From the photos, however, I’ve been fascinated by three things:

1. Look at how Mr. Delarm managed the upholstery up and around the rear deck. The way the mini tonneau seamlessly intersects the seat back is so damned graceful. Brilliant.

2. The windshield. This could have gone so wrong… But the fact that he used the windshield sanctions and got the angle of attack right makes him a hero in my mind. This is, after all, a “sportscar.”

3. The dash. I love the dash. Perfect for such a car.

Usually, off-brand hot rods just look weird to me. It’s not that I’m some sort of Ford elitist, it’s just that I’m not used to the lines of many of these early bodies and that unfamiliarity often breeds some weird sort of contempt. That was never the case with this little Dodge though and think it’s because of the car’s compact wheel base and low stance. Of course, the attention hogging 341-inch DeSoto doesn’t hurt either…

The car was owned by Frank Wusz and the April, 1961 issue of Hot Rod Magazine says it was a family build. Oddly and although the car is shot on the strip, no mention is made of it’s performance. You gotta think it hauled ass though, right?

Editor’s note: The cover shot shows this car was painted a bright red. I damn the 1990′s for ruining that color for so many… It really does suit the look of speed and I believe red is completely underused today.

(Did I ever tell you about the time he dropped a small rock down into the belly of my motorcycles exhaust system?)

I have a thing for both roadster pickups and W-motors… Always have. Chevrolet’s weird motor from the past just looks so complicated, modern, and mechanical to me. It’s always been my favorite (in appearance) GM motor.  And when you stuff one into a little roadster pickup with a viscous rake and swept lake pipes and…

Loose the rear-fenders, chill out with the upholstery, and then call it done. That’s what I would do.

Twelve-second quarter miles to boot!

Hell, just about everyone in Australia into the scene is a diehard. They have to be. In fact, when I was down under Martin’s car was off the street. He had things torn down trying to figure out how to put quick release fenders on the car after one-too-many “fender tickets” from the po-po. Just another hurdle.

In any case, I figured you’d enjoy this little feature. Check it out:

Martin Croston & The Vultures from Fuel Tank TV on Vimeo.

Editor’s Note: Like what you see? Check out Fuel Tank TV’s library – it rules.

1. George Sein’s 1932 Ford 5 window Coupe “The Flamer”: The body was painted rustic metallic bronze with lime gold flames. Jeffries did all the striping which you notice around the flames. He also went hog wild on the back of the car, which I have pictured below.

2. Dick Jackson’s 1957 Ford 2 door sedan & Thunderbird: Theses are really a matched set in my mind. The 2 door post was painted a deep burnt red with gold scallops & white striping by Dean. The Bird was painted in a bronze lacquer by Sam Barris, also with gold scallops by Dean.

3. The Rod & Custom Dream Truck (1957 pre-tail fin version): Named by Hot Rod magazine one of the “100 Hot Rods that Changed the World”, Jeffries painted the truck in it’s classic metallic lavender paint with those long, dark scallops and white striping again.

4. James Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder: Jeffries painted the name tag “Little Bastard” on the rear and the number 130 on both doors and hood while the car was at Barris shop. This was one of the last stops before James Dean made his fatal drive up toward Salinas.

5. Junior Conway’s 1950 Ford (second version): This was the finned version of the car, painted in a two tone Rustic metallic lacquer with scallops applied by Dean. The fact that one of Barris’ best painters had Jeffries handle his scallops tells you something.

Rod introduced us and Dean quickly flashed his sense of humor.

“Young man, your excitement will soon be overcome by boredom. But you’re in luck because I brought a book that we just finished and I think you are going to like it.”

I flipped through the book as people around me partook in small talk or gave acceptance speeches for their Hall Of Fame Award. Ever so often, I would get to a page and Dean dean would lean over and whisper in my ear some small fact about the photo I was studying. By the end of the event, I felt like Dean was one of my good pals – not a legend or celebrity by any means. He was just Dean… A great guy.

Unfortunately, I never got the chance to hang out with him again. He passed away earlier this week… and we lost more than a legend. We lost one of the good guys.

I keep thinking about that day at the banquet and somehow, a “memorial” thread or post isn’t all that appropriate in this case. What does seem appropriate to me is a thread dedicated to the photos that will keep Dean’s legacy alive. So, here it is… Join in.

1. Google Maps: Besides street addresses, you can type in ‘auto parts’, and it will find the closest store that’s actually open. Push the car icon arrow and it takes you there in the shortest route, plus multiple alternatives with arrival time and turn by turn audio prompts.

2. Waze: This one is part navigation, part ‘travel danger detector’. It actually gives you a heads up when there’s a hidden cop using radar up ahead, if there is a chunk of bias ply-shredding debris in the road, or if a traffic-inducing accident just happened around the bend.

3. Flashlight: Its a simple one, but you just push the button and your mobile phone flash locks on it’s high beam till you turn it off. Very handy to have for looking at trouble behind the dash, under your seat, or just blinding that annoying passenger.

4. Gas Buddy: Finds the closest gas stations and more importantly the ones with the best price for regular, midgrade, premium and diesel. When you drive a V8 beast that gets 13 mpg on a good day, it’s nice to know who can save you a few bucks along the way.

5. Hot Rod Bowling: Alright, I’m really just adding this one for the heck of it. In this game you drive a flamed ’40 Ford coupe down the L.A. Aqueduct and try to hit bowling pins by tilting side to side. Pretty basic app, but least the developer has good taste in cars…

After sharing the big trophy, Ray’s roadster went through a couple of different iterations. In 1959 or so, the hood and hood-sides were tossed and the paint was updated to a sort of lime/gold metallic color. And then the car was dismantled and pretty much disappeared until the 1990′s when Ray relocated his old car and rebuilt it into a more modern reiteration of what it once was. I’m not sure where she resides now, but a clone of the late 50′s version of the car sits in my good buddies garage, Mr. Steve Wertheimer, just a few miles from where I sit now.

The Von Franco built & Wertheimer owned clone.

Most people remember Ray’s roadster from Steve’s clone and for good reason – frankly, it’s a bit better proportioned and more striking than the original. But I stumbled upon these shots this morning (June 1957 issue of Hot Rod Magazine) and thought they were fun to study… Maybe you will too:

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