Where's the Purple People Eater gone to?

ryan, i too was at the parkin' lot on the corner i probably talked to you. what a parade that was! got some cool pics. anywho, when i grow up i wanna' be the ppe or most anything else that comes out of o.c. some of the coolest cars i've seen run shifters so. cal. plaques.

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This is probably the most interesting thread I have read on here for quite a while.

This may be a sidetrack; but sometimes one wonder if motorsports in general is figured out so to speak. If you look at old pics from the tracks you see very different cars competing with each other. One guy (or car make) had one solution to how to win, -others had other solutions. Some knew more than others. Some had more resources than others. Then history proved one solution better than others more or less, and that became the way you had to do it if you were going to win. Look at Formula 1. Cars are so identical and so wellperforming that they are constantly figuring out new rules to make them perform a little worse by removing wings etc. And why? A desperate try keep the exitement of it all alive, -to make overtaking possible etc. Today the car qualifying to poleposition will usually keep that position through a whole race and then win. The races is really dying a slow death as a spector sport.

Same is probably the case with dragracing. Look at old diggers compared to new top fuel dragsters. Plenty of different solutions, and quite a few oddballs too (running more than one mill etc).

Competitions than rely on technical solutions seem to kill itself in many ways..

Thats why I think any true carguy that isnt in it for the money or prestige, but for the kicks should applaude Axels brother taking the PPE to the tracks and making that 12 second pass with tires smoking down half the track. He sure as hell has my wholehearted support.

 

I totally support PPE and the Shifters. To alot of us here on the East Coast. Its clubs like the Shifters that opened alot of doors and got alot of attention. Good and Bad!! I was totally beside myself when i first saw PPE. It took me right back to when i was a kid and the way i saw cars. The drawings and the way i wanted to build one when i grew up. Then when i opened the mag and saw all the hate mail the car recieved and continues to do. It really pisses me off. That is the one thing that kills me in this hobby how people will cut your shit down. They always have the answers of what you should of done and how you should have done this. But when you turn to them for help. Then aint got the time.

I grew up around Hot Rods/Street Rods all my life. Between my Dad, Uncle, Cousin & Bro-n-law cars are around me 24-7. I can only see eye to eye and able to talk "Hot-Rods" to only one. I've been forced many of times to build sh- by myself and when i do..Theres a million and 1 why did you do that for. How can you knock anybody that has a vision and has the ambition to make it happen. I think alot of it is jealously. Most of the ones bitchin' about PPE in my area didn't even build there own cars. Grant it. I have a great deal of respect for the older rodders and look up to them in certain ways. But there is a lot of them that should get there heads out of there asses as well. There is alot of raw talent out here and alot of young guys are taking this stuff to levels that have been unheard of.

I wish Marky the best of luck and hope he & his club continue to do there own thing. People can knock how the car is unsafe and bitch about techs. But back then..the days that many of us youger kats look back on wishing we grew up in. And i ask this honestly, What was safe about "Hot Rodding" or circle track racing. I remember my Gramps old car w/the square roll bar. I remember him telling me stories of "Hot-Rodding" on the back roads. Marky trailors the car to shows and drives it off prob to show its functional as well. I don't know. But everytime i see him in pics on the net..It looks like hes having a ball. He made a statement with that car if not anything built what he invisioned. The same w/Axle roadster. As much as alot of people hate to admit it (i'm sure) that car inspired them to build one like it. Look at the models people are building. Sooner or later your bound to see another one. Even if its Boyd or Barris built..There will always be a bitch.

Keep doing your thing Marky! There is alot of us who appreciate PPE!...Dirty "Pack-Rats" of Rochester.

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My Daddy's a pistol...I'm a Son of Gun!

 

love the car
hate the song

 

ONE EYED ONE HORNED FLYING PURPLE PEOPLE EATER...

"If I lived over there i'd be at the strip helping, not complaining..."

That thing is art and the fact its been reworked to drag, is nothing short of kool...

Mikee

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I see it as an ART-CAR.

