One of a Kind

When you grow up in a family that appreciates cars, it's natural for the torch to be passed down from your dad. Bob Matranga proudly passed that torch to his son, Kent, and over the years the intensity of its flame has continually increased to the point where it's white-hot. Though she plays mom to an active troupe of teenagers, Lisa Matranga supports and genuinely enjoys Kent's passion for cool cars.

Back in high school, Kent borrowed money to purchase a '34 Ford pickup. His father turned the transaction into a life lesson by compiling a financial ledger and keeping track of every aspect, from initial purchase, to accessories added, and finally, to each payment Kent made from working odd jobs after school and during summer vacations. In the end, it taught Kent a great deal about self-sufficiency and what life would be like down the road. All in all, it was an important lesson, thoughtfully devised by a caring and conscientious parent.

The planning stages of Concept 36 began in 2001, after Barry White had fully upgraded Kent's immaculate '57 Bel Air. His initial motivation was to have a car like no other--something so special it would be universally appreciated by street rodding veterans and neophytes, alike. Its theme would convey an air of automotive elegance, combining styling cues from the early-to-later '30s. Chris Brown, in-house designer at Barry White's Street Rod Repair Company (SRRC) ran with the idea, and rendered several versions of his take on what a concept car may have evolved into way back in 1936. The end result: a downsized '36 roadster, replete with the striking character lines on the fenders, and the instantly recognizable grille and headlamps. Mission accomplished!

Its chassis and drivetrain would be patterned after Impact, Richard Berg's 2001 AMBR winner, which was also crafted at Barry White's SRRC. The fully independent platform easily lent itself to both style and function, with custom front SRRC-machined suspension pieces. The rear is comprised of Barry White's DynaRide IRS with inboard brakes, and its custom back cover is signature-milled with the Concept 36 logo. To finish the suspension, QA1 shocks soften the ride at each corner. The wheelbase measures a swoopy 116 inches, and as a result of its length and state-of-the-art components, this baby rides better than a Cadillac.

Powered by an '02 Corvette LS1, plenty of horsepower and torque are delivered through a 4L60E transmission using the Mooneyes "Smart Shift" electronic gear command system. Oh, and like most aspects of Concept 36, its wheels are custom-machined one-offs featuring rear-fastening lug bolts, so the outer appearance is devoid of any hardware whatsoever. Much like the custom rearend cover, the wheel center caps also bear the stylish Concept 36 logo. For another twist of uniqueness, Barry and Chris designed specially machined, polished stainless fasteners for all the suspension and under-body attaching points. They're conical in shape, and hexless, whereby two flats are machined in the outer shoulder of each piece to accept an open-end wrench. If we've interested you enough to want more, in the coming paragraphs you'll fully understand why this car epitomizes the phrase "handmade." It employs precious few store-bought parts.

Yet another facet to this gem that reinforces its "one-of-a-kind" status is Rod Sexton's polished stainless exhaust system. To see it is to believe it. Starting with several feet of tubing, Rod began with the headers, which feature flush-fit fasteners and thick flanges for optimum sealing. Now you're probably asking yourself, "Okay, what's so special about an exhaust system?" Well, my friends, this one features only two attaching points per side, and no clamps whatsoever. Special stainless inserts with high-temperature O-rings are inserted where each pipe joins, making a unique slip-joint connection. Sexton's own stainless mufflers quiet the tone, while both tailpipes merge into a one-off outlet. The concept for this smooth system was a joint effort between Barry White and Rod Sexton, and it's a true statement in artistic steel fabrication with absolutely flawless execution.

Body-wise, Concept 36 is also in a league of its own. Chris Brown called on all his training to bring it to life. Beginning with a stack of 2-inch-thick blocks of structural foam, Chris started carving and shaping the front-end profile, building a life-sized plug from which molds were made for the composite body. This tedious process took the better part of a year, as contours, shapes, and character lines had to be equal and proportionate to the discerning eyes of the street rod world. Along the way, Brown took on the nickname Dusty, as countless hours using sanders and grinders made enough particles to fill a fleet of dump trucks. A great deal of carbon fiber was also used throughout the construction, adding strength to key areas with less weight than fiberglass. The front fenders set the tone for this car's dynamic aesthetics, with the aforementioned character lines and the seamless blending into long flowing running boards. A stylishly raked windshield frame and suicide doors add their own elements of grace as the body continues towards the rear decklid and rolled rear pan. Oh yeah, the underbody is crafted and finished just as smoothly as the outer surfaces.

A laser-cut stainless steel grille insert was crafted by Grille Art after its surround was formed by Ryan Rivers at SRRC. Ryan was also responsible for fabricating the inner fender panels, inner hood panel, lower "chin" panel, sheetmetal induction cover, and numerous brackets. Likewise, custom headlamp housings were carefully hammer formed at SRRC, as were the unique taillamp bezels. Barry built the headlamps and integral signals from a combination of components, while Chris hand-poured the taillamp lenses with methods and materials employed in several SRRC hand-built specialty cars. Again, borrowing some influence from Impact, body side moldings were fabricated from solid brass and chrome-plated.

Barry continued his methodical work by tweaking hood hinges of his own design, and using an electric ram assembly to raise and lower the hood panel. He's also become a master at wiring, preferring not to use a store-bought harness and tailor it to his needs. Each wire features soldered connections and heat-shrink insulation for a truly custom installation. Barry prides himself on going the extra distance and routing wires where they won't be visible. This guy is driven to the point of never accepting second best, much like Kent Matranga, whose influence was paramount in numerous areas of both design and execution.

Since a car's color and finish are the first things to catch your attention, bodywork, prep, and paint were done by Mark Mahood and crew in Stanton, California. One can only imagine how many sleeves of sandpaper were used in blocking and smoothing this composite shell and its associated panels. Fortunately, Mahood employs the same level of workmanship as does SRRC. Once each surface was smoother than glass, sealer was applied, followed by a white basecoat. Its final finish is a custom-mixed House of Kolor shade by Tom Prewitt (of Damon's Motorcycle Creations), comprised of Blue-Blood Red and a powerful dose of pearl, which many think is actually metallic, it's so brilliant. The requisite clearcoat protects the depth and enhances the shine. Once it came out of the booth at Mahood's, Tony Corriea accepted the task of wet-sanding and buffing the finish, giving it the brilliance and clarity of a world-class gemstone.

Brown's handiwork continued throughout the interior, as well, with his design work, dash, and door panel fabrication. He also crafted the center console, which houses the car's nerve center and hides the necessary electronics and controls. Then, Gabe Lopez took over by working his applied trade of upholstery and trimming. With help from his son Gabe Jr., Robert Flores, and crew, Gabe followed the rendering from Chris Brown, and transferred the style to Connolly leather, which covers seat cushions and foundations all built from scratch. Elements of style are apparent with several seams joined by the tasteful triple-top-stitch method, which is labor intensive. Each one of Gabe's interiors is custom fitted to the owner. Once the seat foundations and cushions are fabricated, formed, and shaped, Gabe calls the respective owner in for a fitting to determine seating position, angle of the backrest, and height of the side bolsters, etc. These guys are artisans in their own right, also.

From idea to rendering, from foam blocks to final composite body, Concept 36 was a sincere challenge for all involved. Not only was it a challenge of style, it was a challenge of execution, where a collaboration of multi-talented individuals came together to add true definition to the words "one of a kind."