Has anyone ever seen a street Topolino that wasn't built in the altered/gasser style? Ever seen one in traditional hotrod/ fenderless / Ford style? Like - -skinny bias tires all around (maybe whitewalls) -lowered with very little body rake -lakes headers -strombergs You know, like any 50's traditional fenderless A or Deuce coupe. Did you like it? Can you post or direct me to a picture? Thanks
No, never seen anything like that and Im not sure I would want to. Im not sure you can take the traditional elements of one type of hotrod (50s American) and necessarily apply it to another style with its own traditions (60s race car) and end up with anything that excites the soul. Is it traditional if we do stuff that traditionally was never actually done? I have looked at a lot of Topos over the past 40 years, and for a street version, I, in my personal view think this is as good as its going to get. And its nothing like you are suggesting. Please do not take this as a personal criticism of your dream tho.
I saw one original old photo of a Topolino with a flathead...it was an old racer, maybe mid 50's. It was before the hardcore styles of the 60's drag cars. The reason I asked .... a friend of mine, who's opinion I really value, wanted me to toss the idea around for my Topolino build. So I wanted to see a photo, if one exists. Oh yea, the Bad News car is unbelievable and the other I really like is the Topolino Kids car...just the right tire and stance ...
Terry Scully from Australia had one back in the day. Had sidevalve Cad power, folding sun roof and was severly channeled. Have you seen that one Todd? Theres a few pics in Larry OTools book, Australian Hot Rod Heritage.
Well there you go. 'Mo has pictorial proof that somebody actually did that back in the 50s so I stand corrected. My idea of a traditional Topolino is still something like Mike Sullivans altered, or the Mondello & Matsubara one tho
I f you look at some of the earliest forms of the altered that these cars became, you'll see a very "traditional" looking car in comparison to what they became after about '62 or so. We're talking mid to late fifties. A couple I can think of would be Jazzy Nelson's car, Richard Grimes car out of here in Phoenix, and one that was featured in Hot Rod in '59 out of the midwest called the "firefly". I don't have time to dig and scan right now, but I do it later today. These cars all featured fairly short wheelbases, like about 96" or so, fully enclosed hood hoods with blistered covers over the fender areas up front, Moon discs, etc. Having owned on of these bodies at one point, I'll tell you that you your biggest obstacle as far as building a genuine 2 place street car will be packaging. No matter how far back you set up you frame's kick up, and how wide you keep your rear axle, by the time you flatten out the firewall for your choice of V8s the seating area gets super tiny real quick. Not saying it can't be done, just saying a T-bucket starts to look awfully spacious in comparison.
Here is my full fendered Topolino sedan delivery. These cars have great lines with the fenders. Although legroom is at a minimum with the very short 80" wheelbase.
Here's a pic from an online article on Carl Grimes. http://deansgarage.com/2011/carl-grimes-wild-wagon/
Jazzy, straight from the HAMB. Jazzys car was actually fairly long, built on drilled model 40 rails...
I goota admit, when I first opened this thread I kinda rolled my eyes, but that looks pretty damn good!
Damn you LandSeaandAir! You beat me too it!!! Ya, above is Carl Grime's car, and I'll be in trouble with my buddies locally for missing that in lux of Richard... This car was built and maintained in a shop just about half way between my place and LandSeaandAirs digs here in Phoenix and it remains one of my favorite Fiats. These cars had a sort of traditional "look" to them back before every drag car had magnesium wheels and zoomies. Not sure if LandSeaand Air knows this or not, but our mutual friend Ronnie Olmstead was a good friend and mentee of Carl's and sometimes crewed on this car at local and coastal drag meets. The other I'll post right now is The Firefly car from November '59 Hot Rod. I love this thing! When I had my cool old Fiberglass Trends body, this and Carl's car were pretty much the templates that I was going to follow. The last little batch is a from a mid '66 Car craft issue memorializing the passing of Fiats as popular drag car bodies... Might have been a bit pre-mature, though. The lead is Jazzy Nelson's car, with Carl's being noted as the really the second coming and the one that popularized the bodies for drags. The other one that I want to make note of is on the second page, with Hopper's Automotive on the nose. That car also ran out of the Phoenix area early in the lives of Fiat based race cars, and as late as the late eighties was still tucked in the family shop in Tempe, AZ. Shops still there, car might be too!!
Damn, now your making me regret my decision to sell my car's body off last year! I'll also add that the Firefly is important for one other notable reason. It sits on that very narrow cusp of when in '60 or so these cars morphed from "Comp Coupes" to "Altereds". Originally Comp Coupes were planned to be "dual purpose" street and strip cars. The Quote are there 'cause few of them were very streetable much after the mid fifties. Note that this car has a full cooling system which would be key to making it a streetable car. Soon after this feature a Comp Coupe would end up a dragster chassis with a gutted shell hung on it, the typical Fiat drag car we think of would become an Altered class car that was purely race car, and "street legal" would be moved to the Gass classes where it would create the first of the mighty Gassers we know and love today.
Didn't know they were buds but I did notice the pic of the Playboy's Henry J on the wall at Ronnie's yesterday with what looked like Carl's converted car hauler bus in the background.
Not real traditional, but streetable. I saw this at the Syracuse Nats in July. Posted using a number two pencil on a paper napkin.
That car was built and owned by the late Jim Spotton from Ohio. Had the priveledge to meet him and spend the weekend cruising in his cool little Fiat back in 2009.
My wifes Topo is not traditional and not even very fast. I bought it as a half done project a bit over 10 years back & my wife liked it with guards, so she got to keep the guards as its her car. I found a rusty one last Christmas so bought it. Will go onto a short T Bucket type chassis and get a SBC with a 671, and similar stance to Topolino Kids one, as thats the look that gets me excited. KiwiJeff, I looked at the Aussie car, then checked my pulse and it didnt change a bit. Even checked a second time and got the same result. Maybe I have a very narrow view of what a Topo should look like.
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