Amazing, Rick Elliott and his coupe**

Alright, I can give you some major insight into this car... I was actually Rich Elliott's bestfriend. We both started the Koffins car club in northern california together. Rich himself was from redwood city he was an upolsterer @ cooks upolstery. I met him at 14 and basically learned all I know about hot rods and building stuff from him. We actually built the car in my backyard, and it was never ment to "look like it ran" It was more of what Rich called an Art Project. I decided that instead of waiting around an trying to save up 100,000 dollars to make this thing functional, he would mock it up and make it look like it should eventually. The idea was done just to get it out of his head, I convinced him to build it because we were always talking about it and he was always building other peoples cars and never his own. The car is proably, my opinon the most period correct stylized version, of a 1960's dragster show car that looked like it was pulled out of a barn and taken to a show, that has been built in this day and age.
I was with Rich the day that he passed. He actually to told me he was feeling great, better than he had in a long time. We were working on a buddies 54 Buick at cooks I left about 5:00 that Sunday and got a call from the owner a 5am the next morning telling me that he had passed away from a heart condition, he was found outside the upolstery shop next to his car. It turns out his Aorta blew up and he was gone before he ever hit the ground. He didn't feel anything. He went out the way he would have wanted to working on cars til the last second of his life.
If you read the article in Rod and Kulture you know they were full of shit, they got this info from is brother who is, by the way, clinically insane. The car never ran, it stayed exactly how its seen in the pictures, 11 to one compression is rediculous considering it had no pistions, the chrome molly frame was actually sewer pipe that we pulled out of a garbage can, and you know what.... It doesn't take away from the car because it was never ment to be something it wasn't, how many of us have been hording parts for the last 10 years waiting til our wives let us take some money out of the kids college fund to build our dream that never happens. For once Rich lived in the moment, instead of for tomorrow and built what he could of his dream with what he had. And I'm thankful that he did, at the Cow Palace Rod and custom show he was the happiest I had ever seen him, with all the attention that he had got with his car. He never even made to the magazine publications on the cover of Hot Rod, CKD, ect.
Another thing was when he passed his family (mother father and brothers, and sisters) who by the way hates anything modifed went on a savanging hunt looking for anything worth money so that they could sell it, no regard for his creation or his will. They even left him at the coroners office without claiming him so that they wouldn't have to pay for a cremation. They are awful people, and so it is better the car dissapeared. They were never interested in keeping it, they wanted to chrome suspension, the two magnetos and the top loader because they knew they could get a thousand dollars, bastards!
Rich died at the age of 40 from an inlarged heart, he got the chance in his last month to build as close to his dream as he could, he lived breathed and blead hot rodding he was like a father to me and he never asked for anything in return. I will post more about him and dig up some old pictures and keep this thing going.

 

that was over the top cool back in the day,does anybody know what year it was built.....richie...................

 

Thanks for the insight Koffin. RIP.

 

chris,that was a very good read,tell us more about rich and his build,i guess its safe to say his family was a bunch of pricks....richie........

 

RIP Rick Elliott. I would think that if this car disappeared the day after he died that a family member probably has it. I think you may have addressed that above. I think the car is great. And for some reason that body looks familiar. When did he die? Anyway, when it comes to death and dieing family members will fuck you more than anyone.

 

Whatever happened to this car. Unique to say the least...

 

interesting read. very sad though, although if nothing else, it reminds you how short we're here sometimes. move those projects forward folks!