Anybody remember a recurring plot device in the old Superman comic books, the Bizarro World, called Htrae, a cube-shaped planet populated by pallid, oddly-faceted counterparts to the characters in Metropolis?
What we have here is no less than a Bizarro Excalibur. I'm not trying to be nasty here, but this is perfect example of a whole lot of talented work thrown into a design that falls a little short of elegant.
I think the only neo-classic that even comes close to looking good IS the Excalibur, probably because it was the work of a top-notch designer, Brooks Stevens, who deliberately patterned it after the classic pre-war Mercedes roadsters. Stevens managed to get the proportions right, and the car looks good. Most all other neo-classics, home-builts or otherwise, get tripped up by the simple fact that the cars of the classic era looked like they did because of the way they were engineered. They were long and narrow, because to get a good ride with leaf springs all round, you needed a long wheelbase, with the seating inside the wheelbase. You needed a long frame to accommodate the springs, and a long engine block. You had a side-mount spare, because the body design didn't have room for a trunk big enough to hold the large wheels of the day. Look at real boat-tail speedsters, and many of them have dual spares hung on the rear bumper.
It's really tough to build a classic-style body on a newer frame, because the proportions are all wrong. The front A-arms look goofy hanging out in the breeze. I'll give the builder of that car his props for having carried the project through to completion, and for the generally good fit and finish, but sadly it has a face that only a mother could love.
I actually like Tom Covington's car a whole lot better, because it doesn't pretend to be a classic; it's just a stripped-down, souped-up Lark made into a sporty roadster. Has a turbo on it, too. Big, dirty, fun!
Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands
What we have here is no less than a Bizarro Excalibur. I'm not trying to be nasty here, but this is perfect example of a whole lot of talented work thrown into a design that falls a little short of elegant.
I think the only neo-classic that even comes close to looking good IS the Excalibur, probably because it was the work of a top-notch designer, Brooks Stevens, who deliberately patterned it after the classic pre-war Mercedes roadsters. Stevens managed to get the proportions right, and the car looks good. Most all other neo-classics, home-builts or otherwise, get tripped up by the simple fact that the cars of the classic era looked like they did because of the way they were engineered. They were long and narrow, because to get a good ride with leaf springs all round, you needed a long wheelbase, with the seating inside the wheelbase. You needed a long frame to accommodate the springs, and a long engine block. You had a side-mount spare, because the body design didn't have room for a trunk big enough to hold the large wheels of the day. Look at real boat-tail speedsters, and many of them have dual spares hung on the rear bumper.
It's really tough to build a classic-style body on a newer frame, because the proportions are all wrong. The front A-arms look goofy hanging out in the breeze. I'll give the builder of that car his props for having carried the project through to completion, and for the generally good fit and finish, but sadly it has a face that only a mother could love.
I actually like Tom Covington's car a whole lot better, because it doesn't pretend to be a classic; it's just a stripped-down, souped-up Lark made into a sporty roadster. Has a turbo on it, too. Big, dirty, fun!
Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands
Comment