Hot Rods *** Saint Christopher *** ... from the horses mouth

That's a good striped hot rod.

Good hot rod... yes, you are.

pat pat pat pat pat...

 

I like it. I like your attitude. I like the stripes. I like the boldness of it. You took what could have been another one and turned it into an original. Good for you and the team to have the vision to create.

 

killer car for sure, would have loved to see it in person last weekend. but first time i saw pics of it , i immediately thought of this truck that came out a few years ago.

 

I had the pleasure of seeing this car in person. It is truly a work of art. Very well built and very” in your face”! I really like it more after seeing the video on line of it ripping up the 1/4 mile. Well done, good sir.

 

You did it your way, and that is what Hot Rods are all about.

 

I had the pleasure to be at South City Rod & Custom for a few days when they were trying to sketch out the design based on the helmet. I was sworn to secrecy. When i knew it was at GNRS finished (i displayed my Model A pickup from New Zealand) I was expecting the ribbon like paint then i saw the stripes and thought HOLY F@&k!

I loved it from the get go because as I have said on social media - it shows all that a traditional 34 5w coupe can be built different than a Mooneyham & Sharp car or a Bonneville inspired car. I love how this car breaks new ground but has all the badass trad hot rod elements we all enjoy!

 

After all you’ve been through, it’s impressive you had the tenacity to see the finish line. Congrats to all, well done!

 

Okay, here's my as.... opinion.
First,
I admire your work. Loved the van. I love the color palette, it is current and timeless. I understand the brash, hasn't been done before yet it has history concept, although the history was almost exclusively applied to boxy post-48 bodys. Also really dig the underpinnings you have assembled. However, this conversation is about the paint on the car, and I am not a fan because;

It applies harsh straight lines to one of the best curvy shapes Ford ever produced, causing a harsh juxtaposition. Yes, Rbt. Williams did it in his paintings and on his roadster, but this is much more.
Yes, I know the name of his mag. Robert breaks up the car lines, but still allows them enough space to breathe. This is brash, yet flows. I realize the angle of the shot here allows the front sweep to mirror the fender line to great effect, but even a straight on side shot works.

St. Christopher seems to move past artistic creativity to shock value, which is sometimes the landscape of great artists, but it falls into another issue that shouldn't enter into pioneering thought, but is something a bystander like myself notices.

That problem is now that new ground has been broken, what will the copycats and others that follow along do with the new ground? Will it still be pleasing with less than perfect execution, color choice and taste? How do we look back at John Buttera's billet, Coddington's monochromatic, Mike Lavallee's real flames? What was once a brave new artistic playing field became a fad of cheap knock-off wannabes. I remember the American flag paint jobs of the mid-seventies onwards and how it required the absolute best talent to make it even slightly palatable.
NOTE: did not include any illustrations of the styles mentioned. I would prefer this post not be axed. I also think that this audience can easily conjure up the mental images that prove the point along with the appropriate physical reactions.
You asked for a conversation, not a kiss-up or unexplained vitriol. This is not calling you out, this is an honest discussion of my reaction to the paint.

 

I do not understand a single thing about Robert Williams car.

 

Although I would never have had the balls to put a paint job like that on an old coupe, after seeing pictures of it here and there it has grown on me to the point that I really like it now.
The reality though is that the only opinion that actually matters is that of the car's owner. Period. No need to seek out validation for the build from people that have no skin in the game.

One thing I will say about the car and its unique paint job is that it is iconic. Whether you're in the love it or hate it camp, it is a car that 25 years from now you may not remember the builder, the owner, or where you first saw it, but you will for sure remember having seen it. That can't be said for a lot of cars no matter how much money they cost to build.

 

ditto, to my uneducated/heathen brain it looks like a clown car.

 

You already know how I feel about the Coupe...We've spoken a few times. It set me back on my heels. You know, it's a rare deal when everybody at the GNRS is talking about ONE car. The buzz on this car was something. I'm just pissed I didn't get one of the Barf Bags....haha. That's gonna be a collector items. Like the diecast of VanGo. Was so happy for you when I watched the video on YouTube. Seeing it cruise and run down the track was great! Then to see you win the Hotrod of the Year!!!! WOW!!! Looking forward to seeing it up close, AND hearing it running in person. Good for you, Coby. Glad to see good news from you, instead of your medical troubles. You should have a HUGE smile for a LOOONG time! haha

 

Nice Rod , Im like most when first seen ,
Then I Get it!!
I would drive, ( not Gordon's 90s colors)
The only thing I would change to my taste would be
Liberty
Lenco
B&J,
& curious to know if the performance is aggressive as it looks!!

It appears to be a Race Rod!!

 

How about a BIG thumbs up, for a HAMBer winning Goodguys Hotrod of the Year!!!! Also, if you remember, The Regirio Mercury, also built by South City, won the Goodguys Custom of the Year. Along with a bunch of other awards.

