Just speculation, but it would make sense that since there's next to nothing on this "club" they were hoodlum's hoodlums. Not interested in organized races or anything remotely civic minded. Which would be in direct contrast to the clubs that Wally Parks and others were promoting to prove that Hot Rodders were upstanding young men. Again pure speculation on my part...
Good point... But it's not like Hot Rod Clubs of the 40's and 50's were 1% biker gangs. If there were some specific nefarious "hot rod" gangs as the movies of the time portrayed, I would love to know about them... But in 30 years of research, I've never found a single example. They were perceived as hoodlums, but were they? Really? Hot Rodders got their reputation by doing the same shit I still do... burnouts, occasional full pulls, etc... And, of course, street racing... Who amongst us hasn't lined up next to a buddy at a stop light? I'm not condoning illegal hot rodding officially, but... uhhh... we all do it whether we admit to it or not. To me, it feels like the general public became more aware of hot rodding over the years. As the ignorance of it dropped (due in large part to the efforts of guys like Wally Parks), the fear of it did as well. And if you aren't scared of it, you are less likely to attack it - politically or otherwise.
Along with the image-building efforts, I wonder if the "shift to respectability" had anything to do with the commercialization of the hobby? Once the aftermarket got large enough and people realized there was money to be made, perhaps there was more incentive/support for the law-abiding side of the hobby.
There's a great book written by an academic (not a hot rodder) that actually studies this idea in part. It's called "The Business Of Speed" and it's really hard to find: https://amzn.to/3OJQEbA He compares the hot rod industry to the music industry. For instance, there was a time that Elvis was considered to be a sexual deviant capable of turning your kids into little mini pimps and whores. Kids being kids, ignored their parent's warnings and loved him anyway. As that generation aged up, Elvis became respectable. So this guy that was once the face of radical individualism (read: punk rock) is now sold on coffee mugs through QVC. And I guess that probably is the most likely reasoning... Progress isn't made through fear and close-mindedness. It's made by hauling ass with youthful ambition for something better.
"Afterwards, we were given an option – face a jury or join the military. I went to boot camp six weeks later.” This choice wasn't uncommon at all. After three DUI's, the judge offered the same choice to my bunk partner in Navy Boot Camp (July, 1980, Great Lakes, IL).
There's a YouTube channel called the Punk Rock MBA hosted by Finn McKenty. He has talked about this phenomenon within the music industry. The short and sweet version goes like this, when a new group or music genre comes to fruition and it pushes the envelope to the edge, it is generally looked down on by the current powers that be. Once a changing of the old guard takes place, the new shot callers are generally those who grew up consuming whatever media or trends that were not mainstream, thereby making it acceptable and mainstream by default. It's an observable trend usually happens every 10 years or so. I don't see why this type of thing couldn't happen to every other aspect of life as we know it.
Like it or not there's still a stigma of hot rods/drag racing in the media today. If "WTF are you talking about?" comes to mind tell me the last time one of the big 3 networks covered actual organized drag racing. Only tragic fatalities and Kenny Berstien breaking the 300MPH barrier are all I can recall. Sure, we had Diamond P Sports and ESPN coverage but when did a 6 o'clock news sportscaster ever cover it? Only as stated above. Why that skidmark still remains in our britches is probably carryover from the bygone days written so well about above. Reality? Hey, didn't we just see a big "street racing" promo for a major auction house last month? Sure, O/T for here but anyone who thinks "WE" didn't influence one of the largest industries in history is either living under a rock or just doesn't give a shit. We had engineeres STREET RACING in Detroit in the heady days of Wooodward, Gratiot, Telegraph, and the end of Northwestern/ Lodge. Some of us (many?) are old enough to recall you couldn't sell a car in a TV commercial if it didn't burn rubber. Am I right? Remember that shit? I do. When big time races like the Daytona 500 and INDY became nationally televised all of a sudden prior "hoodlums" became household names. The occasional "story of" out takes about the likes of Junior Johnson and Andy Granitelli surely helped wash the dirty T-shirts of the local street racer. Clubs with little cards that were passed out with the classic "You've just been helped by a (badass in-your-face street racer club)" member was a nice push too albeit directly in the trenches. So how did we get a little more shine on our halo you ask? Corporate influence, big event TV coverages (except drag racing), and the occasional good guy in a hot rod found in entertainment. Lawn chairs? I hate to be "that guy" but those are a few who maybe just aged out, and perhaps they didn't hang with me and mine at 3am flagging a couple 10 second cars on the corner of Eckles Road and Schoolcraft. Kinda like those corporate types that put on a temporary tattoo and wore a perfect leather for a weekend Harley ride back in the late 90s. I'm sorry, a little of my snobbery is showing. Here at the tail of this you see I mention drag racing a lot. Well our most beloved emulates lakes and drag race cars almost above all. Never seen a street version INDY car on the roads, once in a while you might see a car with a number on the door but, yeah, anyways... My take FWIW. Thanks for the thought provoking write up @Ryan
Could that ad in the Tribune have been a ploy by the recruiters at that local station to draw in recruits to help them meet their recruiting quota? Dang clever if it was.
