It exists, it is a running/driving car, and it makes appearances at car shows and in magazines. The fact that it made its first appearance in a movie makes it no less of a reality. It is real tangible steel, rubber, vinyl, aluminum, etc. Its not like it is a cartoon. The Graffitti car is as real as any. And to insinuate that it is not a real hot rod is absolutely ludicrous.
Its an ICON because its was featured in a movie filmed in the seventies, NOT because it was an actual HOTROD from that was significant and respected in the sixties Its now a popular car because it was in a MOVIE, not because it had signifacance before
It is a car that runs, it was in a movie, and some love it while others hate it. The debate over its relevance and looks is endless. I'm with Jacplumb.....I'm more interested in knowing if anyone has pre-1972 history on the car. -Lee www.atomicpinup.com
They should make a AG III milners grandson finds the coupe in his grandpas barn , and channels that ugly thing ! and replace the blown motor with a hemi ! after signing on to the hamb as the wolfman. and every one tells him what`s wrong with it ha..ha..
Duh. But that does not change the fact that it is real, and it is THE very definition of a hot rod in the minds of the general public. You may not agree with what the vast masses of people think is the true look of a hot rod, but it is what it is as an icon. When you start taking pot shots at most any well-loved icon, you're going to be in a minority and should expect some backlash. I think you're outvoted.
We on the HAMB are a minority with respect to what society accepts. What the general public thinks does not concern me or most of the HAMB. Yes the coupe is real, DUH BUT it became an ICON due to being featured in film, a movie , an escape from reality. It had no influence on anyone(to the best of my knowledge) prior to being a car from a movie. The guys that built hotrods that were significant, and influencial during the 40,s 50,s and 60,s and actually ran the streets and strips are my inspiration not a UGLY 32 built by the studios to portray that time period. Its was a movie car, SNAP out of it
To simpify: Because the coupe was in a movie that we all enjoyed and could relate to, the car became famous and adored for sentimental value. If the coupe had not been in a movie, I suspect that anyone of us viewing it a a car show would ignore it.
You guys are all forgetting one thing here, somebody, somewhere, somehow, at sometime built this car! what I would like to know is who, what, when, where, and how. this is a real car that was only changed to lucus's portrayel of his "type" of hotrod. I think bashing this car is only out of jealosly that maybe alot of guys don't really know what really went into the building of this true icon!
It takes a lot of nerve to presume to speak for most of the HAMB as to what does or not concern the whole group...especially with a join date of 2007. Sure those guys from the 40's - 60's had significant influence, but none of their cars have become nearly as iconic as the Graffitti coupe to the general public. Like it or not, it is what the world sees as a hot rod. It is what they think of when they hear the term. Your opinion will not change that. There are those on the HAMB that would agree with you that their are elements to the car that are not pleasing to the trained hotrodder eye, but there are others that do not, and your opinion won't change the opinion of those here on the HAMB that do not agree with you. All that you are accomplishing is starting a lot of flaming by taking potshots at an icon. My last words on the matter.
I do not think I was being presumptious to state that hotrodders are not part of main stream society, last time i checked we are not, THANKFULLY. ALSO you seem to be more concerned about what the general public percieves a hot rod to be than what one actually is. I as well as some others are NOT concerned what the general public thinks,we build are cars to reflect other great builders that came before us and the styles that are parts of history. SO to presume that the graffitti coupe is what the WORLD thinks a hotrod is is just IGNORANT. MY neighbors think a hotrod is what I am building in my garage. YES its a 32, its chopped and channeled, running a 354 chrysler, and I am not looking to a movie for inspiration just others on the hamb and builders that came before me. AMERICIAN GRAFITTI was a MOVIE, the coupe had no impact on anyone(to the best of my knowledge) prior to being featured in the movie, many other coupes did and those are the cars that have my respect because they were built by guys that loved hotrodding and the progression of hotrods, NOT by what HOLLYWOOD percieved hotrodding to be.....
Your logic is flawed at best. The Milner Coupe was picked by Gary Kurtz & George Lucas to be used in the film BECAUSE it was a hot rod. They made modifications to the fenders, grill, paint and carburation, sure. But the chopped body, interior, and drivetrain was left intact. The car was real. Now it's a movie star. But it's still a very cool hot rod. And to, in any way, take away from it's impact on modern hot rodding is sacrilegious. People looooove that car and it is the reason a lot of people got into hot rods. Is it the best rod? Of course not. Most famous? Certainly. It's an icon and I believe a symbol of a cool culture. You don't like it? Fine. But dis it? Be careful... Them there's fightin' words.
