Minnesota

Jack Calori's 1936 Ford 3-Window Coupe is a Southern California custom built by Jack Calori and Herb Reneau in the 1940s. The build was completed in 1948. Jack ran a hot engine in the car. Both when it comes to performance and temperature. There was no room for a fan and the grille limited airflow. Several methods were tried to improve cooling, such as louvers, an air scoop under the bumper, and a larger water tank, but none ever solved the overheating problem. Tired of the problems, Calori traded the Coupe in for a brand new 1950 Mercury. After that, the car went from California to Minnesota.

Bob Bean's 1951 Ford Victoria of Brainderd, Minnesota. Bean's Ford was restyled by Bliss Custom Shop and Gordon Vann's Body Shop in Fresno, California in 1955. A prime requisite for Bob's Ford was functionalism. He employed cars for everyday transportation and stated that Southern California's typical under-slung custom cars did not mix with the snow banks of Minnesota. He designed many of the body modifications and built many of the small incidental items.

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Norman Wesp's 1955 Oldsmobile of Anoka, Minnesota. Norman was a Road Runners of Robbinsdale member and belonged to the Gopher State Timing Association. The car was restyled around 1955-1956, and it featured pinstriping by Dick Katayanagi of Sacramento‚ California.

Gordy Kordowsky's 1932 Ford 5-Window Coupe of White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Gordy bought the coupe in South St. Paul in the 1950s, and it had already been chopped when he got it. This photo was developed in February of 1956. Photo by Louie LaBossiere, courtesy of Jeff Bloedorn - East Side Speed Shop.

Bruce Rosengren's 1936 Ford Cabriolet of White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Rosengren bought the already customized car from the West Side of St. Paul in the fall of 1955. He had just turned 17 years old at the time. Rosengren wanted a hot rod, not a custom car, so he gave the dated late 1940s custom car a hot rod makeover.

A photo of Gordy Kordowsky's 1932 Ford 5-Window Coupe next to Dick Hanson's 1934 Ford 3-Window Coupe. According to White Bear Lake hot rod enthusiast Bruce Rosengren, there were about three hot rods in town in the mid 1950s. These were Bruce Rosengren's 1936 Ford cabriolet, Gordy's coupe, and Dick Hanson's 1934 Ford 3-Window coupe. There were other mildly modified cars in town as well, such as Bill Martin's 1933 Ford 5-Window coupe, but running with a lowered stance and without a hood wasn't enough for the local kids to consider it a hot rod back then.^[1] Photo courtesy of Bruce Rosengren.

Bill Martin's 1933 Ford 5-Window Coupe, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota. The photo was taken in 1957. Bill's Ford was mildly modified, but according to Bruce Rosengren, running with a lowered stance and without a hood wasn't enough for the local kids to consider it a hot rod back then.

Dick Hanson's 1934 Ford 3-Window Coupe of White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Dick built the coupe at his dad's body shop Hanson's Body Shop. They did not do custom work at the shop, but Dick did all the work on his 34 there.

Marlyn Englert's 1956 Chevrolet Convertible of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Restyled by Phil Andersson, this photo shows the car as it appeared in 1957.

Cars and Clubs - The Midwest's Own Hotrod Magazine! Despite the dominance of California in media representation, Minnesota managed to carve out its own space in the hot rod and custom scene. In May of 1958, the inaugural issue of Cars & Clubs hit the newsstands. Cars and Clubs, a Minnesota-produced magazine, captured the essence of the local automotive culture and highlighted the achievements of car builders and enthusiasts from the region. Ron Johnson's editorial column in the first issue provided valuable insights into the magazine's goals and aspirations, shedding light on its mission to spotlight the region's often-overlooked contributions to the hot rod world.

Dave Hoytitya's 1950 Ford Sedan of Aitkin, Minnesota. The car appeared in Custom Cars August 1958.

Marlyn Englert's 1956 Chevrolet Convertible as it appeared in 1958. This second iteration of the Minneapolis-custom did also feature custom bodywork by Phil Andersson.

In 1959 Marlyn Englert and Marwa Faw laid some wild maroon scallops on Marlyn Englert's 1956 Chevrolet Convertible.

Jerry Sullivan's 1949 Oldsmobile of St. Paul, Minnesota. The car was restyled in 1959.

Norman Wesp's 1959 Chevrolet Impala of Anoka, Minnesota. The car was restyled by Barris Kustoms in California.

Bruce Olson's 1932 Ford 5-Window Coupe of Beach, North Dakota. The first version of Bruce's coupe was completed in 1955. In 1960, Bruce moved to St. Louis Park, Minnesota, bringing the coupe along.

Marlyn Englert's 1956 Chevrolet Convertible went trough several changes and iteration between 1956 and 1961. By 1960 it had been dressed up with canted quad headlights and another scallop paint job.

By 1961, Elmer Bare had given Marlyn Englert's 1956 Chevrolet Convertible a metalflake red paintjob.

Bob Peterson's 1933 Ford 3-Window Coupe of Mason City, Iowa. Bob bought the coupe in 1962. At the time, he was stationed at the Army's Nike-Hercules missile headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and he kept the car at a friend's house in Minneapolis.

Bob Dofflow's 1949 Ford of Whittier, California. Dave Levig of Brainerd, Minnesota bought the car in the late 1960s.

Jim Davis' 1963 Ford Thunderbird of St. Paul, Minnesota. Restyled in 1970, Jim's Thunderbird is a clone of Dick Axcell's 1962 Ford Thunderbird Custom that Barris Kustom restyled in 1962.

