They Were All Cool In There Own Way Whether They Were Wacky Built Just For The Show Circuit Or Cool Customs / Lead Sleds / Hot Rods Etc That Dual Purposed The Shows And Streets The Builders Were Geniuses And Or Mad Men and Women Who Gave Pleasure To Every Body That Walked By And Please Remember The Modern Day Builders And Curators Of The Past (aka Mark M.) Sincerely Hot Rod Hoodlum Rock On
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...rs-picture-thread.968936/page-7#post-10957542 ...Hamber @JimSibley's nod to Showrod Credit to Photographer, Owner
https://kustomrama.com/wiki/Andy_Kassa's_1932_Ford Showrod just like Hotrod and Street Rod evolved with time in my opinion and it is clearly echoed in the many conversations on the subject with the 60s taking the Showrods into a fantasy world of extreme... There are Rodders that take their rides to a level of finish in Show and Go that stand out and get the wow of the Crowd and Judges...The Kassa Coupe was just one of those... The Hotrod still is a force today and its Barris grille and shell upgrade was returned back to a Chrome Shell of a former iteration... I see that this has been shared already within but greatness is worth sharing many times...
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/bill-smith’s-roadster.1151630/ ...Hamber @Austinrod's stunning Hybrid formerly owned and built by Bill Smith doing one of its many Show events...this is another example of a Show and Go Mix of Hotrod/Custom that saw extensive go duty on the Street and Strip as it had lots of punch under the Hood...
I owned this in the 1980s. Looks a bit like a ‘show car’ but was very practical and was my daily driver for quite a few years. It's called 'Revolting'. It was my accommodation during the 1985 NZ Street Rod Nationals… At the Garden City Rodders ‘Hot Rod Spectacular’ 1985… As it looked just before leaving my ownership… Glen.
From what I gather through all the discussion is it got to a point where points were all that mattered...hence 1965...but anywhere they gathered up and till then must have been worthy of its place amongst this forum...You have seen some pretty hardcore excellence in your journey Nick...I can say the same but it wasn't in person... Thanks for your memories of many of these shared...
I think it was a way to showcase your skills as a builder. To build an over the top show car to draw attention. In some cases the promoters would pay you to tour the car to draw people to the show. A shop starting off would build a show stopper as a means to advertise their shop and to get more work.
This thread went off the rails a bit.... To me, a show rod has at least two distinctive features; one, a extensively modified pre-'35 body (so a chop/channel job with a custom nose doesn't qualify), or a scratch-built body. Second, it needs to be a open-wheel design, with the wheels/tires either fully or mostly exposed. Cars like the Beatnik Bandit, Outlaw, oh hell, almost all of Roth's (but NOT his Tweedy Pie, it's just a hot rod), Ala Kart, Wild T, Manta Ray, Silhouette, Invader, X-Ray, Dream Rod, Futurian, XR6, Lil' Coffin, Silver Sapphire to name just the ones off the top of my head. I know I've missed more than a few. Most built in the last dozen years or so I consider as 'show rod lite' as the usual method is to use a narrowed '50s-'60s body on a rod frame set-up with the tires exposed, bubble top optional. If it doesn't meet this criteria, it's not a show rod. Over-the-top mechanical mods alone don't qualify, even if the car is only displayed at shows. A show-winning hot rod does not make it a show rod....
Well, I'm sure you feel entitled to your opinion, but I, for one, am glad that you aren't making the "rules" for what is, or isn't, a show rod. If you look at the very first image that @porknbeaner posted, it's a car that has a radical chop and channel, with a custom nose AND fenders. Some of the recent posts may be on the edges, but they aren't as egregious as some threads. Let's be chill and appreciative of what does meet your vision.
I was wondering if someone was going to post the Orange Crate. I don't remember where it was but I sat in the seat and made motor noises at a car show someplace when I was a kid. This car of all of them I think ruined me.
PnB, here's another for you. I too was in awe of the Orange Crate. The Lions Club promoted car show at the Lane County Fairgrounds in the early '60's. I spent a long time staring at the fabrication in the chassis and the tilt body with the Zolotone interior.
I like to see the early years of cars. before they get too refined. Still show quality but a little raw.
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