The Street Rod Gallery

1929 Ford Pickup

Builder: Steve's Auto Restorations | website
Photographer: Dale Moreau | website

1932 Ford

Owner: Doug Beattie
Photographer: Dale Moreau | website

1937 Lincoln Zephyr

Owner: John Geddes
Photographer: Dale Moreau | website

1934 Ford

Owner: Tom Koon
Photographer: Dale Moreau | website

1936 Ford

Owner & Builder: Neil Brislawn
Photographer: Dale Moreau | website

1932 Ford

Owner & Builder: Chris Jory
Photographer: Dale Moreau | website

Owner: Unknown
Photographer: Dale Moreau | website

1932 Ford Roadster

Owner/Builder: Rocky Mountain Street Rods | website
Photographer: Paul R. Marinez | website

1950 Mercury

Owner: Unknown
Photographer: Paul R. Martinez | website

1947 Chevy Sedan Delivery

Owner/Photographer: Paul R. Martinez | website

1956 Ford F-100 Truck

Owner: David Widhalm
Builder: Pinkee's Rod Shop | website
Photographer: Paul R. Marinez | website

1939 Ford Woody

Owner: Gregg Seaholm
Builder: Hi Speed | website
Photographer: Paul R. Martinez | website

1932 Ford Roadster

Owner: Unknown
Photographer: Paul R. Martinez | website

1937 Ford Sedan Delivery

Owner: Steve Driscoll
Photographer:Paul R. Martinez | website

1929 Ford

Photographer: Josh Mishler | website

1932 Ford

Photographer: Josh Mishler | website

1934 Ford Vicky

Photographer: Josh Mishler | website

Packard Sedan

Photographer: Josh Mishler | website

1937 Ford Woody

Photographer: Josh Mishler | website

1932 Packard Phantom Coupe

Photographer: Josh Mishler | website

1934 Ford

Photographer: Josh Mishler | website

1932 Ford

Photographer: Josh Mishler | website

1933 Willys Roadster

Owner: Bruce Cohn | website

In 1967, I abruptly ended a five-year career driving fuel dragsters with an end-over-end. One hundred and ninty-five mile-an-hour crash. I realized I would probably live longer if I resumed my passion for building street hotrods.

In 1988, I told my Cousin (a long-time hotrod builder) that I wanted to build the ultimate street hotrod and thought it should be a 1933 Willys Roadster. He informed me that Willys never made a Roadster, only coupes, sedans and pickups. I had raced against many Willys cars in my drag racing days. But didn’t realize that I had never seen a Willys Roadster.

I was considering buying and cutting the top off a ’33 Willys car that had been rolled when my Cousin found an ad in the back of a hotrod magazine offering a ’35 Willys Roadster for sale. The ad had an Arizona phone number that I called immediately. I had reached an antique car broker who told me that the car was in Australia. He informed me that Holden’s Motor Company did, in fact, build Willys Roadsters between 1933-1936. He gave me the number for the owner of the car. I called him and bought the roadster over the phone.

Sometime later, the car arrives at customs. I picked it up and took it to my car builder and friend, Steve Archer. We opened the crate to find the rusty, rotted remains of a ’35 Willys Roadster. We both knew it was too far gone & not worth rebuilding.

Disappointed, I called the broker back and told him the bad news. Feeling responsible for the poor condition of the ’35 Willys, he gave me the number for the owner of another Willys Roadster (a ’33) in Melbourne, Australia. I called the owner. He assured me that his Roadster was in great condition, so I bought it. He then told me that he could find other Willys cars if I was interested. I said I was, and that began a year-long search of the entire Australian continent for Willys cars. His efforts produced two Willys Phaetons (four-door Roadsters), one ’33 and one ’36. He also found one ’33 Roadster pickup, one ’35 Willys UTE (El Camino-style pickup), and a ’36 Willys Phaeton with only 14,000 original miles, in showroom condition, all of which I purchased.

While loading all of them into a container to ship to me, my now “Willys Buddy” called to tell me he remembered seeing an ad for a ’33 Willys Roadster that had been for sale about a year earlier. He didn’t know if it had sold and said that he could contact the owner. But would have to write him since the owner had no phone. Several weeks later, I got a call to say the car was still available. The good news was that it was a complete ’33 Roadster in good condition. The bad news was that it was being stored in the owner’s shed in the middle of the desert in the Australian outback, 1,500 Kilometers away from Melbourne. He said he would have to spend three days driving and two nights sleeping in his truck to retrieve the car, with no towns or motels between Melbourne and the car owner’s home. So, with some encouragement (and extra dollars for his efforts), he agreed to bring the ’33 Roadster back for shipment with the other six Willys.

Twenty years later, here is the finished product.

Thanks to my Cousin, David, for finding the Willys Roadsters and to all the great craftsmen who have helped me bring my dream of what I believe is the ultimate street roadster to a reality. I hope you enjoy this roadster as much as I have enjoyed finding and building it.

1934 Ford Coupe

Owner: Nigel Lockley | website
Builder: Steve Cross
Painter: Ashley Markham
Photography: Mike Key | website

1951 Mercury

This '51 Mercury was built by Larry West of West Signs, Roswell, Ga. Larry purchased the car from NASCAR driver Bill Elliott. The late Banjo Matthews installed the NASCAR suspension system under the car while it was owned by Elliott. After Larry purchased the car, he sent it to "Rabbit," who was a fabricator on the Bill Elliott race team, for body work. Under the hood is a Doris Holbrook 460 Ford with a 1050 Holly carb. Other features are Hooker headers, MSD ignition and a Richmond five-speed transmission. Larry has driven the car at 149.5 mph on a closed course. The car was featured in Car Kulture DeLuxe #35 magazine - www.ckdeluxe.com

Owner: Larry West
Eddie Donato, photographer and writer for Ol' Skool Rodz & Car Kulture DeLuxe

1940 Ford

This '40 Ford was built by Alan West of Alpharetta, Ga. He is Larry West's brother. The car is powered by a 496 Chevy with an Edelbrock cross ram intake and dual quad Holly carbs. It features a Fatman suspension, Hooker headers, MSD Ignition and a Richmond four-speed tranny. This car was also featured in Car Kulture DeLuxe #35 magazine - www.ckdeluxe.com

Owner: Alan West
Eddie Donato, photographer and writer for Ol' Skool Rodz & Car Kulture DeLuxe

1955 International Harvester Pickup

Photographer: Eric Peterson

1932 Ford Roadster

Owner: Tony Molloy

1926 T-Roadster

Owner: Tom Sanborn
Photographer: Edward Woodard

1964 Nashville, TN. Auto Rama. Tom Sanborn's ’26 T-Roadster just days before going on the very 1st Gatlinburg Rod Run. Tom organized the event and led the cruise up to Newfound Gap in this now legendary street rod. This event became known as the Mid-Tenn.

Beatnik Bandit

Photographer: Edward Woodard

The Beatnik Bandit as it looked through the lens of Edward Woodard's Kodak in 1961.

Mr. Jinx

Photographer: Edward Woodard

Mr. Jinx 1930 Ford Roadster at the 1961 Nashville Auto Rama.

Honey Bee

Owner: Charles Jackson
Builder: Roy Carpenter
Photographer: Edward Woodard

1961, The Honey Bee '32 coupe of Floyd Wallace is still a legendary coupe.

1941 Series 62 Cadillac

Owner: Ray Johnson
Builder: Richard Jones of Hermitage, TN
Photographer: Marty D. Crain

This '41 Series 62 Cadillac may look like an original until you look under the hood or listen to the deep breathing 500 cid Caddy powerplant.

1932 Roadster