Every creative endeavor, from fine art to mechanical invention, requires some type of high-wire act—a unique and delicate balance between vision, creativity and capability. When the cogs align, and the elusive look rises to the forefront, there’s no questioning the purity of its origin.
On the subject of objectivity, determining what is best without being swayed by personal prejudices or emotions is a task not everyone responsible for making such decisions is capable of. An unbiased overview is a basic essential when weighing the artistic expression of any builder today, but then it always was supposed to be this way. What wins when is often based on opinions and feelings. For this reason alone, personal subjectivity leaves plenty of room for
interpretation and debate.
The first time Dodge General Manager Bob McCurry saw drawings of the proposed mid-1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, he thought it looked awful. Legend has it that he then asked the engineers: “Will it win races?” After they said it would, the Dodge boss replied: “Well, dammit, go ahead and build it!”
EFIJY… It’s the show car that has taken the world by storm. Everyone from hot rodders to corporate leaders is reveling in the execution of this great design exercise. The only sad part is, this car will not see production, because it was truly an exercise in design, an effort from the car-loving designers who by day create fully functional and very popular Holden automobiles for the Australian motoring public, and who by night lust for the curvaceous lines of times past and tinker away on hot rods in their home garages. Yes, the design team at Holden is laced with true car enthusiasts, and it shows in their daily work. Even more so, it shows in the EFIJY show car they created in a mere eight months.
Craig Hammon is the type of guy who can cherish the best of the old times, while also being able to appreciate the benefits of these new times. This versatility is apparent when one learns not only of his choice of car, but how he came to own it. It seems that Hammon has always wanted a Plymouth ’Cuda. And while this is not an unusual thing in and of itself (we would love to have one, too), when it came time for him to really get serious about buying one, he looked to the Internet. More precisely, Hammon went looking for his dream car on eBay.
George Poteet, a true icon in the world of hot rodding and land speed racing, has left us, but his legacy blazes on like a nitro-fueled firestorm. Poteet wasn’t just another car guy; he was “The Car Guy,” a legend who lived life a quarter-mile at a time and made history on the salt flats. Let’s dive into the life of a man who put the pedal to the metal and never looked back.
It’s been said that in a perfect world creativity would flourish without criticism. Most attempts to reach a certain artistic understanding are generally met by some degree of judgment, and sometimes offhanded ridicule. Call it a misunderstanding, envy even, but the bottom line comes down to outrageous personal expression, whether some understand the need for it or not.
Keith Samrany was poking around at a swap meet about 25 miles from his home in Grand Island, New York, when he found a ’35 Buick Series 40 business coupe that was just begging for a new owner. The coupe was in remarkably good condition, having been driven until around 1985, when a previous owner began a restoration that was never finished. Samrany, owner of KS Auto Stores in North Tonawanda, New York, had been a car guy for years, so he was very knowledgeable about the myriad of parts needed to build a hot rod. Enlisting the help of Dave Klock and Mark Morer, Samrany started to work on a project that eventually would take eight years to complete.