If it can make an exhibition pass, then it will be a performance-art-car!

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Ex nemo non fesces.

 

It's a neat assed little car with a great fucking engine. I'd love to see it make a pass, even if it's 15 seconds. Jesus, nothing even close to a Model A runs at the drags here (yes, Mulletstangs, Camaros and Novi are all we have here in the prime Southern regions).

And no one ever asks, "Who's car is that?"

 

The only thing cooler that doing what we're doing with these cars, is having a brother (or dad or uncle) that's doing it with you.

 

I say.... Try to have the car tech'd in.... act serious like you want to run the thing a couple of times (maybe at a real laxed test and tune night) and what ever the tech guy says he don't like... take it home and fix it. Bring it back to the SAME tech inspector next time and show HIM you made his suggested improvements, get your tech sticker and run the car. At the IHRA track near my house (Wisconsin International Raceway... Kaukauna Wisconsin, I have seen the tech guys let stuff pass that they shouldn't have... But they have never been unreasonable. Make sure it has a catch can, long wheel studs,GOOD tires, covers over the battery terminals, on off switch that kills the motor when PUSHED off... seat belts ... a firewall between the gas tank and the driver, undo any of the shoddy work(if there is any) and make sure it doesn't leak A DROP and it should be OK...... Lukester

 

...if it was shown on pay per view, I'd buy it. I love this car. It's going to be great when it runs. Nobody expects it to make it down the track. Most everyone, like it or not, says it will fail.

It won't.

"Its not safe."

"It will never hook up."

Its not supposed to be safe. It was built to make an impact. Its a colorful smoke machine with poor line of sight. A life-sized Muscle Machine(TM).
My guess is that it will EASILY run in the 11's. He will have the whole hot rodding community scrutinizing his effort. He's got everyone watching and judging; second-guessing his every move. Most love the car, but most everyone wants/expects it to fail. No way he is going out there and failing. No matter what.

Just watch and judge...er...wait.


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I ain't drunk...I'm just drinkin!

 

The PPE led me here.........

 

The PPE led me here.........

 

Ever want to do something because people tell you it won't work?Lemmings whose peak ambition is to watch The Simpsons.That is what this car represents to me.It's way over the top,and down the otherside.I wouldn't build one like it,but I'm glad he did.

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Want all the comforts of home?Stay home.

 

And did no one else notice the coil over shocks mounted horizontally above the rear end?

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Want all the comforts of home?Stay home.

 

Here we go again....

All I have to say is...I was there at Mooneyes when it rolled down Norwalk Blvd and it made it's own way into the gas station....

Jaws dropped, every head turned, all conversations stopped. Total silence, except for that Ponttiac engine rumblin'.

If you're the type that likes to make an entrance, then it doesn't get any better then that...

There are moments in your life that make you feel good inside. That was one moment that I won't likely ever forget.........and I'll never worry about what kind of car it was, it was just badass!

[This message has been edited by Radshit (edited 03-04-2003).]

 

The PPE inspired me to draw tonight... did this in a couple hours in pigment pen~ obviously inspired by that kick ass photo~ I LOVE THAT CAR!





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HEMI its spelled in uppercase for a reason!


[This message has been edited by Tuck (edited 03-05-2003).]

 

Unkl Ian - I noticed that too... cantilever rear suspension? Trick.. Is that center cage bar removable too?

Several people mentioned jealousy over or about that car... shit, i'm jealous as HELL over it! Friggin no-holds-barred bad-ass hotrodding... if it was me, I would have pussied out of several things.. "well, it should be longer", "well, it needs front brakes", "well the motor needs to be lower"... and so on...

He stuck to his vision, and built a radical car. I've seen other radical cars, but none look as "right" as that one does. It really is a real life cartoon. I'm just expecting a big-ass Roth monster sticking out the top, holding a 15ft tall shifter...

If it's brought over to Palmdale, could someone please post when? I'm just down the road a bit from the strip (those pro-stock? cars are LOUD), and i'd like to see it in person, and see it run..

