off the assembly line, GM had no idea that cars like these could be recreated into what you see before you. Again, I have nothing against restored vehicles. In fact, they can spawn new ideas for our hot rodding hobby and community. On the flipside, you've been warned - the next time you see a cool hot rod or street rod and it doesn't carry off a sense of pristine, don't write it off as simply another rat rod.  It may be an automotive lifer that also has an incredible amount of knowledge to share. Or perhaps some macked out street machine that will deal you a dose of humility...

Until next time, peace out.
Dave