RideLust

You may not know this, but over in the UK, American hot rods and muscle cars have a huge following. Since their inception the Brits have been importing them to get their own taste of some big block muscle. Charger’s, Camaro’s, ’57 Chevy’s and countless Fords have been raced and modified to suit their owners tastes, just as they have been over here for years and years. The above video shows a run that took place back in 1977 in the UK. It was put on in conjunction with the National Street Rod Association (NSRA) and had in its attendance some of the coolest modified street rods out there. Hot Rodding is a hobby that truly knows no borders and is in fact popular in just about every part of the world where cars are present. The above video is a bit on the grainy side, but in my opinion it just lends to the true feeling of what the hot-rodding culture represents.

Source: RalfBecker.com

We here at RideLust work hard to give you as much interesting content as we possibly can. We review a lot of different cars, and try to deliver a blend of news, humor and commentary that you can’t get anywhere else. We love what we do, and we hope it shows. What better way to wish you a happy 2011 than to give you two of our favorite things in the entire world – hot rods and pinups? Sit back, eat a handful of Advil and enjoy these videos as you nurse your first hangover of the New Year.

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Photo by Anthony Mair

Sometimes you just get an idea in your head and come hell or high water you’re going to execute it. The idea may not be well thought out and it may not even be practical, but at the end of the day what great things ever came from playing it safe. Take this wicked 1927 Ford Model T Roadster for example, it was built by Gordon Tronson of Henderson, Nevada in an unbelievably quick 6-month time period. Tronson is originally from New Zealand and has a history of building and racing funny cars, so when the idea for Double-Trouble popped into his head one day, he knew he just had to build it.
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Isn't that Vette' awesome?

As car enthusiasts we’d like you to take a moment to realize how important the holiday’s are to us. It’s the one time of year that we actually have the opportunity to get what we want, but that only happens if you follow the rules. For example, you as the gift giver, may think that a $100 gift card to the local mall is a wonderful thing. You’re thinking, “This is a perfect gift, my special someone can go out and get some socks, a shirt and maybe some pants”. Well… you’d be wrong, as this is in fact a terrible gift and one that will ruin our entire holiday and most likely our New Years as well.
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It’s pictures like this…

and this, that make me feel all fuzzy inside. Long live the HOT ROD!

What I have...

For some a garage is simply a place to park your car, for others it’s a place to store that extra refrigerator, and yet for others like myself, the garage acts as a getaway from the daily grind. My garage is nothing exciting, in fact it’s a downright dismal place to be as it’s not big enough, it’s not long enough and it’s made of old leaky concrete. That means hanging shelves and sealing it up tight during the winter months can be somewhat of a bitch. This garage is what I have though so I can’t much complain, as having a private place to store your car in Queens, NY is somewhat of a luxury. As a car guy though I’ve always yearned for a garage with at least 3 bays, a nice tiled floor, room for my tool chests and perhaps ceilings high enough that I could put in a lift or two, for me that would be the ultimate.
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There are a couple of things to remember when building a car. First off you need money, then you need a plan and then lastly, you need to stick to that plan. Stray from that plan in anyway can mean that things will spiral out of control very quickly. Take this insane 1934 Ford coupe for example. This baby sports a blown 392 HEMI with 8-71 BDS blower and NOS blower setup with purge lines. It rocks 800 hp on motor only! Other features include a GM Turbo 400 transmission, CD player, quick change rear end, wheelie bars and 4 wheel disc brakes. Hell, you could probably drive it everyday if you wanted to (or not). I don’t know if this was the owners original vision or not, but either way the finished product turned out to be one hell of a hot rod.
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The VW Fridolin, or Type 147, was used as a postal van in Germany in the ’60s and ’70s. The cute little runabout is based on the VW beetle chassis (and later the Karmann Ghia chassis) and is a great platform for customization. In fact, with a little extra power from, say, a mid-mounted VW W12 engine, it would be a great daily driver. That’s what some crazy dutchman named Ruud did to his. Ruud’s Fridolin is rocking a honking great W12 engine out of an Audi and is built around a custom steel-tube chassis. It’s not done yet, but it does have a pair of race seats and a roll cage. I can’t really tell you much more than that as I don’t speak Dutch. Follow the link to photos of the build. I can’t wait to see the finished product.

Source: Volksworld.com

Jesse Rooke built this wild three-wheeler for injured veterans who may not be able to ride sport bikes. It is, essentially, a 200-horsepower liter bike race engine dragging a few bits of steel and aluminum behind it. The crazy creation, called Scarlett, appeared at SEMA this year. I can only imagine what it must be like to sit at eye level with that intake, engine at full scream, exhaust pipe belching hell and fury at your elbow. Scarlett was built in conjunction with Michael Jordan Motorsports/National Guard Superbike racing team.

Source: Jesse Rooke Customs

In the world of cars it should be no surprise that each automotive sub-culture has its own lifestyle attributes. Rat Rods for example are generally tied with that 50′s greaser style, low-riders thrill people with their over the top paint schemes and interiors, and the muscle car crowd goes big and heavy with ground and pound horsepower. There is of course on other genre of classic vehicle that also attracts a certain element, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say they were viewed as less than favorable. Enter the custom van, machines that to this day, frighten the parents of young girls the world over. Futurist paint schemes, shag carpet and Cragar’s were prerequisites on any and all vans, as was the “If this Vans a Rockin’, Don’t come a Knockin’” bumper sticker that graced countless rear ends.
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