The 20 Best Hot Rods Of all Time

August 10, 2017

The Ala Kart

The Ala Kart is likely one of the most well-known hot rods of all time. Designed by the talented trio of George Barris, Richard Peters, and Mike Gejeian, the drastically lowered pickup built between 1956 and ‘57 walked away with the prize of America’s Most Beautiful Roadster two years running, in 1958 and ’59. The Model A was stripped to its frame, and then saw extensive body modification, including having Model T parts welded to its body and an entirely new custom bed and hood built by Barris.

The two others went to work on building the chassis, which includes a lowered front axle and custom shock absorbers (an absolute necessity on a beast like this.) In true 50s fashion, chroming was taken to an extreme, and the chassis was painted to match the truck’s body, in white, gold, and purple. A 266 Hemi from a racing boat was mated to Lincoln Zephyr gears and ‘39 Ford transmission. The interior’s a work of art too, featuring white vinyl, black velvet, gold piping, an accented ‘57 Lincoln Continental steering wheel and the dials from a ‘57 Corvette. As so much detail went into the car, it’s no surprise that the car’s model kit went on to become a huge bestseller, with everyone wanting to own their own scaled down replica.

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