(BTW, over near the alfa farms, there's plenty of open, straight roads...)

[This message has been edited by Mojo (edited 03-04-2003).]

 

Shortbus, that WAS an AWESOME cover not to mention the feature itself!

Thanks

 

The whole point of this lifestyle is to build what you want to build. The whole point is indivduality, non comformity for some of us it is anti establishment, or even art. Whatever the case, I wouldn't give a damn if the PPE had never even turned a wheel. And I don't give a damn if it never makes it down the strip or if it rips it apart. I am still going to give Marky props for building the raddest car that has been built for a long time. Rodding needs this car, and Marky and the Shifters built it.

 

I also get the vibe that people are picking up on what ryan said and what others (me?) say about the sketchyness of its legality... I can't speak for the nay-sayers who wrote into the magazine, but I think it is safe to say that the majority of the people on this board think it's a bitchen car and after reading Axle's bit on his bro, I think it is safe to say that the guy has it in his blood... no doubt.

I think what a lot of people think is that Marky, or anyone else who builds a car that reaches a certain amount of fame, is in a stagnant state with what they have done... not so. I get people slapping me on the back and tellin' me "nice rat rod"... asking me when I'm gonna slick my hair back n'shit... they judge me on that one car... not the show winning '55 Chevy I built up starting when I was FOURTEEN... or the '63 Dodge Drag car that is painted and polished, or the '72 Ranchero that I built that won first place at the West Coast Torino Meet a couple years ago... or any of the other things I've done... they just see a RAT ROD...

About Marky... you never stop learning man... eventually you get to a point where the quality of your cars levels out... you may make small strides in the quality of your welds, or the finish on the brackets you make, or your sense of style... but the strides are so small that nobody really notices... but early on people notice... the first rendition of my '55 was ok... but the car was on the road when I was 17... and after a small fender bender, I tore it down, painted the firewall body color instead of black, built a new motor, did fifferent mounts, tucked the exhaust up, painted the frame again etc.
My point is, I am almost certain Marky has learned a lot since he first built the thing... by the comments we can see that he is going back and re-doing things so it is (more) legal... shit, he may have to go back and do EVEN MORE... but the cool thing is that he is improving it, all strides to reach a goal... it's not like he is going to go bracket racing with the thing... Bracket racing... aside from the NO ELECTRONICS Goodguys brackets, that shit is for the birds man... don't get me started... I've NEVER seen such a mind numbing bunch of racers... how many Camaros (sorry Terry) can you stand? Novas, Camaros, Mustangs, Mopars... plastered with stickers, mud flaps to keep the tire meltings off of the rear quarter panel, fans inside to keep the driver cool, battery terminal lugs on the side of the car... BLACH!
We are not building tools to use to win contingency funds or big dollar bracket races... we are, to a high degree, building cars that evoke a sense of NOSTALGIA...
When you look at a car and say "ooo-yea, that's bitchen'!" you know the guy has done his homework...
I'll leave now before my buddy germ accuses ME of TYPING like HIM,,,
love,
germ
uh, I mean,
Sam.

 

one last note......in regards to the
R & C deal, amado is being modest here.there was a chance it didn't even happen.
marky and i trailered the car to petersen pub. studio where we met amado. it took a good portion of the day to take all the right photo's.
days after the shoot i kept in contact with amado and it seemed as though some of the boys upstairs were scratchin thier heads....i think some were even saying ...."hmmmm,...i dont know"

weeks after that i get a call and rick says..."dude,...i think the motor is gonna be on the cover" ....."the motor"?

one last note.....amado is a badass photographer!!!!!!
"turn the wheel,now spray this dulling shit on the blower,nope, the other way,now move the light over two inches,thats it,now back it up 3 feet,tilt yer head to the right,lift your ass up in the air,raise you hands up in the air,....lift one of your feet off the ground.....there ya go

 

Like the car, or not, it sure shook things up. And seems like those waves still have some ripple left on 'em.

Kudos to Marky for building the car he wanted. Art, street, drag, whatever, he is sticking to HIS vision, of the car.

