Was reading an article today in TRJ about a couple of 32's from Ohio. A roadster and a 3W. They were referring to the overall look of the cars as "The Ohio Look". Severe rake, really big 'bigs' and really little 'littles', etc. I've also heard of and read about "The Witchita Look". (Pretty cool, if you ask me). What other regional 'looks' can be identified? What was the time frame of said look and most importantly post up pics of "The Look". Thanks, Scott
I can't tell you exactly when these things began - probably right after guys starting building cars. Back before popular culture was instantly national, there were regional tastes and differences in everything, including cars, music, and clothes. All it took is for one guy to do something. Then others would see it and like it and "borrow" elements of it, and the next thing you know they had created a regional style. I grew up in Northeast Ohio, and there were a lot of "East Coast-style" customs still running around when I was a little kid (lots of accessories, lower in the rear than the front,etc.). My Dad always talked about "California Customs" that were around when he was a teenager in the 1950s and it took me until just a couple years ago to realize that what he meant was West Coast-style kustoms (smoother, cleaner, less cluttered, etc.). Here in Southwest Missouri I see more of the West Coast style and less of the East Coast style than I did in Akron. And when I go back to visit Akron I can still to this day see certain elements that are common there and that I think of as "Ohio style" or "Akron style" elements (more of a muscle-car aesthetic applied to '50s cars). But every year the internet and TV and Rod & Custom Magazine make it less and less likely to see a rod or kustom in any state that is really fundamentally different than one you'd see several hundred miles away in either direction.
I think New England was a little more subtle than your typical over-the-top East Coast cars that I've seen, especially Jersey cars. New England cars seemed to be more full-fendered coupes, subtle chops, raked, nosed and decked with very few accessories...at least from the rather extensive amount of pictures I've seen from the mid to late '50s.
In Kansas City in the early 60's, what we called "scavenger pipes" on late model semi-customs were a popular style locally, but I never saw them in any magazines or anywhere else. The front end of the car would be as low as possible. The scavengers were straight (at least four feet long) dual chrome ehaust pipes starting at about the middle of the car, hanging parallel to the ground, going below the rear axle and ending a short distance past the axle. The ends were bell-tipped. Some cars had four, some even had six or eight.
new england was more than a "look" cars had to be built strong....just like the mid west the shitty roads dictated this mostly channeled 32-34 with out stock fenders ....but running cycle or 36 spare tire rings... channeling was the popular thing to do as opposed to chopping alot of un dropped heavy axles....columbia shocks...nerf bars...and wheel covers the book "COOL CARS SQUARE ROLL BARS" by bernie and arnie schuman will give you a great look into the cars of the east from the 50-early 60s
We had scavengers in Northern Cal too but just 2 pipes. Never saw any street cars with four or more pipes.
i dig the ohio look ...it goes along with JEEM's hot rod rake....seems to be something that needs to be brought back .... brandon rakin' in ky
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