Mark Moriarity of Mound, Minnesota owned Ed Roth's Road Agent from 1996 to 2005. He restored the car to its former glory while owning it.

Mark Moriarity's Futurian of Mound, Minnesota. After restoring The Rotar and The Road Agent, Moriarity figured he would try his hand at a show car of his own in 1998. Named Futurian, the sensational build was completed in 2001, making way for a handful of other self-penned Roth fiberglass tribute builds.

Forest Cutler's 1959 Chevrolet Impala of Rapid City, South Dakota. Mark Moriarity of Mound, Minnesota bought the car around 2003-2004.

The Trendero. Built by Dave Puhl and John Malik of Trend Automotive in Lyons, Illinois. The build was started in 1960, and completed in 1961. Mark Moriarity of Mound, Minnesota bought the old custom in 2004.

Ray Farhner's 1932 Ford Pickup . Known as The Eclipse, Mark Moriarity of Mound, Minnesota bought the old custom truck in 2005.

The Car Craft Dream Rod was built by Bill Cushenbery for Bob Larivee of Promotions Inc. The first drawings of the car appeared in Car Craft October 1961. The build was completed late in 1963. Mark bought the car in 2005 and restored it to how it first appeared in 1963. The restoration was completed in 2009.

Paul Savelesky's 1955 Chevrolet. Mark Moriarity of Mound, Minnesota bough the old custom around 2007.

Paul Schneck's 1955 Ford of Anoka, Minnesota. Paul bought the car from a friend in 2007.

The 1954 Mercury XM-800 Concept Car was sold to Minnesota in 2008.

Ed Roth's Mega Cycle. Mark Moriarity of Mound, Minnesota bought the restored iteration of the truck in 2009. He had owned it three times prior to this.

Bob Crespo's 1940 Ford Coupe - Les Po Po was restyled by Barris Kustoms, Cushenbery Custom Shop and Hal Hutchins. Mark Moriarity of Mound, Minnesota bought the car in 2012.

Carl Szembrot's 1950 Studebaker convertible of Albany, New York was restyled by R. K. Body Works around 1951-1952. The rear end of the car was inspired by the 1951 Gm LeSabre concept car. Daniel A. Fox of Peterson, Minnesota bought the remains of the old custom in 2013.

Rodney Rice's 1955 Chevrolet of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The car, known as "the Astorian," was restyled by the Alexander Brothers and Fostoria Customs. The build was completed in 1964. Mark Moriarity of Mound, Minnesota bought the car in 2015.

Mark Moriarity of Mound, Minnesota bought Ron Hing's 1956 Chevrolet Convertible in September of 2022, adding it to his collection of canted quad Chevrolet customs.

Minnesota's hot rod and custom scene has a vibrant history. The state's unique characteristics, including its long winter seasons that allowed enthusiasts ample time for creative projects, fostered a thriving community of car builders, speed shops, and racing enthusiasts.

Early Years and Regional Influence

While California often takes center stage in discussions of hot rod culture, Minnesota's contributions were undeniable. WWII brought a lot of young men from all over the US together, and it really helped spark and spread the hot rod and custom movement after the war. During the 1950s, Minnesota emerged as a hub for hot rod and custom car enthusiasts. The state's winter months provided an extended period for car builders to work on their projects, producing numerous exceptional vehicles. Cars built in and around the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul were often of high quality, while the rural areas saw local builders make the most of available resources.^[2]

Speed Shops and Automotive Culture

According to Jeff Bloedorn of East Side Speed Shop, farmers and local builders often transformed their vehicles into custom creations, utilizing their ingenuity and resourcefulness to produce impressive results. " There were a lot of speed shops in the area in the 50s, so I feel a lot of stuff was readily available," Bloedorn told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in August of 2023. Big Wheel Auto Parts was a local parts store, speed shop, machine shop, hot rod and custom shop. Porter Mufflers was also born in Minnesota, and Bloedron has heard many stories about Minnesota guys that left the state to go to California to start custom and hot rod shops.^[2]

Racing and Drag Strips

The popularity of stock car racing in Minnesota contributed to the proliferation of high-performance modifications. The drag racing scene gained traction in the early to mid 1950s, and the state boasted notable racetracks, such as Twin Cities Speedway and Minnesota Dragways. These tracks served as venues for showcasing both speed and innovation within the local automotive community.^[2]

Media and Publications

Despite the dominance of California in media representation, Minnesota managed to carve out its own space in the hot rod and custom scene. In May of 1958, the inaugural issue of Cars & Clubs hit the newsstands. Cars and Clubs, a Minnesota-produced magazine, captured the essence of the local automotive culture and highlighted the achievements of car builders and enthusiasts from the region. Ron Johnson's editorial column in the first issue provided valuable insights into the magazine's goals and aspirations, shedding light on its mission to spotlight the region's often-overlooked contributions to the hot rod world; "As you all know, the Upper Midwest is not yet an area of reknown in the hot rod world. There are certain centers in the southern states such as Cordova, Omaha and Sioux City where there is really quite an amount of action, but if it is reported at all it is done so, somewhat grudgingly by the east or west coast publications. This is where we come in. We will be on the spot, or in contact at Drag Strips, Car Shows and all the other activities that make up hot rodding. We will be reporting nothing but cars and activities from this area. In the past you rarely saw a car you recognized or saw any reference to events that you attended, you will see cars from your immediate area, or your association or club featured every month."

Another publication, Racing Wheels, focused on hot rods and racing and emerged as an early magazine in the scene, running from around March 1952 through 1954. These publications showcased the diversity and creativity present in Minnesota's car culture.^[2]