I'm not the biggest fan of the car, as far as the way it looks is not totally my thing. But I think when guys look back at style trends and changes, that car will have some sort of historical signifigance. Probably not a chapter in hot rod history, but maybe a paragraph or a page. That's pretty dang cool in itself.


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www.lonestarroundup.com
http://www.kontinentals.com

 

Tuck-That is a Badazz logo!...Dirty

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My Daddy's a pistol...I'm a Son of Gun!

 

I hope he gets the chance to run it and get a few pictures of tire smokin' burn outs at the track with the tree. I doubt that time slips are a big goal. One of my favorite memories is floggin' my P.O.S. at Lowes Speedway while gettin' my doors blown off.

It is what it is and I don't think it's pretending to be anything else.

 

I was'nt going to post...but what the hell.
I remember seeing that car for the first time a Paso about 3-4 years ago and I'll tell you that EVRYONES jaw was on the fuckin floor. At the Shifters party it was the center piece. There where so many eyes glued to that car you would have thought it was a naked bombshelll model doin' the hula. I've ALWAYS loved that car and always will. I've talked to Marky and Axel, both really cool and nice guys. The cold fact of the matter is that people hate and get jealous. They hate it when someone builds a car they would have never thought to buld or have had the balls to build. They hate it when someone gets alot of attention from that car. They hate it most of all when it takes attention away THEM and there car.

 

Wow... Thumbs Up from over here...

I'd love to make a clone... not a PPE, but you get the idea

Rock

 

I've read this message thread with great interest, as the PPE has been the inspiration for several of my contest-winning model cars and my current 1:1 project.

I agree with most of the posts: The PPE is pure attitude... if it's too radical for some people, they need to get over it, and go hide in their living rooms.

Will it run on the strip? If it fails, I'm sure it'll fail in as grand a manner as it has affected the whole rodding world. I just hope somebody gets it on film, whether it smokes off the hides for the whole quarter, pulls the wheels and does an eleven-second run, or trips the lights upside-down - it'll be badass forever.



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Dave McGowan,
Ventura, CA

 

Not only are Axle and Marky bad ass cats, they are great guys and inspired so much and so many people. I was blown away when I first saw it and showed it to a couple of "not really hot rodder" friends and they Flipped! Both went out and found steal and started there first rod projects!

When I first got into rods around 13 years old, all I knew of was roadster show, gold chain cars, that was all I ever knew or had seen. Look at a street rodder or Rod n Custom from the early ninties and you'll see what I mean! A rod was un-approachable, like a ferrari or something and all I ever saw with rods my first few years where old guys.

With no money and no good inspiration, I took apart my half done 29 roadster and put it in storage. Then I started seeing a couple of those hot rod history books......and then a few old B movies.........then started seeing some guys my age building some cool rigs(thanks mike smith w/that yellow T or Brandon Mead with the first "rat rod" I had ever seen, 32 4door with the salt all over it).

Shit man, I can have a whole lot of fun with inginuity and creativity. At that point I realized I didn't have a half done car but a nearly ready to enjoy car. It didn't mean I would cut corners or make it unsafe just that the goal changed. A desire for perfection was replaced with a desire for enjoyment..........
I am rambaling but what I am trying to get to is that a car like the PPE, or any of the radical, old school owner built, fabricated part, trad rods have done more to get new people into building cars and building unique creative ones at that, than any "million buck ambr car" has ever done!

 

do ALEXS BALLS taste good?

germ

 

I think we can all agree that the PPE does one thing better than any car built in the last ten years - that thing is to inspire others to want to go out and build a rod. I know I for one start to water at the mouth when I see it.

I too have been inspired to draw recently, but it was by a simpler photo posted by Ryan. I am not done yet, but since Tuck blasted his out in such a short period I feel pressured into posting it now, I am not worthy...here goes:




If the PPE is equivalent to a Roth creation (which is what I beleive), then Ryan is the new John Milner......I just call 'em like I see 'em.

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Don't take me for my word, I'm not the sharpest peanut in the turd.