Collection Gift Guide: Instant Gratification
December 1, 2004
STRICTLY STREET RODS
For more than a century, Golden, Colo., has been
synonymous with domestic beer, but Coors has a new neighbor attracting plenty of
attention in the Denver suburb. Strictly Street Rods recently blazed onto the
hot rod scene with vehicular creations combining traditional tuner nostalgia
with modern creature comforts; even better, customers can take delivery in an
astonishing 90 days. Strictly Street Rods’ founder Steve Hill and his wife,
Renata Baron Hill, the company’s cofounder and marketing chief, have in common a
fascination for muscle cars. Renata fell in love with American grunt when
she purchased her first car, a 1975 Pontiac Trans Am, but Steve’s enthusiasm
goes all the way back to a childhood spent in his family’s 1957 Ford Fairlane
500. The seat time motivated him to start a custom truck business at age 15 and
nurtured his automotive appetite through increasingly elaborate restoration
projects. Together, the couple has set out to revolutionize the custom hot rod
business by selling a unique brand of high-end automotive instant gratification.
Ask Renata about Strictly Street Rods’ impressive 90-day turnaround time, and
she points to its 20,000-square-foot facility and 14 experienced technicians,
and the company’s passion for granting customer whims with genielike efficiency.
The next question she typically fields concerns fit and finish. “The timeline
doesn’t affect fit and finish,” Renata says. “If anything, it encourages us to
do a better job more quickly. We always incorporate quality materials and make
sure we do it promptly and correctly the first time. In fact, our fit and finish
stacks up against anybody in the business.”; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
In a market segment that prides itself on individuality, SSR supports the
paradigm that its customers should be limited only by their imaginations.
Currently, four customizable variations on the 1932 Ford Highboy body style are
available in the 90-day time frame. Steel body options include the 1932 Ford
Highboy Roadster and three-window coupe, while 1932 and 1933 Boydsters offer
fiberglass-bodied alternatives. For truly fantastical thinkers, special
fabrications are available in time frames that can take up to six months,
depending on design complexity. (Click image to enlarge)
SSR products are designed with aesthetic simplicity that is more than skin deep.
For instance, the ’32 roadster features a convertible top that integrates
seamlessly into the body when lowered. Below the flush exterior, wiring runs
inside the chassis tubing–invisibly, like a suit lining–creating a clean and
simple solution to a common design challenge. While current SSR body styles
reflect the most commonly associated silhouettes of archetypal hot rods, future
variations will provide more eclectic takes on the classic hot rod form, as well
as the incorporation of space-age materials such as aluminum and carbon fiber.
By incorporating optional technology found in contemporary production vehicles,
interior amenities can soar light-years ahead of classic hot rods. While obvious
luxury items like air-conditioning and power windows are available, so are
gaming systems, GPS, DVD players, adaptive cruise control, and acoustic parking
sensors. Buyers seeking to balance the classic style of a 1930s design with the
plethora of available bells and whistles will be faced with a task that requires
careful consideration. For seating surfaces and interior trim, the incorporation
of leather, wood, or other surface treatments is also at the buyer’s discretion.
Regarding the soul of the custom hot rod, Renata explains, “Motors are usually
where most customers know exactly what they want. They often have a specific
horsepower and brand in mind, and if a particular powerplant is not available
from one of our vendors, we’ll source it.” In the unlikely event that
customers are apathetic to engines, they may opt for the basic, small-block
Chevy motor. However, whether an old-school big-block 427 or a brand-new LT1
engine is calling, if it exists, it can be dropped into an SSR engine bay.; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
By staying true to the spirit of traditional hot rods, SSR keeps unnecessary
body heft to a minimum, generally producing curb weights in the 2,300-pound
range. Though insurance limitations discourage the publishing of performance
figures, it doesn’t take complex math to imagine the performance effects of
dropping a 500 hp motor into a chassis that weighs as much as a Mazda Miata.
Handling and braking are areas where, thankfully, SSR vehicles do not conform to
the traditional hot rod template of strictly straight-line performance. With
available four-wheel independent suspension, low-profile tires, and four-wheel
disc brakes, driving characteristics should be more akin to a modern car than,
say, a vintage hot rod with live axles, twitchy handling, and antique notions of
stopping power. (Click image to enlarge)
According to General Manager Russ Young, typical customers already own a
Corvette or a Ferrari. “With a custom hot rod, they’re looking to make a unique
statement,” he says. With prices starting at about $70,000 and typically topping
out at $160,000, cost is pegged to individual tastes. And with SSR, they will
know exactly how long it will take to get their one-of-a-kind creations.
Strictly Street Rods
866.321.7637
www.ssrods.com
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