Chuck Yeager was a member of the Edwards AFB model a club in the 40’s/50’s.. they weren’t all codeine cough syrup swilling hoods
Often the wonder of why personalized automobiles became the rage as it did, has kept my attention Hemi head engines: The rest had to keep up. Peterson Publications: Any trip to the store attracted the eye. ( mine were delivered ) AMT modified models: Kids were indoctrinated ( and the glue ) The idea of older body styles not having value: ( easy to get our mitts on ) Wally Parks: ( with the almighty sanction of legitimancy ) M&H Racemasters. Detroit moguls wanting Nascar stardom. ( amatuer late nite wrecks delivered donor motors ) The entire enormous cast of Speed Equipment suppliers ( and local small time speed shops ) Then,,, I am just glad I lived to see it all roll out. ( and have a legendary violations record ) Said before but worth repeating, Once I answered a county investigator who wanted to know what my deal was, by singing excerpts of Beach Boys, Jan and Dean and such ( my 1st license being issued Summer '64 ) Thanks Ryan
Judging from the crazy stories my fighter pilot dad told me of his adventures flying shiny Air Force jets in the 1950s, I've always assumed fighter jocks and hot rodders were, on some level, cut from pretty damned similar cloth. But the fly-boys get all the glory!
Hello, The whole concept of flying has always been a goal of a lot of kids in our tough Westside of Long Beach neighborhood. We would see the daily Catalina twin engine water planes turning right over head to make a course correction to face the island, 20+ miles away. “26 miles across the sea” at some point along the coast… “26 miles across the sea, Santa Catalina is a-waiting for me…” But, for us, the military played a big part as the U.S. Navy Shipyard plus activities compound was right down the freeway and streets on the water, from our neighborhood . The big Navy housing was built next to our old 30s style of homes on the far Westside of the city. Every kid that came from the single story tract of homes was from a military family, usually Navy. We saw the kids come and go as their dad/mom got transferred to other bases all over the Westcoast in the 50s and 60s. So, how did that play into the military influence for us? We all wanted to be on an Aircraft Carrier or huge Battleships. That was tempting and favorable as we built the plastic models and made like commanders in our play time since we were little kids. The military did have a big influence on most kids in our families and friends. The backyard-big field daytime play was all military vs military in hideouts, forts and battle from a huge 4+ block area of the battleground. (for me, it was cowboy era at first, then as our supply of military stuff from the army surplus store increased, army vs army... ) Tall grasses allowed tactics in battle, advancements to the “enemy,” and securing our own compound from attacks. In the air or on the ground, was the usual mode of attack. The “pulled out of the ground” tall grasses made perfect dirt clod projectiles like the old Viking swing arm launchers from a distance. This all led to the military influence as we grew up and went to the three levels of schools. We saw our friends leaving high school with the military as it was a conclusion of what growing up was for them. For my brother and me, it was just as strong, but as the story goes: “…And moms weren’t having it. Their baby boys were gonna stay home, get an education, and set a foundation for family…” Jnaki As we took a rough model roll call in the years after high school graduation, the choices were college, marriage, military. Plenty of us went to college, while just as many went to the military. Only a handful if that many, got married. (One is still married today after 60+ years of being together. So, there is that.) But, after a year or two, others that started college joined the military to “get it over with…” The implications from the draft and not having a choice of which branch was daunting, so many joined. Their high school hot rod days were coming to a close and this was the next step. Many did not like what was presented to them and made a choice to join, get trained in a specific skill, (other than shooting rifles/guns) and hope to come out alive to continue their training. A big part of decision making was allowing us to grow as adults during this beginning military conflict resolution era. Some of our old hot rod friends continued to do mechanical work as the following years allowed. Some continued and others did not come back. The hot rod future faded for most, as the older adult lives continued, if one made it past the 1960s-70s conflict years. Only a few went into the business and others just got on with their lives. But, when the uniformed military soldiers came to our high school, the line up to talk to them was very long and different meetings became an automatic recruitment tool. The uniforms and stories were exciting as we all went back to our so called “military training” in those muddy fields, as little kids, to do the battle plans and air bomb attacks… so, goes our history. YRMV
The Jalopy Journal
