Woow -Thanks - big event that looks like one put on here (guess because of GG influence) - for the old timers; think of the song by Peter, Paul and Mary: Where have all the American Rods gone, long time passing/where have all the American Rods gone, long time ago?.....
Wow they sure have a good eye for old iron,and I guess money talks. An old friend of mine would buy a new Harley every year ride it for the summer and ship it to Germany for a profit and order another just to do it again next year, if I recall it had something to do with import taxes on new bikes was way more than exporting a used bike,,,still big bucks.
After watching the video which was cool by the way. I get the same thought when I look at event coverage from overseas. Very cool styled tradition rods/customs. I think they are tastefully done and not a hint of ratrod influence you often see mixing in traditional events over here. No gimmicks and I don't think I seen one spider web.
You almost wouldn't know that wasn't here. The fact that we don't think or talk about (to my knowledge) is the fact that, WE, us guys on the Hamb and other hot rod guys, have shown them the way. Of course they have the internet but who do they see on there? And they have old magzines I guess. Not role models but we have something they want. Not just the cars, the getting together as well. And, it's numerous countries, not only in Europe. Kinda sobering in a sense. So you think so? Tim
Wow, hard to believe that was a Good Guys event. Whatever the Belgium rodders certainly "get it". Had no idea it was such a strong scene there, of course I presume it's like a lot of Europe , with cars from many countries though I didn't see a lot of different license plates. Maybe so some of the cars were exported out of the US . A few looked like new bodies. But of course not being from the US we see thing differently in that the whole world can enjoy the car culture on a smaller scale, plus it's bringing some overseas funds into the US economy. Yes sure in many years to come the raw body supply will dwindle in the US , but presently once a vehicle comes on the market it will always be money that talks .
I have exported (or helped to export) a few cars to Europe and countless parts. They seem to have good taste and they take it very seriously, the level of detail is amazing compared to some of the stuff we have around here, very impressive.
They have a few of our cars and we have a bunch of their beers. Not a bad trade off IMHO. Also, the rat scene is difficult to pull off there with MOT inspections and the like. Apparently safety is a big deal in Europe!
That looks like a really fun show, lots of nice Cars and Trucks. I cannot believe that I'm going to say it....... even the VW's looked right at home there as well. Thanks for Sharing!
Many of those cars were not exported from the US but built here in Europe. Great Britain for example has a long hot rodding history and ( and so has Sweden) ,there are quite some old repro glassbodied roadsters and coupes on the road. This beautiful candy red, flaked 32 roadster in the beginning of the video for example is a glass bodied car built in the UK ( by I think an Executioners cc member). It´s drop dead beautiful nonetheless and has a very powerful injected Lincoln flatty I believe. I saw it in 2008 at the Hot Rod Hayride in England and he really ran that thing on the dirt track oval like there was no tomorrow...and even crashed it in the guadrail because it was extremely slippery due to lots of rain. Who cares, it´s probably better than ever now. Not all came from the US, but many . A lot of cars were built here, GM had assembly plants in the Netherlands and Switzerland, Ford in Cologne, Germany. Lots of American cars were sold new in Scandinavia, I think they were tax free or somehow cheaper than European cars, but I may be wrong. Although all of my cars have been imported from the states at one point, I have a couple of friends that have Eurpean built cars. A swiss assembled 64 Impala SS convertible, a 62 Impala 4dr hardtop built in the Netherlands, a 56 Bel Air Ragtop from France, a 63 Riviera sold by an Opel Dealership in Munich come to my mind, but there are more if I´d think hard enough. For me it´s part of the fun to google the street adresses on the old US titles and daydream were the cars went , what jobs the owners had, how many kids they brought home from the hospital in their cars...
Kind of surprised to see a 554 tribute coupe in Belgium. Proves when a car is cool, everyone gets it.
Nice footage. Please be aware, the Big Three had production plants all over Europe. My 59 DeSoto is an American car that has never been in the States, because it was build in Antwerp, Belgium. So not only the hot rod and custom builders are here as well, the cars to start of with, too. Leaking oil? No, sweating horsepower
I've also heard from some friends in Europe that in some cases the import and inspection laws make it much easier to get cars into the country that at least appear to be stock, have stock (what we would call "traditional") engines, etc.. Any comments on that from you guys over the big pond?
Thanks for posting the great video !!! I always enjoy seeing cars from around the world. We all suffer from the same disease and that is being Car Crazy Jim Hill
Cool stuff, I seem to be picking up on a vibe of enthusiasm there, that I has went downhill a bit here, in the last 5 years or so. On a different note, Whats was the temp there when this video was made, lots of people wearing shorts and short sleeves and many others wearing pants and jackets or at least long sleeves?
I can´t speak for the other European countries, but my guess is, it´s pretty similar to Germany. Modifications on vehicles will pass inspection if they go along with the law that was valid when the vehicle was new.The mods must have been made within 10 years after the vehicle was built or must be older than 30 years. A flatty or 327 SBC in a Model A is possible, a centerbolt and LS engine most likely not, unless the inspector doesn´t know what he is doing. Also 22" billet wheels on a 30s-40s-50s car won´t happen legally.But every rule has it´s exception and that happens from time to time ,so people wonder "how that car could pass inspection". There are a few things that are necessary to pass, like hazard flashers, turnsignals, windshield wipers, fenders, headlights with E markings ( assymetrical headlights at low beam), reflectors on the rear bumper ( there are stick on ones you can easily remove after inspection) and a good overall build quality helps a lot .
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