Cars
We scream out of the driveway (or was that me screaming?) and careen across the road sideways, bias-plies searching for grip. First gear loses steam almost instantly, and sometime between gears one and two things don’t mesh. Everything seems to lock up and we slide crossways onto a side road, making an unplanned turn and none too soon of a stop.
Many people believe that mankind as we know it evolved from primates…not the monkeys that you’d find at your local zoo, but rather from a very basic, upright-walking being that had thought protocols to find food and shelter without getting eaten in the process. The same can be said about the unmodified car, as it’s basically a vehicle to transport its occupants from point A to point B, maybe even with a little style built in if you’re lucky.
Some car guys choose a path to automotive nirvana through the purchase of a car that someone else built or by having a shop build the car of their dreams, but Albert Alvarado is not one of those guys. Like many of us, he doesn’t mind getting grease under his fingernails and overspray in the garage. You see, Alvarado had completed this Bel Air once before. Back in 2004, it was a beautiful red-and-white car, but Alvarado was disappointed by the number of red-and-white Bel Airs he was seeing at all the shows, so he decided to make some drastic changes.
Unless there’s a collector’s car that was purchased and directly put into someone’s collection, you’re probably looking at the lowest-mileage Saleen SSC in the world, and it belongs to Jack Redeker from Redeker Ford in Grand Haven, Michigan.
We are continually challenged by what has previously been accomplished within a hobby that has captured the hearts of enthusiastic Americans; and just when it seems automotive imagination has reached its pinnacle, we are once again reminded of an endless flow of accomplishment and creativity that stretches the limits of the cars we build.
In 1969 and 1970, Ford produced a pair of unique vehicles designed with only one purpose in mind: to take back the SCCA Trans-Am series crown from Chevrolet. After stunning success with the ’65-’67 Mustangs, Ford lost the title to Chevy’s Camaro in 1968, and many felt that the car’s “tunnel port” engine was the culprit. Ford drastically rethought its engine program and came up with a legendary solution.
It occurred rather quickly—in just a decade or so, the Ridler award has risen to the top of the list of awards for hot rods. Sure, it all started more than 60 years ago, but back in the 2000’s, the competition intensified for this coveted award. The Auto Builder was intrigued by the award’s newfound popularity, and we did everything in our power to bring proper recognition to these grand automobiles. We also dedicated ourselves to help popularize “The Great Eight,” which each car must win to qualify for Ridler competition. Being selected in the Great Eight is a feat in its own right, but the road to winning the Ridler is as mysterious as the final award itself.
In terms of historic automotive achievements (and there have been many, to be sure), this stylized ’36 Ford roadster will long be remembered for its most human elements. Through them, a vehicle of unparalleled execution—at least to date—regardless of type, style or vintage, has come of age. Only slightly reminiscent of the car it is based upon, the lines expressed through the flowing body and adjoining components, and all of the well-placed details, give one the impression of speed, style and a hint of great classics of the past. And while it may take on a hint of flavor of classics past, the overall concept is entirely its own—a coach-built car done for these modern times.
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In 1994, Denny and Dawn Johns picked up a ’55 Chevy two-door sedan. Along with Dale Johns, the couple runs Van Buren, Arkansas’ D&D Specialty Cars (479/414-2654), so it was no huge deal to think they would quickly rebuild the ’55 into something very special; after all, they had sold the car and its rebuild to Ed Johns, Denny’s father.
But about a year later, a major tornado tore through Van Buren, and along with most everything else, it left the ’55 demolished from bumper to bumper. Since the car wasn’t the only thing destroyed in the tornado’s path, it took a back seat as the Johns family rebuilt their homes and their business. Then in 2003, Ed sold the ’55 back to Denny and Dawn, and the couple decided to rebuild the car for themselves. Apparently the original plan was to build a nice driver, but once under way, Denny says, “We couldn’t find a good stopping point.” So they didn’t—stop, that is—until three years later.
