Special: Rat look, Rat Rod

Posted on 09-06-2016 at 22:10 by larssb – 34 Comments”

Purists, cleaners and perfectionists: take a break. We are going to talk about rust and junk. Because that sometimes is a lot more fun than eternal toegedekte binnenslapers.

Which a single drop struck mugje enough reason to blind panic. Or a deep depression by at least two raindrops on the furious shiny roof, you need not to think about it. I know. Let it rust. As the but driving well, we’re going for the rat look.

But then the real one. No childish driewielertje, crate or sled on a nondescript hatchback with more imperiaaltje this, but by and by rotten looks flawless and sometimes even fabulous technique underneath, hidden. Mean and ugly. Nice, but not as we know it. That goes a little further than a faint and formless Wave decrease, the wrong dakrekje mount and your license plate is crooked screw. And one fog light in front and a lot of stickers all over the place to make him a little different, but no Rat Rod.

Because in it the rat look in general, origin. As a counterpart to the expensive, cherished, and often barely used Hot Rod it was apparently neglected clunker in fact derived from the so-called “beater”. That was in essence an unfinished or stranded Hot Rod project that, in any case, mobile, and often even straatlegaal was. It had perfect and shiny should be, but so far it didn’t. A conscious or forced. This became a trend in itself and has evolved further in the Rat Rod.

For an ever-growing group was the hip to expertly built clutter around driving and its deadly serious Hotrodders or restoration-fundamentalists thus the convulsions in the body to hunt. One of the most important precursors of this was the ‘28 and ‘32 Ford parts are manufactured “Jakelopy” Jim “Jake” Jacobs, an American Hot Rod builder. In 1987 gave birth to he quite a stir in the unpainted tub, on a meeting of shiny Hot Rods to appear, and him, on the spot, still red tassels. With a big fat finger to that six-figure-trailer-queens of the pathological cleaners.

In the early nineties, builds artist Robert Williams, a Ford ‘32 which is seen by many as the first, true Rat Rod is considered and also for the first time, as was dubbed, by Gray Baskerville of Hot Rod Magazine. Where rat rod is a derivative of rat bike; one with cheap parts themselves in makeshift motorfietsproject(you). The matrood-brown, clean Roadster Williams was known as the “Eights & Aces” and was the inspiration for rising generations Rat Rod builders and enthusiasts. Patina was the new chrome.

If it is non-glom. Shine was for pussy’s and pensioners. Rust, trash, and rubber were the new religion. Very popular and remained the years ‘20 and ‘30 bodyworks or parts thereof, but also the ‘40s, ‘50s and early ‘60s designs were becoming increasingly popular as the basis for the most diverse and unique creations. Sometimes built with the French started, and all kinds of plumbers and kringlooponderdelen, without any idea or expertise and, therefore, incoherent and downright unsafe. The best course with love and craftsmanship built Rat’s, which, despite the patina and the sort of parts, a homogeneous and clean it with beautiful technique. An extreme example of this is the Train Car, built by Steve Darnell of Welderup. Scary. Retecool.

But with such a outrageous monster, you come in Europe, not far. Every popo here you go with kloddertjes spit on his lip and red through eyes furious the les read about fenders, bonnets (with proper closure), exhausts, wipers, track gauges, indicators and mirrors. And that you have a reflective jacket. That is nothing. Partly because of this, we have here that hondsbrutale rage, forced to bow to a rat look of more or less standard models. Also there are endless variations on to devise and run various currents and ideas by each other. A black tape on the headlights and the inevitable imperiaaltje to heavily staged, dramatically lower and fully preserved rust indoor exotics. Or you are going to be safe and verloedert your 911 with a wrapje. If your wife no longer likes the back.

Many rules are not there, but certainly here, it remains the challenge to make a coherent whole out of it. If the rust but a stage, small or large. Cultivated and perfectly maintained rottigheid art to elevate looks easier than it is and that’s what distinguishes one rat looker quite clearly from the other. A few stickers, random mat rolled body panels and bekliederde plastic bumpers cause irrevocable scrapyard-look, and that was never the intention. But razendknap wrapped rust film, or, whether or not with abrasion and acids obtained and carefully preserved, real rust to give a very different picture. Certainly combined with the right details.

A pair of substantially widened steelies, for example, finished with white walls. Optional with polished edges, or chrome rings because the wheels are the only parts where shine is allowed. For all the other the well-known rat-motto: in rust we trust! Nice man. Or no: does not. Beautiful.

Photo credits: Basfiz (middle) and DB86 (above) via Autojunk.