Darryl Starbird is an automotive customizer who, along with peers like Gene Winfield and George Barris, helped popularize the custom car during the 1950s and ’60s, when customs became a widespread part of American culture. He opened his Star Kustom Shop in Wichita, Kansas, in
The list of hot rod luminaries that roamed SoCal’s sunny landscape – many profiled in this column – helped define what we know today as “hot rod culture.” And every once in a while, a handful of such legends join forces to create a special
Nearly all the hot rod legends profiled on these pages did their magic following World War II, veterans who dreamed of racing glory while fighting for America’s. Upon returning home, bursting with a pent-up need for speed, they flocked to southern California dry lakes and
Editor’s Note: This month’s column is a tribute to hot rod journalist and historian Pat Ganahl by someone who knew him and worked with him in various capacities over the span of four decades. The floor is yielded to Thom Taylor. [caption id="attachment_95752" align="alignright" width="436"] Thom
You know that feeling when you’re leaving the driveway for the last time? You go through that emotional look back at a home or office that you spent so much time in. The blood, sweat, joy, and tears of the past tug at the heartstrings,
The land speed record has always been the Holy Grail for speed-addled enthusiasts. Prior to the advent of jet-engine machines, wheel-driven racers were the LSR standard bearers. Case in point: In 1947, Englishman John Cobb set the LSR record at 394.196mph, courtesy of a pair
Custom paint and intricate pinstriping have been essential elements in the ethos of hot rodding. Nearly every rod and custom flash a protective coat of gloss. If accented by detailed striping and vivid flames, so much the better. And few were – and are –
Nothing in drag racing brings back the glory years more than nostalgic photos of a fire burnout. These images represent the true fire, fury, and wild times of drag racing’s golden years. Fire burnouts were a part of drag racing lore in the ’60s and
I was at a car show recently and the subject of awards came up. The guy I was talking with had no idea I spent 28 years employed with the Goodguys family traveling thousands of miles on the chrome carnival tour. Those were the best
If the original hot rod era of the 1940s and ’50s was the second coming of the 1932 Ford, then the street rod revival that began in the 1970s could be seen as the Deuce’s first encore. And what better representatives of that time than
