Saw it on tv last night and was really Impressed with Moal. I deal with clients that want to put 20 pounds of stuff in a 5 pound bag all the time and it's very difficult some times to create something that is something you feel proud to put your name on and at the same time is what the client was after. I think a good relationship is key, so you understand each other and in the end of showing him 30 full fendered cars with fins and European sports cars he knows what your after. That curve or tha specific switch may not be important so much as the vibe that curve or switch gives off. It's basically learning the client well enough to give them what they really want even if that differs from what they think that looks like. At the same time he gets a feel for that persons personality. If the owner wasn't so eccentric then I can see that whole process shown on the show turning out a car a little more conservative. But seeing the owners personality all the goofy fins and odd stuff makes sense 100% I think a car should reflect the owner and to be able to create that match with out the owner building it himself is extremely impressive. Like Steve said in the end it's his automobile not mine. Very impressed with how he handles himself and his business. Oh, and the car is cool to. I'd hunt down the velocity channel footage as I believe it's better at showing the feel of the car ( and the car/ owner tie in) than the first video posted and the photos. Good amount of driving footage with the pipes open and closed
How did they make such a boring speech about such a cool car. I fell asleep by the time the introductions were done. Did I miss anything good?
I first met Steve Moal in the early 90's when I was working at a shop in Indy that did a lot of Ferrari and old Indy car work. He is a very nice guy who is also very modest about the work that he does. I agree that sometimes his cars end up overloaded with details (I am big on simple/clean) but I love the fact that he builds "different" hot rods. Roo
Anyone have any idea what a car like this would cost to have Moal build? Just curious cause I know I couldn't ever afford it. 41plym
The car in the above photo I posted is the ex Stan Nowac car I'm sure with a restoration or at least new paint job. It was one of the cars I got to work on in the 1970's, a real nice car with a great owner. Healey Silverstone fenders were aluminum and fairly light, I'd p*** on the spare tire feature. Bob
I watched that episode and love everything about the car.......Moal is extremely talented as is his crew. It struck me , while watching it, that what separates hot rods from street rods is "things"............things to look at and little touches the builder incorporated. Smoothed street rods are something I walk past at a show to get at a hot rod where I can get down and look at the little things that the builder did to make his car different or simply done well. A car like the one Moal built is full of touches that you could spend hours looking at, and still not see them all. Don
I don't think I'm going out too far on a limb here to say any Moal built car would be pretty close to the most expensive shop built hot rod. They say this car was built in 8 months, so he had to have 4 to 6 guys working full time for the whole 8 months, 7 or 8 thousand hours? more?, plus parts, I'm guessing this car comes in at something around a million three.
I have always admired Moal's talents and that of those that work for him. But I have never really cared for the finished project. He always goes just over the top - If one scoop or vent is good, two are better type thing. If the customer keeps control of the build style, he does great, if left to his own devices it always goes to far in my eye. But the quality is above reproach and he is very easy to talk to as a person.
Yes, the quality of work from Steve's shop has few rivals, but I have seen some of the "over the top" cars built for some of his high roller Bay area customers, that just scream "I have more money than sense and I don't know when to stop".
Here's a couple video clips from the CHASING Cl***ic CARS "Whip It Good" episode: Custom Concepts Just for Wayne Steve Moal, a custom coachbuilder based in California, is commissioned to build a custom ride for Wayne, who comes to town to check out his designs. Wayne's Big Surprise Steve Moal arrives with Wayne's finished custom.
That is one interesting and beautiful car. I for one spend a lot of time studying the photos I see of the Steve Moal builds the ideas that work and can be incorporated into a project without looking like it was a copycat job. Usually seeing photos of a creation like that solidifies an idea that has been bouncing around in the back of the brain as to will it work or not work.
Yes, I think the fenders with fins would help tie in the rear fin to the rest of the design. Again, my preference on the rear fin would have been to mold it into the rear deck and paint it body color. The "finettes" of polished metal would help complete the rear fin "statement".
