Fresh from the Monterey Historic races at La-guna Seca and the annual Roadster Roundup, the Khougaz nee-Van Buskirk roadster received an invitation to participate in this year's reenactment of the historic Pasadena Reliability Run. This event-hosted then and now by the Pasadena Roadster club and first run in 1947-was held to put a good face on hot rodders, as they were getting a bad reputation for excessive street racing and the outlaw image that comes with it.
Without elaborating on the reasons behind the event, suffice it to say that the reliability run was an attempt to ease the community's concern. The first run started and ended at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, and this year's event was very similar in style. There were 85 entries, all invited, and there were five cars in attendance that actually took place in the very early runs, one of which was Bernie Couch, a member of the original California Roadsters in the late '30s. He and his '32 roadster, which he has owned for 60 years, participated in the early versions of the PRR and they both graced the cover of the February 1951 issue of Hot Rod magazine in which the events were documented.
The five veterans of the inaugural reliability run included: the Khougaz channeled '32, now owned by Dr. Mark Van Buskirk; the Dave Mitchell roadster pickup driven by current owner Jerry Stokler; the Wally Wilson '29 roadster pickup; a similar '29 roadster pickup chauffeured by Chuck Cage; and of course the Bernie Couch '32.
All participants lined up under the Pasadena Club banner and were sent off at 30-second intervals with each roadster's start time recorded. The route map led us up through the Angeles Crest highway and over to Aqua Dulce in the Antelope Valley. Mostly twisty mountain roads made for an enjoyable cruise and the open headers made beautiful Flathead sounds when passing under tunnels and overpasses. The weather was superb, the scenery magnificent, and it was great to see a long line of roadsters doing what they do best-cruisin'.
I might be preaching to the choir here, but I can't tell you how much fun it is just carving up a two-lane mountain road with a line of hot rods in front of you and a rearview mirror full of the same kind of machinery. It's just a kick. If you haven't done this, you owe it to yourself to try it some time. The fun is in the driving.
As we neared the descent into the Arroyo Seco, and the approach to the finish line, we dropped in behind the aforementioned Bernie Couch in his '32. We decided to follow him rather than pass and it turned out to be the right thing to do, as we finished on the precise minute and won the event trophy.
After accepting the big trophy, Mark discussed his success with the attendant press and fellow competitors. He pointed out that his roadster, in the hands of builder Jim Khougaz, finished third in the first Reliability Run in 1947 and reiterated that it was nice to improve the roadster's record by finishing first.
I attributed our win to excellent navigation and skillful driving behind the wheel since we both shared driving duties. Mark contends that it was pure, unadulterated luck; he's clearly right, but I like my story and I'm stickin' to it!
Ted And Elaine Hite's Three-Window CoupeThe story of Ted Hite's coupe starts out innocently enough. It began with a trip down to Redneck Street Rods in Atchison, Kansas. That turned out to be a mistake, according to Ted, because he admired the workmanship of Redneck's fiberglass bodies so much, he ended up buying one that day. From there, he started putting ideas into motion and decided the car had to have a six-speed, be fuel-injected, but also had to have a nostalgic appearance. With a plan in place, he set about to make his dream a reality.
Ted chose to slip a Total Cost Involved chassis underneath the full-fendered coupe, with an IFS setup up front and a 9-inch Ford slung on QA-1 coilover shocks out back. The chassis rides on Vintique steelies with Ford caps and wrapped in Goodrich radial rubber. A Corvette 350ci motor provides the fuel-injected power for the coupe, while a Tremec six-speed trans churns the gears as Ted had originally planned. Ted shot the Sikkens Mineral paint as well as doing all the bodywork on the 'glass body, while Sam Wright of Hot Rod Interiors in Baldwin City, Kansas, stitched up the Ultra leather pleated interior over the door panels and Honda bucket seats. Moon gauges fill the dash and below that, a dash sub-panel houses the Vintage Air climate controls and A/C vents, along with a Sony CD head unit.
Ted tells us that one of the most memorable experiences he's had with the car was when an older gentleman had inquired as to whether Ted had any parts left over from the restoration. Looks like Ted's plan to build a fiberglass car with all the modern accoutrements, but with classic style, turned out to be a success!