I love seeing new builds that educate about the cars of the past. I will never forget seeing the fabulous Dan Webb/Thom Taylor recreation of the “Golden Submarine” for the first time. This car absolutely changed the way I think about automotive design. The idea of taking a vehicle that, in first incarnation, was so ahead of its time and then, fast forward 90 years and with the same stylistic platform, accomplishing the feat again—it’s truly amazing when you think about it.
Right around the time I saw the Golden Sub I came across an image of a British cycle car on the HAMB message board. This wicked little open race car has so many cool bits you could look it over a hundred times and always see something new. The details are what make this car fantastic, from the 5.1-liter, total oil loss V-8 blimp engine stuffed between the wooden (yes, wooden) framerails to the riveted bare-metal body. I didn’t know anything about cycle cars, but I couldn’t get enough of them and wanted to learn more.
With this new (to me) subject matter, my mind started racing with ideas of how I might build a single-seater with the same mind-set that Webb and Taylor had with the Golden Sub. What you see in front of you is just a bunch of things that I like—tall skinny tires on wire wheels and a flowing metal skin contrasted with mechanical bits all bound together with leather straps just do it for me. With not much effort, a modern little four-banger can be made to look pretty darn vintage and would have more than enough power to have this mean little rocket flying down those winding country roads with a rush of wind and gasoline.