Every one is talking about the styling on Steve's cars but I can tell you first hand that they are built as good as they look, I rode with Meadors in the Yellow 29 shortly after Steve finished it, we drove down to LA for the LARS, about 400 miles each way, excellent ride and handling ( I got to drive it Friday night to a dinner one of the LA guys was having) I have built cars for 50 years, open and closed, and the 29 was just a kick *** car. I called Steve after and told him I wasn't kissing his *** just wanted him to know how much I enjoyed the car and trip.
Last night's episode of Chasing Cl***ic Cars (Season 8, Episode 12) en***rled "It's a Size Joke" included a segment on the 2016 Grand National Roadster Show ... where Carini's "Moal Speedway" roadster took 1st place in the "Radical Altered Rod - pre-1935" cl***: NOTE: Also included in that GNRS segment was some footage & discussion of @hollenbeck32 & @Born a HotRodGal's AMBR winning Deuce roadster!
Exceptional work by Moal as usual. He and Wayne seemed well matched when I observed them together at the awards ceremony for the GNRS. The Special is lovely with wonderfully thought out features. Race it and bang it up a wee and you may think it ran at Watkins Glen in the old days. You can always look at items which you would not do if it was your pocket book. However it seems very hard to be critical of the build quality and color choices. TEB Sent from my SM-N920V using H.A.M.B. mobile app
I like the car back to the cowl. I don't care for the doors, the tail, or the overall silhouette of the body. Moal's craftsmanship is superb, no question, but I don't care much for his (or his designer's) eye for style.
Moal's Coachworks. (none finer) In today's world of copyrights, patent infringements, and other cautionary byways, I'm surprised Barris's name could even be mentioned! This one's a winner, but as 50Fraud noted: Too 'tail heavy'. Center deck fin suggested a '40s Indy tail, but on a fat bustle. Tail could (should) have been narrowed gracefully, incorporating a 3 dimensional pseudo 'headrest'. This is a nice tribute to previous 'Sports Hot Rods': Duffy Livingston, Max Balchowsky, (Ol' Yeller') and a stretch: Ak Miller, "Caballo de Irro". The fins resemble what I had on my helmet when I found Howard's rocket blueprint...
Nice article in TRJ #71 written by @Chopperken Gross: Automotive buff and TV personality Wayne Carini of Chasing Cl***ic Cars may live in Connecticut, but when he decided he wanted a hot rod speedster, he knew it had to be built at Moal Coachbuilders in Oakland, California. Inspired by the homemade sports rods of yesteryear, the sleek “Moal Speedway” is based on a set of original ’32 Ford rails and hand-formed body. Underneath the hood, Carini opted for a bored Ford flathead with Navarro heads and a pair of Strombergs. Steve ****an & Geoff Miles (@TRJ) photographed this one-of-a-kind roadster while attending the Amelia Island Concourse d’Elegance in northern Florida.
I really held off commenting on the car. I had opportunity to see Moal coachwork at Amelia Island a few years back so craftsmanship need not be mentioned. This one? Dammit, I don't want to be a hater but it's a ham (HAMB?) sandwich with ketchup. Just don't work. Saw the car in person at Amelia this year and it's got features better suited to a car the size of an Allard J2X, but it's on a full size Ford foundation. Flathead? Check. Steelies? Got em. Color? What's not to like. Brooklands screens? Why? It's so big it needs 2 belts on the hood. The notch in the profile should have been in the doors and lose about a foot of wheelbase from the rear. I'm pretty open-minded when it comes to cars, specials for sure, but even the best will "miss" now and then. This is one of those that missed. I waited and waited to express my opinion, but after seeing it in person and the TRJ feature, well I guess I can open up about it. Sorry, just how I see it...
You know what opinions are worth, but I agree with above post. Just not my type. Like a ******* on fathers day.