Return of the hot rod?

[Streetrod]

Cotty said:

Crafty_ said:

Now that looks fantastic

That car is almost perfect, perfect chop, perfect stance, perfect fit and finish. It looks simple but it is incredibly hard to get a car too look that good.

[S2Mike]

Streetrod said:

Cotty said:

Crafty_ said:

Now that looks fantastic

That car is almost perfect, perfect chop, perfect stance, perfect fit and finish. It looks simple but it is incredibly hard to get a car too look that good.

.
+1

[Ari]

Let's not forget perhaps the most famous hot rod of them all!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQw9tVWkf-s

[300bhp/ton]

Ari said:

Let's not forget perhaps the most famous hot rod of them all!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQw9tVWkf-s

That's lovely. Although for me this is the most famous:

[Cotty]

The California Kid
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071268/

[King Herald]

300bhp/ton said:

That's lovely. Although for me this is the most famous:

Oh yes! Apart from the ugly looking short radiator, that is/was my dream hot rod.

Or maybe this, Revenge, built in the 70's I believe, by Nick Butler.



Or maybe even this, Andromeda, also built by Nick Butler:





Maybe my opinions are tainted as I grew up with these cars pasted to my bedroom wall.

A '55 Chevy Gasser would also be near the top of the list of dream cars.

[S2Mike]

I remember going to Alexandra Palace to the Custom Car Show in the 70's to see those cars! Ally Pally '79 I think.

[safehandsgk1]

There's always something incredibly nostalgic about oggling a 'hot-rod'. I've been intrigued with them since my first viewing of American Graffiti.

Any idea if there's a reputable dealer and what type of cost you are looking at? It'd have to be an original though... even if the Chrysler Prowler offers a modern alternative. That said, can anyone give a decent view on the Prowler? Gimmick or decent motor?

[300bhp/ton]

Couple more pics from a few years ago.

[Cledus Snow]

King Herald said:

Or maybe even this, Andromeda, also built by Nick Butler:

Nyklodean, Andromeda and Revenge were all at Billing this year.

[Roo]

safehandsgk1 said:

That said, can anyone give a decent view on the Prowler? Gimmick or decent motor?

Mediocre performance compared to the looks. Absolutley NO storage space/boot whatsoever. Appaling turning circle and it's very difficult to see the front corners on them when driving.

On the plus side they're relatively reasonable to run and a parts bin car. The little insert on the door card that you put your fingers in to close the door is the same as used on a Dodge Ram for instance.

[irocfan]

safehandsgk1 said:

There's always something incredibly nostalgic about oggling a 'hot-rod'. I've been intrigued with them since my first viewing of American Graffiti.

Any idea if there's a reputable dealer and what type of cost you are looking at? It'd have to be an original though... even if the Chrysler Prowler offers a modern alternative. That said, can anyone give a decent view on the Prowler? Gimmick or decent motor?

Interesting question TBH - I love the look of them and I suspect performance is respectable. It does seem as though there's feck-all room in the boot though

[Streetrod]

safehandsgk1 said:

There's always something incredibly nostalgic about oggling a 'hot-rod'. I've been intrigued with them since my first viewing of American Graffiti.

Any idea if there's a reputable dealer and what type of cost you are looking at? It'd have to be an original though... even if the Chrysler Prowler offers a modern alternative. That said, can anyone give a decent view on the Prowler? Gimmick or decent motor?

Start with the classifieds in Custom Car magazine or your best bet would be to join your local club, the good stuff goes by word of mouth.

If you are feeling more adventurous then look Stateside, this would be a good place to start http://www.hotrodhotline.com/classifieds/classifie... But there are various other sites as well.

Also dont forget Ebay

http://motors.shop.ebay.com/Cars-Trucks-/6001/i.ht...

Edited by Streetrod on Thursday 16th August 16:04

[Cledus Snow]

The thing that's puzzled me for years about the Prowler is that the Replicas seem to be advertised at the same sort of price as the real ones.

[300bhp/ton]

safehandsgk1 said:

There's always something incredibly nostalgic about oggling a 'hot-rod'. I've been intrigued with them since my first viewing of American Graffiti.

Any idea if there's a reputable dealer and what type of cost you are looking at? It'd have to be an original though... even if the Chrysler Prowler offers a modern alternative. That said, can anyone give a decent view on the Prowler? Gimmick or decent motor?

Assuming you are in the UK then there where some websites posted earlier which would be a good place to start, and maybe pick up a copy of Custom Car or similar.

When you say "original" I guess I have to ask, how do you mean? Early rods where modified cars, so each one was original or none are depending on how you look at it.

If you're wanting a real 30's vehicle, as in chassis and body then I'd have thought you'd be looking at around £100,000+ for a rebuild or custom build depending on the exact spec. It's also worth remembering older rod won't offer as much modern day performance either, but that's not really the point.

If you want to buy a newer fibreglass one or build I'd have thought you could do it on a far more sensible budget from £5000-20,000 with a bit of choice on what you'd get for this money.

As for the Prowler, well I've been reading up on them. On first appearance I think it's quite easy to hate them. But once you delve into what they are and how they are built I think it's a little unfair.

It's true they are modern, but that makes them far more usable. Performance isn't bad from the, the 99+ models are sub 6 sec to 60mph and with IRS/IFS handle pretty well. I guess it then comes down to price. There was one that didn't make it's reserve on ebay for £16,800 and I've seen Youtube vids with used ones in the US for $33,000 I reckon that's quite a bit of money considering what other rods that money could buy or build.

[Roo]

300bhp/ton said:

There was one that didn't make it's reserve on ebay for £16,800

That ad is awful. He should try taking some decent photos and he might have half a chance of selling it.

[300bhp/ton]

Roo said:

That ad is awful. He should try taking some decent photos and he might have half a chance of selling it.

Yeah. What sort of money do they go for these days anyhow? I saw one years ago a a Dodge Truck place when I went to look at a ram. But I was in truck mode so didn't pay it much attention (wish I had though).

[Roo]

300bhp/ton said:

Roo said:

That ad is awful. He should try taking some decent photos and he might have half a chance of selling it.

Yeah. What sort of money do they go for these days anyhow? I saw one years ago a a Dodge Truck place when I went to look at a ram. But I was in truck mode so didn't pay it much attention (wish I had though).

I ebay auctioned this one and it went for just under £20k

http://www.newport-imports.com/sold-vehicles/plymo...

[Fast Bug]

NHRA is the States define a Hot Rod as pre '49 so that's what it is.

the general public define the PT Cruiser as cack, so that's what it is

[King Herald]

Cledus Snow said:

Nyklodean, Andromeda and Revenge were all at Billing this year.

I think I would have probably soiled myself if I'd seen that display in the flesh.

I sort of knew the guy, on-line, who rebuilt Andromeda after its crash. Like several famous hot rods it simply disappeared for several years, as did Revenge.