Throwback: NSRA Street Rod Nationals 50th Anniversary

1962 Chevrolet C10 Crew Cab

Crew cab trucks are a common sight on the road today — I even reviewed one a while ago — but back in the Sixties, such trucks like this \’62 were as rare as hen\’s teeth. The trucks weren\’t entirely built by Chevy or GMC, but were shipped off to coach companies for completion prior to heading out to the railroad to work the live long day.

\”Eliminator\” 1933 Ford Coupe

If there was one hot rod most would recognize on the street, it would be none other than the \”Eliminator\” \’33 Ford Coupe owned by Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. The Ford was on the cover of the Texas trio\’s \’83 album Eliminator, appeared in the videos for three of the album\’s singles (\”Sharp Dressed Man,\” \”Legs,\” and \”Gimme All Your Lovin\’\”), then became a spaceship for the 1985 follow-up, Afterburner. Gibbons owns two copies of the Ford, driving one while the other soaks up the spotlight.

\”Demented\” 1958 Chevrolet Viking

This Viking lives up to its name, and then some. Built for Evapo-Rust by Travis Ball of Ball Metal Fabrication, the \”demented\” beast moves its slammed self with the help of a twin-turbo 6.6-liter Duramax V8 diesel. The rear mid-mounted rumbler delivers 580 horses and 1,020 lb-ft of torque to dualie axle through a five-speed Allison automatic. It\’s definitely a truck you wouldn\’t want to meet in a dark alley during the day.

1903 Oldsmobile Surrey

I first saw this orphan back in 2012, and I was happy to see it again in 2019. It\’s wild to imagine what all this Oldsmobile Surrey has seen since it first left the factory nearly 120 years ago. Back in its day, cars were more or less a novelty for the upper class. Then, Henry Ford brought out the assembly line, democratizing the car for everyone.

Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser (x2)

It\’s not often one sees Japanese metal at a show where American steel is the norm. Yet, this pair of FJ40-era Land Cruisers stood out among the crowd due to their classic style, and because they weren\’t made in Detroit. I wonder if we\’ll see more classic Japanese cars pop up at the Nationals in the years to come.

1977 Dodge Monaco

Once upon a time, this \’77 Dodge Monaco served the public as part of the Louisville Police Department fleet. While most of its brothers either moved on to greener pastures or the crusher, the Monaco took on a new purpose in life as a promotional vehicle for the LPD and their successor, the Louisville Metro Police Department. It has since been retired from duty altogether, now part of the Louisville Metropolitan Public Safety Museum\’s collection.