There’s something so primal and potent about the Hot Rod or street Rod.
That’s just it, this sense of a cabbie being cut back to the bare necessities, everything but what’s needed for grip, power and acceleration chucked out, but still maintaining that vintage American houding in its look. Stripped down, souped up and looking good.
When Bobby Nitro saw Clifford’s Rad Rod as the cartist (that’s car and artist by the way) calls it, at the Timour Hall show this, year, he was blown away by its sheer presence and attention to detail in the build.
According to the signage, Clifford of CE Motor Clinic had co-opted some experts in their fields to contribute to this build, including Roland Intakes for that pleasing on the eye front-and-centre intake system, Elro from E Signs, Anfi Steering for the exposed steering rack, GT Coaters for the high-quality finish of powder coating and D&E Trimmers for the details.
That Chevvy 350 small block is the centre of attention in the Rad Rod, with its 5.7-litre capacity and popular for its strong performance, simple maintenance and unwavering durability. But it’s those stainless steel custom bent pipes exiting the exhaust manifold and folding like some deranged octopus down the sides of the car that lend an unmistakable aesthetic.
In summary, based on the iconic Ford Model T roadster, this build fits the basic ideas that go into rodding a vehicle, and that’s: cut out part and reduce weight, soup up the engine, open up the exhaust, drop the car and fit it with fat tires, customised and paint wildly, in this case the decals.
Great job all round and bound to turn heads wherever it goes.
As the legend goes, the hot rodding of Fords began in the 1930s, either because jobless people had time to tinker with old cars or, and Bobby thinks this is probably the case, because during the time of Prohibition (drink made illegal) that the dop smokkelaars had to soup up their vehicles to make runs and stay one step ahead of the cops.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za