wooooooow, sorry to say,i thought i was the only AG,nerd,,,that movie changed my life,,i believe its why i love kool cars of all kinds,,,(except imports ), and doooo woooop,,that movie,is in the top 100 all time greats,,and has made the most money of any movie per rato invested,,and it changed the format how movies are made,,,period,, that puck green duce,is as big an icon,,in the car wold as ELVIS is an icon to american culture,,,,glad to see all the supporters,,but ,,not the haters,,,the girl with toad was candy clark,,,she still looks great,, she gave my car a celeberty pick at ocean city show,,,made my head swell,,,,,,so many coupe stories,,, years ago i read in a magazine,,that a guy in new jersey bought both cars,,the 32 and 55 and was imbarressed to say what he payed they were in such bad shape,,so who do you believe,,,about the were abouts of this most famous hot rod,,,i read the 58 was sold just before the movie was released for a total of 200.00 bucks,,,and the owner drove it up and down past the movies first showing,, sorry for the orignal posters tread,,,hope he finds out the information of this cars history pre AG,,,ide love to know my self,,
da Hui no ka oi!That means Get your eyes tested!According to Street Rodder Magazine the transport manager Henry Travers sorted out a builder for Lucas.Because of film location,and obviously the guy had reputation,Bob Hamilton,s shop in Ignacio Nth California did the awesome job.God Bless Him. Back to dog with bone;surely a btchin ride makes a film and not vice versa?I,m thinking California Kid,Hot Rod,Sunset Strip,Vanishing Point Etc.Would Bullit been half the film if McQueen was in a Mazda s@?tb#x.Only Columbo has crossed the line and made a suspect car a bit kool?!Ithangyou
Eaaaasy on the Star Trek dorks At least one of the Two Lane 55's is in AG - do a Google. Two Lane is a weird flick, but DW as the Mechanic was cool - I'm a big Beach Boys fan, and first time I saw it I wasn't sure he fit. No one would call the BBs "cool", but DW was the real deal, probably moreso than JT as the "driver" - FWIW
I used the word DORK as a little A.G. humor "I aint nobody dork" Falfa I MADE my points, accept them or do not, they are my oppinions like them or not. This was fun guys, BUT I gotta let this topic go, better things to do like actually work on my 32
I got into building Hot Rods in about '67, at that time Muscle Cars had just about buried Traditional Hot Rods all together, there were very few of us still building and driving Hot Rods,... they were all but dead. My first Hot Rod was someone else's old Rod that languished in a garage for years,.. it took me all summer to save up the $275.00 for it, a channeled Deuce Roadster, spent a year building that car and ran across a chopped Deuce 5/W,... started on that car,... then in 68 I got a invitation to go traveling with my Uncle Sam, when I got back I started in on the Deuce 5/W again, My Brother told me one night there was a movie coming out about cruising in the 60's and there was a deuce coupe in it. I couldn't wait to see it. The late 60's to early 70's was what I felt was a funky time for Hot Rodding, Resto-Rods were all the rage, if you had a chopped car it was considered worthless or butchered, wide oval tires and ansen sprints were on almost everything,...... and there were some really stupid looking cars, but you got a kick out of seeing them because they were so far and few between. Then came Peoria,... and Detroit Nationals, we never thought so many Hot Rods still existed !,.... and by today's standards they were tiny shows,... there I was lost in a sea of lace paint, candy colors, mustang taillights, quad headlights, velor upholstery and wide oval tires,... none of these things were my cup of tea, but I really enjoyed being around other guys that built cars. there were only a handful of cars that I really liked, traditional Hot Rods. I went to see American Graffiti on a Saturday afternoon and just about jumped out of my skin when I seen that Chopped Deuce Coupe rumble onto the screen,... unashamed of it's chopped top, bobbed fenders, open engine, skinny tires (for the time) and chrome reverses,... stuff I hadn't seen for years, the only thing I wouldn't have done was the sectioned radiator shell,.... but I overlooked it because there before me was a Real Hot Rod for a change. Now I was into Hot Rods before the move and after the movie and still felt that car was dead on, At first I didn't like the sectioned radiator shell, but it grew on me as part of that car,... (Goodness knows Frank Mack took flack for years over his use of the E&J Headlights on his Roadster,.. 9 out of 10 people would just hate them and tell him he should change them,... now the Traditional boys seem to love them) After American Graffiti, the Hot Rod hobby started to skyrocket, I don't care what anybody thinks or says,... In my humble opinion American Graffiti was the catalyst that brought Hot Rodding back to life, and sparked several generations of young people to get into the garage,... in the late 60's and early 70's it was really hard to find parts and build a car,... today it's so much easier ,...... Thanks to American Graffiti and one very special Deuce Coupe.
Indeed the vast majority are. Most all work and pay taxes. Most all do very much the same thing as their neighbors do other than their neighbor may have a different hobby or interest. Most raise a family (sooner or later) and take their kids to school and help them do the best they can (just like their Taurus driving neighbor). Hot Rodders will drive 6 hours to a show. We had people from all over the country here in town last weekend because one of the Fentons personal collections of glass was put up for sale. In the end, few are really different in society and those who truely are, generally are removed from society.
Details of the Graffiti Coupe,... ( If my memory serves me correctly) 3 1/2" Chopped 1932 Ford 5/W coupe. sectioned grill shell, Guide Headlights on finned Cal-Custom stands, Bobbed original rear fenders and cycle front fenders to conform to the "fender law" in California in 1962 Un-boxed '32 Frame with rear horns removed, modified stock "K" member. Mor-Drop '32 front axle filled and chromed, stock unsplit '32 wishbone, shock mounts welded to axle and frame, '56 F-1 steering, tow bar mounts bolted to the outside of the frame with spreader bar bolts. '40 front brakes As I originally understood it the car had a 283 mounted with a Hurst mount, a Super T-10 4 speed with a Hurst shifter, a 57 Chevy rear axle mounted on P.S.I. spring hangers, 1 1/2" X 2 1/2" rectangular tubing for rear radius rods, using a 3/4" Heim Joint to a bracket on the inside rail of the frame. The "K" member was lightly modified for the T-10 to go through, Ansen dual swing pedal assembly with a GM dual Master Cyl. I don't know what make the slave cyl for the clutch was. Custom built headers, and probably a lot of other stuff I can't remember now,..... I got a really good look at the car in the mid 70's. Huh,...... still says Hot Rod to me,.....
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