The highlight of any of the previous 24 Nats has been who wins the giveaway car. This year, the '32 Ford highboy roadster pickup, built by California Street Rods, was won by James and Peggy Thacker of Arnold, Missouri.
There is plenty more to say, but let's take a look at the observations and noteworthy tidbits that come from the antique mind of STREET RODDER Senior Editor Ron Ceridono.
Fabulous Four-Doors
Of all the configurations cars have been manufactured in, the most ignored by street rodders is the four-door sedan; like Rodney Dangerfield, they just don't get any respect.
Oddly enough, four-door sedans were often produced in far greater numbers than the body styles most street rodders are drawn to. As an example, Ford sold just over 12,000 roadsters in 1932 as opposed to almost 35,000 Fordor Sedans (the best seller was the Tudor sedan). And while four-door sedans will probably not be the next new trend in the hobby, thanks to supply and demand when it comes to the raw material for building a street rod, four-doors are often bargains.
While there may be an advantage to a many-door body style, when it comes to price point, there are other things to consider as well. For hauling the family to rod runs in comfort, they're certainly user friendly. And then there's the challenge involved. After all, it's a lot harder to make some cars cool. The most ham-fisted builder would have a hard time making a '40 Ford coupe look bad, while the same year Fordor is a little more of a challenge to make right. Let's face it, if it were easy to build a fine four-door, everybody would do it.
As we hiked around this year's NSRA Street Rod Nationals, we found a number of fabulous four-doors. Here's a look at a dozen of them.
Let The Good Times Roll
For some, street rodding has becomes a far more serious endeavor than it was ever meant to be. Some hobbyists pour every spare minute and dollar into building a car. While there's nothing wrong with that, the problem arises when the finished product is too valuable or fragile to be used. Having a car you spend more time worrying about than driving isn't our idea of a good time. Thankfully, there are those who still have a sense of humor about our hobby and aren't afraid to show it. Here are a few examples that make that point.
What Goes Around
One of the identifiable trends at this year's Nationals was "less is more," particularly when it came to wheels.
We often speculate on what drives new trends. Is it economics, what shows up in magazines or car shows, or simply a result of what's readily available? It may be the backlash to convention, or it just might be that street rodders are always looking for something different; we can only hope.
Whatever the reason for new trends, there was ample evidence simple wheel treatments were in vogue. Take a look at following examples.
Cruising To A Different Drummer
One of our favorite facets of the NSRA Street Rod Nationals is the variety of cars in attendance. While it sometimes seems that our hobby is floating in a sea of red '32 Fords, even those of us who had, or still have, a Deuce of some sort parked in the garage really do want something different to look at. In that regard, the 2006 Nats in Louisville was a target-rich environment.
Although Fords are, and will likely remain, the dominant make in street rodding, Chevrolets are becoming more popular all the time and the Mopars are coming on strong, too. But if you want to see what can be done to a Nash, Oldsmobile, or another badge you never considered to be street rod material, the Nats is the place to go.
While the variety of cars at this event arguably exceeds all others, another factor in the mix is its location. Participants come from all over the country and it seems like all street rod roads lead to Louisville. That means not only do you see a variety of makes and models at the Nats, you also see a variety of build styles. Take a look at the following photos and see if you agree.
Shop 'Til You Drop
When we asked one of the Nat's participants if they were going to the swap meet he replied, "Naw, the prices will be too high and there won't be anything there anyway." As far as we're concerned, he was wrong on both counts. Granted this swap meet, like all others, had some inflated prices, but there were bargains to be had as well. But for most things, prices were about what we've seen other places.
As far as what was there, if we didn't have a shop full of unfinished projects and unused parts, there were several cars and lots pieces we would have come home with. Of course, there were a couple cars, and we're using the term very loosely, that we wouldn't have hauled home for free.
Here's some of the cool stuff we found as well as a couple examples of optimism running wild. You decide which is which.