 

I appreciate this take because you have given it legitimate thought. I didn't decide on stripes because it hadn't been done before, I did it because it's what I wanted. That said, it may have been the first on this type of car and not slab sided cars that inspired it ... as you pointed out. I have no control of who copies it, if it becomes a trend, or whatever, but I am aware of at least one well known builder who plans on big stripes on a car you might consider more appropriate. If that classifies them as "followers" isn't for me to decide. I imagine there will be few variations of fewer stripes, more stripes, less contrasty etc, but they will soon learn how difficult it is to do. Maybe I was just too stupid to quit? All that said, I have talked to Robert Williams about his car at length. I don't recall seeing another similar to his, so there's no telling what the future holds. If people don't like the stripes, the simple solution is to not paint them on THEIR car. All I know is I love MY car. Again, thanks for the convo.

 

No pussys here!!! Defend your decisions, lol. Love that car....

 

Rodding NEEDED an identity again.....You look at the builds, the shows, the few magazines left. Almost every decade is being touted, faithfully.....even vans are cool again! Nostalgia, newstalgia.....you see so much retro you miss billet.... I've wondered aloud where are all the Boyd's wheels hiding?! I know this is the HAMB, but just in the bigger scheme of things....and your car comes along. You either love it or hate it, BUT YOU NOTICE IT!!!! Props to you and friends for injecting FRESH SPIRIT in this old hobby/sport! As far as Robert Williams and "Prickly Heat"; I didn't like it at first, but think about when Jake camouflaged his tub with old Hot Rod pics!!! Maybe those upset would agree when Dutch flamed Earl Bruce's 300SL!! Rodding and customizing NEEDS to be slapped out of its slumber, and by George(or Roth, or Gray or Pat!!) You DID IT!!!!

 

Even BAD attention....is attention!!!

 

I'll drink to that! Kudos @Church.
This car reeks of all-time model 40 badass vibes, Mooneyham & Sharp, 15 oz. etc. -we know who - regardless of the paint scheme. How about loving the car - it is kind of a shame that the discussion always seems to devolve to the paint only. Paint this motherfucker any non-pastel color you want and it works.

 

I'm undecided on the stripes but they sure look different. What I do love though is the stance of it, especially rolling down the road. There's a neat utube of the 120 mile reliability run as part of gghroty. Search good guys 2023 on the tube of u. The first few seconds are a bit wobbly but after that it's worth a looksee.

Chris

 

Love 33/34 to begin with., beautiful stance, great chop, innovative thought out paint that everyone is talking about. I wonder what headlights you would have put on it, but I expect it wasn’t part of the vision. It is traditional for innovative stuff to come out of California.

 

I've always been a fan of the fuel coupes from the sixties and you nailed the look for me. As a novice painter I'm always looking for something different and you nailed that too. Congrats on the HROTY award.

 

The first thing that I notice when I look at your car is the quality, fit, finish, and the labor of love that went into it and that's how I see a car like yours. It's not my style but I like it very much the fit ,finish,stance is right on bad in your face. each one of us see things differently just like food. If the cars were alI the same cookie cutters no one would go to car shows. Also I see the time and attention to detail it takes to get your car done. I been in the body shop business all my life and I for one can see the amount of talent it takes to get there Good Job

 

I'm just going to add my 2 cents. Bad Mother Fucker! I understand controversial paint.

 

Yup, and yours is killer as well

 

I was expecting something stupid. That is beyond bitchin... good job thinking outside of the box. Simple, clean, different, totally sharp.

 

“The Car That Broke My Brain” is probably a more apt title. I love it, but if I hated it I’d still give props to creativity. I barely have the stones to go wild on the paint of a model car much less a full build with lots of $$$ invested. Sometimes you gotta risk big to win big and you did just that.

Sometimes in our trad world there is nothing new under the sun, but somehow you did something new but it’s still trad and has deep roots in drag racing. You deserve every award you get. Seriously!

 

Dear Coby,

St. Christopher Rules!
VanGo Rules!
Your Church Periodical Rules!
Your Art Rules! (I have your Silkscreen Vinyl Records as Wheels Quadtych in my domicile)


Never met ya, but I am pretty sure you are a pretty swell guy.

Keep on doing your thing, I dig it all!

 

Meanwhile, by sheer coincidence (or mystical force of the universe) the guy who bought V1 is also a stripe loving guy who only decided against a rusty hood stripe after he opted to not run a hood.

I guess I just ain’t a hood guy!

And if I ever change my mind on the hood… there will be a stripe.

I adore my coupe’s striped brother. That ain’t no bullshit, Coby.

 

Think about this....if it was at ANY show, and was blue, black, red, green, yellow, etc, etc....you would give it a glance. Yes, the stripes cause s all the hoopla, but that's what makes you look at it!!! After getting passed the paint, you see all the badass details!!! Hemi, injected, slicks, no radiator in the grill, ZOOMIES!!!, bitchin interior, wheels, and all the other stuff you cant see from the outside.
I'm gonna have to ask Coby, how may details were his idea and how many Bill brought to the table.