American Sports Customs. Not a category of car most of us hear often, but one that definitely gets our attention as anytime a car guy sees a machine like those featured in this video we can’t help but take a closer look. Lucky for us, Tommy Lee Byrd, the Hot Rod Hoarder, was on hand at the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival and got some great video of these machines. While their looks often make it hard to guess their year, they also evoke a certain classy car culture from the past that just makes you smile. When driving was a purposeful act that people prepped and planned for. I dig them, and I know you will too.
Here’s all kinds of great info on each one from Tommy, and the video is below.
Video Description:
When production numbers are in single digits, you know you’re dealing with extremely rare cars. That’s what was on display at the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival in the special American Sport Custom division. Six outstanding examples wowed the crowd with wild hand-built bodies (most of them fiberglass), with chassis and engines from American manufacturers. These hand built hot rods were designed to go fast and look cool, but the reality is that very few of them actually made it into service.
The cars featured are as follows:
1947 Jewell Special Roadster – One-off custom build by Harry Jewell, finished in 1948 and featured in Road and Track Magazine in 1951. Originally powered by a Buick Straight 8 cut down to 4 cylinders with supercharger, now powered by Ford Flathead V8. Found in great condition and restored to perfection.
1954 Victress S4 Restomod – This car was bought at a Mecum Auction as a prototype, and was later found to be a very rare Victress. Then, the fiberglass body was modified with ’39 Ford headlights, VW taillights, custom split bumpers, flush fit glass and a small block Chevy engine. Love it or hate it, the car is well executed.
1953 Maverick Sportster – Arguably the largest fiberglass sport custom ever built, this 16-foot long boat tail roadster is a beauty. Only 6 of them were built, and they feature a 1940 LaSalle grille, and complete early ’50s Cadillac chassis and V8 engine. This one is restored beautifully.
1955 Debonnaire by Replac. Phillip Egan, a member of the Tucker design team is responsible for the design of this body and Replac built it out of fiberglass. Underneath is a 1949 to 1951 Ford chassis with a Ford Flathead V8 for power. Long and low, these cars offer a wild style that is unmatched by any sport custom or boulevard cruiser.
1956 Almquist Sabre – This is a lightweight sports car with a fiberglass body and custom chassis. It would’ve originally had a Crosley or other compact car chassis, but now has a round tube chassis and Ford V8-60 Flathead engine. The deep blue paint is slick and shows off the customized body lines nicely.
1958 Victress C3 Coupe – One of just a few dozen produced, this fiberglass C3 coupe features amazing body lines with a long nose and sloping roof line. Underneath is a 1960 Corvette with a 283ci small block with 2 4’s and a 4 speed transmission.