Famous Designer Hot Rods
Written by Keith Fudge

For some reason, when a person thinks of Alaska he or she doesn’t immediately associate designer hot rods with the region; however, that is not the case and recently, Dennis Gage and the crew from My Classic Car had the chance to prove that there was more than gold in those hills!  Jerry Miller is the owner of an eclectic and quite incredible car collection.  As far as his tastes go he basically says, “I like them all!”  For this visit, Jerry pulled out a couple of designer street rods that he has purchased, and trust me these cars were produced by some pretty special guys. 

The first car is a 1953 Studebaker designed and built by Chip Foose and Boyd Coddington.  The car, known as “The Beast of Burden” was commissioned by a man from New York and was begun in 1993-94 and subsequently finished in 1999. Painted in Chip Foose’s own creation of “Chip Silver” that turns from silver to gold depending on the light, the car is rad in terms of bodywork as it is chopped five inches in the rear and three inches in the front.  The car also features a full roll cage and a 454 cubic inch, all-aluminum engine!  This sleek Studie is also mounted on an all-tube chassis with a Corvette independent rear suspension, and what about that all-aluminum engine?  Yeah, it makes in the neighborhood of 450-500 horsepower pushing the car to a top speed in excess of 150 miles per hour!  If all this sounds a bit familiar in terms of design it is because the car is built to NASCAR specs!  Now, while this is definitely a show car, the great thing about it is that it is also extremely (heavy on the extreme) drivable, so Jerry gave Dennis the keys (so to speak) and they were off for a cruise through the beautiful Alaskan countryside!  As they took the Studie to the streets, Dennis said that he was amazed at its drivability; especially since show cars aren’t known to handle that well.  He also commented on the awesome power of the “Beast” remarking that it, “pulls like a freight train!”  Soon, the drive was finished and Jerry and Dennis returned to have a look at another really special hot rod!

Built by Chuck Lombardo of California Streetrods, this ’34 Ford roadster is lovingly (and fearfully) referred to as “Yellow Jacket!”  This car was built in 1998 and is a newer all-steel bodied vehicle.  The coolest thing about this car is undoubtedly the color combination of Pearl Yellow and Purple!  In fact, there is a lot of purple going on here from the top to the trunk and from the interior to under the hood!  Another show car that is fully drivable, this bad boy is simply unbelievable in terms of design!  The interior, including a pair of Corvette seats is covered in purple leather and the dash is made from carbon fiber.  The trunk is covered in purple leather as well and there is also a CD changer tucked away nicely.  Under the hood is the heart of the car in a 400 horsepower, four-cam, Cobra engine with a snazzy set of carbon fiber valve covers!  Well, Dennis couldn’t wait to feel the sting of this yellow jacket so he and Jerry climbed in and took the car for a spin!  After a few moments of silence, Dennis remarked, “Now this is the type of car you can get in trouble with.”  We think that says it all!

Dennis and the crew had a great time visiting Jerry in Anchorage and maybe they will have the chance to get back there soon!  That’s it from Alaska, so until our next visit, “Honor the timeless classics.  Happy Motoring!”