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.[a] It attracted the attention of television producer Howie Horowitz,[b] who wanted it for a TV movie, "The California Kid".[1]

Chapouris's 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's '34 legendary status,[weasel words] 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.

Notes

  1. ^ The coincidence would lead them to form a partnership—Pete and Jake's Hot Rod Shop in Temple City, California—in 1974.[1]
  2. ^ Producer of "Batman"

References

  1. ^ a b Steve Temple (December 1, 2000). "See Ya at So-Cal! - So-Cal Speed Shop in Pomona". Hot Rod Magazine. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.