Hot rod & Custom guru Pat Ganahl takes us on a So-Cal NEW-OLD HOT ROD SHOP TOUR, complete with vintage and modern photos and background information about some of the biggest names in hot-rodding and racing history.
I did an article in the fourth issue of The Rodder’s Journal titled The Grand Shop Tour, in which I looked up addresses of the original, pioneering hot rod parts manufacturers in ads in 1948-1950 issues of Hot Rod magazine (all in the greater L.A. area), and then drove to...
Read More
pat ganahl
HIROHATA: MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR MERCILLAC
Truly iconic, Bob Hirohata’s Barris-customized ’51 Mercury sells for $2,145,000 at Mecum’s Kissimmee, Florida auction. Rod & Custom historian Pat Ganahl documents the history of the poster car of the 1950s, HIROHATA: MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR MERCILLAC
There’s no question the hot topic among rod and custom car enthusiasts this week–this year…ever…–is the sale at auction in Florida of the Hirohata Merc for 1.95 million dollars. I’m not here to analyze, debate, or even discuss the ramifica...
Read More
ORIGINAL ’32 FORD V-8 COUPE!
No one car celebrates hot-rodding more than the ’32 Ford. And this preserved, not restored, classic Deuce coupe powered by its original Buick V-8 deserves to be the ‘poster’ car for hot rod history. ‘Best Preserved’ is how Rod & Custom historian Pat Ganahl describes this ORIGINAL ’32 FORD V-8 COUPE!
There’s no better word for it. I looked in the Thesaurus. Of all the hot rods I’ve seen – and that’s a lot – I’ve never seen any better preserved in its original condition than this one....
Read More
ROD & CUSTOM: ART & THE AUTOMOBILE
Rod & custom archivist/historian, Pat Ganahl blogs about Charlie Smith’s ROD & CUSTOM: ART & THE AUTOMOBILE that turns as many heads as do iconic show-stoppers.
I was going to title this column “The Unknown Artist,” but that’s not true at all. I’ve known Charlie Smith of Kansas City at least since the mid-1980s. I’ve published his work in Hot Rod and Rod & Custom, and you’ve seen it elsewhere. You’ve also seen cars he’s designed, though you might not know it. Just one example is...
Read More
ROD and CUSTOM: MYSTERY MERC!
Hot Rod Archeologist Pat Ganahl has been tracking a long-lost customized and chopped Mercury with Tinseltown credits, but the trail on the ROD and CUSTOM: MYSTERY MERC! has gone cold. Help anyone?
I love a good mystery. Whether written or real life, some are better than others. The thing is, in mystery books, if you can’t solve it along the way, by the end it reveals who done it. In real life, that’s not always the case. Also in real life, as you’re solving one mystery, sometimes other...
Read More
ENDANGERED SPECIES: VINTAGE DRAG RACING
Hot rodding historian and ROD and CUSTOM editor Pat Ganahl rants about the sport’s latest ENDANGERED SPECIES: VINTAGE DRAG RACING. Nostalgia drag racing - like the once - revered Antique Nationals - has fallen victim to rules and regs that turn away true vintage hot rods and drag cars.
I only did a tiny rant last time. I held most of it in, so to speak. My plan was to let ‘er rip this week. But you know what? We’ve had enough negativity this past year, and I don’t really want to add to ...
Read More
THE WAY IT WAS: DANGEROUS DRAGSTERS!
ROD and CUSTOM’s Pat Ganahl blogs about California drag racing pioneers and THE WAY IT WAS: DANGEROUS DRAGSTERS!
Yes, I will admit to having a bit of corncob embedded in a certain portion of my anatomy. Why? I won’t go too deeply into it here. But most of you know that I was an avid and active supporter of Nostalgia Drag Racing from its beginning, participating with a Hemi-powered A/Altered and then a Top Fuel dragster, neither of which I had any desire to drive myself.
After a couple of ver...
Read More
‘OHIO GEORGE’ MONTGOMERY: FIRST DRAG COUPE
Rod and Custom’s Pat Ganahl blogs about Gasser legend ‘OHIO GEORGE’ MONTGOMERY: FIRST DRAG COUPE. We add a couple of photos of Ohio’s most iconic quarter-mile rides: Malco Willys & Mustang Gassers powered by blown Ford SOHC engines.
I am going absolutely bonkers. No, it’s not from being cooped up at home for the past four-plus months. Anna and I are doing very well in that regard, thankfully. Plus I got one car finished in the garage, another to build, and I even finally got some ti...
Read More
CHEVY & FORD: 1950s CUSTOMS
Pat Ganahl showcases CHEVY & FORD: 1950s CUSTOMS – ’58 Impala and ’49 Ford – that celebrate an era when car enthusiasts truly personalized their street and show rides.
First up is the ’58 Chevy Impala, a head-turner even in stock form, built by Lee Pratt. Growing up in Des Moines, Iowa, back in those days when young boys talked cars, read Hot Rod magazines, and fantasized about “how they did it out in California,” Lee figured he was a typical kid who just happened to like the smooth customs...
Read More
ROD & CUSTOM: GARAGE TOUR
Serial hot-rodder Pat Ganahl takes us on a rare ROD & CUSTOM: GARAGE TOUR of his man cave, revealing what he has been working on for decades. And, is still working on!
Today, Pat Ganahl takes our hi-tech readers on a guided tour of his garage that’s packed with cars and enough hard-to-see, half-hidden details to keep you busy for at least a week. I’ve already mentioned a couple of times that I’m quite happy – as most hot rodders should be – that the garage is obviously considered part of th...
Read More