And Now for Something Completely Different
Considered the first of the T Buckets, Norm Grabowski started building his famous Ford Model T hot
rod in 1952 and completed it three years later. First named the
“Lightnin’ Bug,” this car arguably started the T-bucket–style hot
rod craze. The car was built on a 1931 Ford Model A V8 Roadster
chassis bought for $100. The front half of the body was taken
from a 1922 Ford Model T and the rear was adapted from a Ford
Model A pickup truck. The car first appeared on the cover of
the October 1955 issue of Hot Rod Magazine, and in 1956 it was
featured on TV in Mr. Kagle and the Babysitter. Later that year
Norm had the car painted in the flamed style it exhibits today,
and afterward it appeared on the cover of the April 1957 issue
of Car Craft Magazine. In 1957 the car was featured in an article
in LIFE Magazine, photographed under the lights at a Bob’s Big
Boy restaurant in Burbank, California.
Currently owned by Ross & Beth Myers / of 3 Dog Garage,
Bayertown, Pennsylvania
This 1922 Ford Roadster Pickup helped to popularize hot rod culture by appearing in the American TV drama series 77 Sunset Strip. The car was driven in the series by Edd Byrnes as “Kookie” Kookson III and became known in popular culture as Kookie's Kar, and became a poster car and a catalyst for an entirely new branch of the automotive family tree. The T-bucket craze seemingly doubled the size of the American custom auto industry in the late-1950s and early-1960s.
Americans tend to be blind to the global influence of American culture, but television shows such a 77 Sunset Strip were the conduits for American culture to the rest of the world. Shows such as 77 Sunset Strip were syndicated onto television sets globally, and this car saw enough screen time over the 206 one-hour episodes of the hit TV drama series, to become the first and only prime-time hotrod.
AS ALWAYS....COMMENTS & INVITATIONS with AWARD BANNERS will be respectfully DELETED!
And Now for Something Completely Different
Considered the first of the T Buckets, Norm Grabowski started building his famous Ford Model T hot
rod in 1952 and completed it three years later. First named the
“Lightnin’ Bug,” this car arguably started the T-bucket–style hot
rod craze. The car was built on a 1931 Ford Model A V8 Roadster
chassis bought for $100. The front half of the body was taken
from a 1922 Ford Model T and the rear was adapted from a Ford
Model A pickup truck. The car first appeared on the cover of
the October 1955 issue of Hot Rod Magazine, and in 1956 it was
featured on TV in Mr. Kagle and the Babysitter. Later that year
Norm had the car painted in the flamed style it exhibits today,
and afterward it appeared on the cover of the April 1957 issue
of Car Craft Magazine. In 1957 the car was featured in an article
in LIFE Magazine, photographed under the lights at a Bob’s Big
Boy restaurant in Burbank, California.
Currently owned by Ross & Beth Myers / of 3 Dog Garage,
Bayertown, Pennsylvania
This 1922 Ford Roadster Pickup helped to popularize hot rod culture by appearing in the American TV drama series 77 Sunset Strip. The car was driven in the series by Edd Byrnes as “Kookie” Kookson III and became known in popular culture as Kookie's Kar, and became a poster car and a catalyst for an entirely new branch of the automotive family tree. The T-bucket craze seemingly doubled the size of the American custom auto industry in the late-1950s and early-1960s.
Americans tend to be blind to the global influence of American culture, but television shows such a 77 Sunset Strip were the conduits for American culture to the rest of the world. Shows such as 77 Sunset Strip were syndicated onto television sets globally, and this car saw enough screen time over the 206 one-hour episodes of the hit TV drama series, to become the first and only prime-time hotrod.
AS ALWAYS....COMMENTS & INVITATIONS with AWARD BANNERS will be respectfully DELETED!