Snake45 Posted April 17, 2020 Posted April 17, 2020 Anyone remember Leroi "Tex" Smith's Fiat street rod? It was orange, fenderless (or maybe small cycle fenders), had a full hood but not the Fiat nosepiece, and a Model T-ish radiator. I think it might have powered by a Cadillac engine. Just spent an hour trying to find a pic of it on Google and Bing. No joy whatsoever--not one single picture! Anyone just happen to have any pictures of this?
keyser Posted April 17, 2020 Posted April 17, 2020 I also found the Reath Tope I'd never seen. Particularly evil looking.
Snake45 Posted April 17, 2020 Author Posted April 17, 2020 1 hour ago, keyser said: This?? I don't remember this, vid wasn't Tex. That's not it, but was the closest pic I found to it, too.
Tom Geiger Posted April 17, 2020 Posted April 17, 2020 I saw a stock Topolino on Chasing Classic Cars last night. I did a double take that only the very front edge of the hood actually opened to reveal a very tiny little engine!
Mark Posted April 17, 2020 Posted April 17, 2020 Did the nose actually open, or was it removable to get access to the engine? My older brother spotted one of those Fiat nose sections sitting at the curb on trash day...he snagged it and put it on eBay. If I remember right, he got around $500 for it.
keyser Posted April 17, 2020 Posted April 17, 2020 (edited) Tom, they must've swapped out the Hemi for mileage. LOL. Topes had nose/grille tilt. Fuel in there. 13.5hp of Fury Edited April 17, 2020 by keyser
Daddyfink Posted April 17, 2020 Posted April 17, 2020 5 hours ago, keyser said: I also found the Reath Tope I'd never seen. Particularly evil looking. And it still exists!
keyser Posted April 18, 2020 Posted April 18, 2020 Like it better with Pie crusts and steelies in back. Likely same spindle mounts up front Neat car. Low key all up with motor.
alan barton Posted April 18, 2020 Posted April 18, 2020 Snake, I'm digging deep here but the little voices in my head tell me that Fiat used to be visible in the iconic overhead shot of about twenty of the LA Roadsters cars in a parking lot. Pat Ganahl just had some of those photos in his blog - I will go and check. I know exactly the car you mean, you described it exactly as I remember it though I didn't know it was Tex's. Cheers Alan
alan barton Posted April 18, 2020 Posted April 18, 2020 Nope, not in Pat's photos but I'm sure I have photos of this car - I will go see what I can find. I ahve a model from my childhoos that was loosely inspired by that very car so I must have a photo somewhere because there was no internet in the seventies! Cheers Alan
Snake45 Posted April 18, 2020 Author Posted April 18, 2020 51 minutes ago, alan barton said: Snake, I'm digging deep here but the little voices in my head tell me that Fiat used to be visible in the iconic overhead shot of about twenty of the LA Roadsters cars in a parking lot. Pat Ganahl just had some of those photos in his blog - I will go and check. I know exactly the car you mean, you described it exactly as I remember it though I didn't know it was Tex's. Cheers Alan Exactly! It's in a group photo in one of the first Peterson Street Rod Pictorials in glorious color. I have a vague recollection of a one-page B&W feature on it in either Rod & Custom or Hot Rod, too.
alan barton Posted April 18, 2020 Posted April 18, 2020 Just looked through Tex Smith's autobiography - it's not in there either! I will keep looking!
Snake45 Posted April 18, 2020 Author Posted April 18, 2020 8 hours ago, alan barton said: Just looked through Tex Smith's autobiography - it's not in there either! I will keep looking! Huh. Maybe I've misremembered about it being his, then. But thanks for the backup that the car existed.
alan barton Posted April 18, 2020 Posted April 18, 2020 i'm not saying it's not his, Snake, just have no memory of it being his. I once had the wonderful, once-in - a - lifetime opportunity to host him at my house for about four days when he attended a hot rod show over here on the West Coast. What a gentleman and what a mine of information. He was there at the start of the SCTA, the start of the NHRA, the start of the NSRA etc etc etc. And a really sharp sense of humour to boot. I am proud to have a photo of me and him standing in my model room holding my model of his XR-6. Boy, the stories he told about THAT one! Meanwhile you've really got me going trying to find that photo of the Fiat. I have found all my Petersen pictorials, catalogued in their correct box, except the one with a very cool candy red T bucket on the front. Thing is, I only saw it about a week ago and thought It was time I took another look at it! Two more things I remember about it, it had a black vinyl roof insert and the sort Fiat hood didn't quite reach the T grille shell, and I am pretty sure it had dark grey or black spoke Americans, on the rear at least. I'm not giving up, I am going to find that sucker but I am lucky to have a huge book and magazine library so it might take a while! Cheers Alan
Snake45 Posted April 18, 2020 Author Posted April 18, 2020 31 minutes ago, alan barton said: Two more things I remember about it, it had a black vinyl roof insert and the sort Fiat hood didn't quite reach the T grille shell, and I am pretty sure it had dark grey or black spoke Americans, on the rear at least. That matches my memory exactly. I need to see if I can find those old Rod & Customs. I can't believe there's not one pic of the thing on the Net!
alan barton Posted April 18, 2020 Posted April 18, 2020 Found it!!! Cover of June 1967 Rod and Custom magazine. The front cover photo is of an Early Times club gathering ( not LA Roadsters as I said earlier) and although there is a three page article on the club inside, there are no further photos of the Fiat. I am sure there are other shots somewhere but at least now we no what time slot we are looking for! It's after 11p.m. here so I am heading for bed! I'll expect to see a mockup of the model when I get on here in 8 or 9 hours or so. Time for some Snake-fu! Cheers Alan
Snake45 Posted April 18, 2020 Author Posted April 18, 2020 Thanks! Not sure if I have that issue or not. I found another pic, though--in Street Rod Pictorial #2. It's a 2-page spread near the front of the book. It was obviously taken at the same time as the R&C cover shot, but with no people at all in it, just the cars. Runs in my mind the story I'm looking for was one page, right-hand page, near the back of the magazine, and had two or three B&W photos only. I've only found about half my old R&Cs so will have to keep looking. Thanks again!
alan barton Posted April 19, 2020 Posted April 19, 2020 Was Street rod Pictorial 2 the one with the red bucket on the cover?
Snake45 Posted April 19, 2020 Author Posted April 19, 2020 10 hours ago, alan barton said: Was Street rod Pictorial 2 the one with the red bucket on the cover? It was the one with Street Rod Pictorial #2 on the cover.
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