Don't dismiss the Bones car just 'cause it ain't shiny; that distressed look is the result of days invested in making a months-old lacquer job look like it's traveled years to get here. One could even make the case that the finish-including the Garlits Chrome (silver Krylon)-approaches art; however, one wouldn't want to detract from the real thing: the helmeted skull that sculptor Jeff Decker cast specifically to keep an eye on that lonely black stripe down the salt.
High Art In Octane
Thom Taylor with Terry Hegman
While Thom Taylor doesn't build cars, his contribution as a designer and illustrator is just as great; he gives those top-shelf builders the ideas they need to craft the hot rods and customs of which the rest of us haven't even dreamed. In this case, he commissioned top-shelf tin man Terry Hegman to translate his designs to his pedal car.
The cockpit sides that Hegman trimmed to the beltline now transition gradually toward the cowl, whose leading edge has been moved forward. While the strip Hegman sectioned away from the body just above the lower character line made the body appear sleeker, it eliminated much of the cockpit space. He reclaimed that space and gave the car more visual authenticity by creating for it a lower valence that mimics the Deuce's characteristic visible framerails.
Thom's car got the customary axle-flip treatment, but his car's wheels are anything but ordinary: They're heavy-duty cast-aluminum hand-truck jobs that he found at an industrial supply house. Before Hegman released the car to Santini's Custom Paint, he gave the windshield a heavy chop and made spreader bars for the framerails. Fellow artist and all-around super guy Steve Stanford drew upon the color of the pleated interior to accentuate the Ford-sourced bright metallic blue.
By virtue of Thom Taylor's collaborations with some of the finest hot rod builders the industry has to offer, no less than four America's Most Beautiful Roadster winners bear his mark. While this car is considerably smaller, its form is a testimonial to its creator's eye nonetheless.
Ritzow Redux
Troy Trepanier and Rad Rides by Troy
The phone call Troy Trepanier got about the pedal car project must've felt just a little more than coincidental. You see, he'd just finished a Deuce roadster for Roger Ritzow, and the pedal car, with its pie-cutter wheels and rakish bodylines, looked eerily similar.
Of course that didn't mean the Rad Rides by Troy team didn't take some liberties with the little car to make it that much more realistic. First off, they sectioned the body, pie-cut it lengthwise (starting with a 2-inch sectioned grille), and modified the lower bodyline to mimic the Deuce body's belly. Below that belly, they made '32-style framerails-complete with curved spreader bars-to match. While they were at it, they lopped off the original trunk and scratch-fabricated rear quarters and decklid and repositioned the door gap beads. Note how the wheelwell bead, like Ritzow's car, follows the tire's radius.
Rather Than Simply flipping the front axle to achieve the desired rake, the Rad Rides crew kept the front axle below the framerails. They got the car to its final height by bending a custom front axle and equipping it with scratch-made dropped spindles.
To make it that much more like Ritzow's car, they removed the louvers. Bob Thrash painted a Flathead engine on the hood sides and the crew fabricated lakes-style headers to give the graphics some depth. Finally, they laid back the curved-frame windshield and equipped it with glass. Below that dash is a custom dash adorned with inset moldings. The cockpit, like Ritzow's car, wears a buffalo hide.