Can we have a talk about "Shorties"?

I have no respect for the aesthetics, and the work is mis-spent and would have been better directed elsewhere. Further it makes the result look too european6356144[/ATTACH]

 

I’m in the “I wouldn’t” category. However, one did catch my eye locally a couple years back at a show I attended.

I appreciate good workmanship and this one had it in spades.


I wish it was somewhere where I could get a better side view to see how the proportions looked but from this angle…I'd have kicked that rear axle back a bit.

And of course the number tag which tipped me off to take a closer look see

 

If that is a "shortie" ^^^^^^^

This must be a "longie"!

 

Thats not half bad. You can fit a foursome and their sticks. I'd drive that through the bag drop.

 

Apparently it's in Austin Texas. Odd, but it almost looks better than stock ....

 

Pretty sure no matter how hard you try;

Clown car.

 

here's some I stole from the internet. for some reason, I'm a fan.

 

I remember the 70's when there were quite a few shorties in SoCal. They were attention grabbing, but I thought most of them were somewhat goofy looking. Two that I remember weren't too bad were a couple of VW vans, and one guy shortened a Corvair wagon that looked okay.

I recently was a '56 Chevy wagon that was shortened on Facebook for sale, and it didn't bring hardly any money compared to an unmolested one.

 

Can't say that I'd build or own one myself, but I've caught a few over the years at Back to the Fifties Weekend. They're kinda interesting. Lots of work involved. I think most of them we see are survivors from that back-in-the-day thing where hot rodders didn't see a four door as anything more than a parts car, so they did what they did.
Like that old saying goes - "you can't make a sow's ear out of a silk purse...."

 

IMHO it does not generally work on American cars but there are exceptions, and both Ford and GM should have made them... The clown cars people make from poor 4 doors, nope.

 

This 59 Impaler ain't bad a'tall...
I'd drive it....
6sally6

 

The AMX, a factory shorty.

Gary

 

this is a poorly photoshopped shortened 1949-50 Chevrolet 2 door sedan, which has a shorter trunk lid than the coupes.. took about 10 inches between the door and fender bulge, and another 6" through the doors.


here's another 6" out of the fenders and hood

 

I wonder if this would look better if it had a mild section and a mild chop, like 2-3 inches each.

 

Sweet, thanks for posting that! Yes, GM should have built that Toronado.
Somebody with deep pockets should build a clone/tribute.

 

This "shorty" 1967 Cad Eldorado is a Minnesota car. One of the 2024 Detroit Autorama's "Great 8", it's shortened a couple feet and I believe has a late model Caddy drive train on a completely new rear-wheel-drive chassis. Caught it at last year's Gopher State Timing Association show in the Twin Cities. I think it's pretty cool.

 

I didn't snap a side profile photo which might give a better view of proportions. But yeah, I recall thinking it had better proportions than a lot of the shorties I've seen.

 

It seems for some reason that Chevys of the tri-five years get shortened more than other vehicles. Those were good looking cars, but the 4 door versions looked kinda mundane (IMHO), so became candidates for shortening ......but there are lots of other cars and lots of ways to shorten them. I recently saw a short video where a bunch of cars were leaving a garage/shop and as they rolled past the camera next to the door,they looked really kool. Think it was part of the "NotBob" channel. Couldn't find the video again, but here is one of them.



@41GMC posted another similar one above



Personally, I kinda like them. There are lots of ways to do stuff. Some look good (IMHO) and some just don't have a good change in proportion. I'm not a big fan of the usual shortened tri-fives because I think the rounded roof makes them hard to proportion well. I think a tri-five station wagon might work out much better proportionally. Then there is Stubby Bob..........how could anyone not like it?





So, I don't think there is one answer to your question, but my answer is that its just another way to build a hot rod, and I think its like all hot rods "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". So I like some of them, and its not just about show quality work, but about they have good proportions........and you know how subjective proportions can be.

 

Yep that one works too. Also the prototype 57 Chrysler 300C.

 

Or Audi Quattro

 

a few more. i do think that all of the 55-7 shortys could use the rear axle placed more rearward.

 

I like.