The 1930s through the 1950s was a golden age for American automotive manufacturers. Despite the trials and tribulations the country has faced economically, politically, and socially our automotive industry has stood the test of time, but the designs and attitude towards car ownership in relation to lifestyle and identity during the span of those decades was a dynasty all its own.

In this editorial, I’ll be paying homage to three variations of classic cars inspired by the run of automobiles produced during this “Golden Age.” This is not an editorial attempting to establish an absolute definition or trace the comprehensive history of each. This is a simple nod to styles that were born decades ago which are alive and well today–not to mention these happen to be my favorite examples of the automobile.

My preface and disclaimer is to drive the point that I stand behind the belief that while there are certain elements that are undeniable, such as a deuce referring to a ’32 Ford coupe or a Tri-Five referring to Chevy Bel Airs, Nomads, 150s, and 210s produced between 1955 through 1957, the ambiguity of certain things like what defines a hot rod vs. street rod, a kustom vs. a custom, or whether rat rods are viable/respectable builds are secondary to the cultural phenomena that American automobile manufacturers have inspired through these mid 20th century productions.

Photo: e-carpictures.com

Politics aside, I simply wish to observe and casually meander over three branches of classic cars that remain prominent and stand as American icons–hot rods, bombs, and kustoms. Each facet maintains a diehard following and within each, several sub cultures can be further identified. To this day enthusiasts from each school continue to produce what I believe are the aesthetic kings of the road.

Hot Rods – Live Fast, Leave A Gorgeous Corpse

Though the section heading may not inspire affirmation from the masses in today’s car culture governed by clubs and organizations whose chief concern is balancing hobby and safety there was a point in time where adrenaline was the fluid of choice and no holds barred competition, whenever and whenever, reigned supreme. “When?” You might ask, well, when the most hardcore individuals of any movement originate of course–the very beginning.

Between the three aesthetic schools that are being covered in this article it is easy to say that hot rod customization was driven by performance with style taking the back seat. Ironically, it was the practicality motivating cosmetic procedures done to a hot rod’s body which eventually inspired styling cues. Almost all body and “styling” modifications had a competitive purpose.

After all, these were recent veterans out of World War 2 that we’re talking about, a machine’s performance was paramount and I’m sure that trumped looking pretty more times than not. At that time, there was no media to pat a builder on the back for flawless paint or a national level roadster show to prop cars up on pedestals that, upon meticulous examinations matched only by alien abductions, showed no sign of microns worth of dust particles. No. These were cars that blue collar war vets left at home and came back to with a bit of mechanical and steel working knowledge. They had the intention of making them perform better and push them as hard and fast as they could against their peers.

The iconic windshield rake, nosing, decking, chop, and engine swap were all modifications to improve power to weight ratio and aerodynamics. Staggered wheels added to weight distribution and improved traction. 

‘32s became ubiquitous in pop culture’s representation of hot rodding and in reality because they happened to be the lightest, cheapest, and most plentiful automobile. This made them a smart choice for racing on the flats, especially in a hobby where everything about the car, from the one you choose to the modifications you did all served a grand purpose–compiling that winning edge.

The qualm that I maintain towards people who insult rat rods, true rat rods, is that these builds are probably the closest remnants to the spirit of heyday hot rodding.

You take limited resources, shade tree enthusiasm, ingenuity, and a real talent for junkyard digging and what you have is an individual who would have afforded the mutual respect of his peers had he or she been time warped back to the late 40’s. Not everyone has the accrued fortune or industry connection to amass a list of state of the art aftermarket parts.

The street rod that we are familiar with today and rat rod that many are so quick to judge both require hard work, dedication, and pride to create, I’d leave it at that.

Bombs – Decked Out, Steel Altars Adorned With Chrome Regalia

The last two aesthetic builds are definitely a beacon for form and style. That’s not to say that performance is overlooked, but when it comes down to it bombs and kustoms are nods to the builder, fabricator, painter, and restorer–the artisans of our culture.

The bomb is the cousin of kustoms, its chief difference is adornment versus the “less is more” movement. Lowrider culture is also heavily rooted in styling cues established by early bombs of the 50s and 60s–smaller wheels, wire wheels, skinny white walls, the discipline of utilizing chrome to its full highlighting ability, full utilization of ornaments and accessories, gorgeous paint jobs, and luxurious interiors.

Where some call it excess, the bomb was an exhibition of grandeur and pride in dressing up one’s car. The bomb is a modern day lord’s chariot decked in the same grand fashion.

Folks on Chevy Talk refer to makes and models of pre ’54 vehicles being the primary candidates for bombs. This “soft” cut off is attributed to the general shift in body style that automobile manufacturers headed during the mid 50s. It was during this time that designers gravitated towards more pronounced angles and sharper lines while slowly moving away from the rounded body style.

Kustoms – Testaments To Blue Collar Ingenuity

The word custom denotes, of course, any of these classic cars that feature mild to heavy body work, fabrication, and part swaps. Customs, and more specifically the Kustoms that we are referring to maintain a style that has been in development since the Barris Brothers, Winfield, and Watson first got their hands dirty.

I think that kustom with a ‘K’ is something that was started in the 50s and 60s but has found its home in the modern age of Kustom Kulture. This is a grand collective movement that focuses on all aspects of golden age Americana–the music, the fashion, the artwork, and the cars are all equivalent in their importance within Kustom lifestyle. It’s the one scene of classic cars that attempts to embrace the essence of a time period in its entirety with the kustom car only making up a fraction of its culture.

Kustoms definitely pursue a styling consistent with the customizing forefathers of the 50s and 60s. Chops, channeling, sectioned bodies, lowered suspension, mild mannered two tone paint jobs to more out of this world lace roofs, scallops, and pinstriping to accent body lines, wide white walls, shaved handles, frenched headlights, tunneled taillights, you know…the gamut of staple modifications that are associated with this style.

The biggest thing to remember in my opinion is that these are all just associations, not definitions of what makes a kustom, a bomb, or a hot rod. A style or modification is only as legitimate and limited as the reception it receives both nationally and locally. The fact that some movements are localized and colloquialisms are formed in city scenes is the reason that I believe their can be no absolute definition when it comes to certain things.

I’ve described a bomb based on my experiences growing up around Long Beach and Los Angeles, California and kustoms based on my interest in kustom kulture and the cars that I see primarily at these events. That’s the same way that these styles and cultures formed back in the day–the circles that you ran with and stuck to are the one’s that influenced and reinforced your perceptions. The crux of this preachy sermon, not everyone runs in the same circles and that’s the beauty–because of it we have variation, regional custom, colloquialisms, ultimately something bigger than quenching the individual ego.

It’s when a person goes around breathing down other people’s necks telling them what is and what isn’t that I think they’ve got to sit down and rethink their obsession with having things seen their way. Sometimes we’ve got to be ok with not cracking the code and just enjoy the fact that a certain period of American Automobile production inspired so many different styles, applications, and cultures that continue to flourish today. Anyways, that’s all for now.