The California Kid (custom car)

The California Kid is a customized 1934 Ford three-window coupé built by Pete Chapouris.

The '34 was on the cover of Custom Rod in November 1973, along with a similar coupé built by Jim Jacobs.[1] It attracted the attention of television producer Howie Horowitz,[2] who wanted it for a TV movie, "The California Kid".[3]

Chapouris' selection of a classic customizing technique, contrary to the trend at the time, made it perfect for its role in the movie.

The movie earned Chapouris' '34 legendary status, and led to numerous copies being built in the following decades. Today, The California Kid refers more to the car than the film among rodders and customizers.

Construction

Chapouris, then a member of the Vintage Tin Hot Rod Club, customized a 1934 Ford three-window coupe in a style that, at the time, was at odds with most contemporary enthusiast thinking, and was generally considered "old-fashioned"; "resto-rodding" (a style sympathetic to the car's original design and specification) was in vogue.

The original '34 was completed in black, with a classic style of flame job, and 1960s-era Halibrand wheels. The film company added dummy sidepipes, a 'c' channel rear bumper, and replaced the Halibrands with period-correct steel wheels and Ford hubcaps.

gollark: Ah, so the problem is just that I forgot to push Reminding 2™.
gollark: Yes, I did that NOW.
gollark: ```hint: Waiting for your editor to close the file... error: cannot run vi: No such file or directory```WHY did it try and use vi?
gollark: Oh no, it just didn't try to merge, that's fine I guess.
gollark: I'm assuming git saying something mean about reconciling divergent branches is a "merge conflict".

References
  1. The coincidence would lead them to form a partnership, Pete and Jake's Hot Rod Shop in Temple City, California, in 1974. Hot Rod Magazine online (retrieved 17 June 2015)
  2. Producer of "Batman"
  3. Hot Rod Magazine online (retrieved 17 June 2015)

Sources
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.