| What
we can show you in two issues of R&C
took more like four years of real time,
and represents the combined effort of many
different builder from Eat Coast to West
Coast. Tommy's friend Arty Regan came
up with the donor car-an all-original
'29 phaeton from Rhode Island-and started
work at his shop,
Car Land Auto Body in Danbury, Connecticut.
work continued after the tub was transported
to California, where much of the rest
of the buildup was completed at Tri-C
Engineering in Valencia and Joe
Arnold's Auto Body Shop in Northridge.
Even Tommy's teenage sons,
Casey and Andy, got involved. |
Every part of the tub was reworked in
some way. but most of the remarkable mods
are easiest to spot. In true show custom
rod style, the body was completely customized,
from the hand built nose wrapped around
a modified '32 grille, to the quad headlights
from a VW Golf(behind amber lenses), to
the scooped hood, and cowl with a working
fresh-air vent. ITs just as cool from
the rear, where bobbed steel fenders,
angled '58 Chevy taillights, and half
of the car's eight exhaust pipes add to
the overall personality of the tub. |
 That's
not even mentioning the tonneau cover with
headrest pontoons, Tommy's Ala Kart-inspired
graphics, Arty Regan's crazy aluminum touring
top, or any of the other amazing mods made
to the car.
When the L.A. Tub showed up at the 2006
Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona,
promoter John Buck directed it to a prominent
spot in the center of the main hall, not
far from the trophy for America's Most Beautiful
Roadster. We were glad to see this contemporary
but traditional tribute show rod-built to
honor the contribution of previous custom
builders-get recognized with
some honor of its own. |
Is
it possible to get philosophical about a
hot rod? Tommy Otis could
call himself the last of the Greek philosophers.
We've never actually heard him call himself
that-but knowing the way his mind works,
we're just saying he could. And we already
know the first philosophical question we'd
ask. IN the future when people look back
at the nostalgia-inspired hot rods of today,
will
the think of them as 50's-and '60s-style
cars, or will they think of them as 21st
century cars?
The philosopher Otis might have already
given us the answer in the form of his latest
project- the L.A. Tub. If you're familiar
with any of the traditional hot rods Tommy
has done in the past, you might be a little
surprised by this one. The L.A. Tub is a
clear tribute to the old custom show rods
of 50 years ago, specifically the ALa Kart
built in 1957. But, instead of copying the
original with a replica clone, Tommy decided
to create a new original, applying the old
style-and a few of the design elements-to
a completely different body style. Part 50's
and part '00s.
