John Athan’s famed 1929 roadster, was one of the first cars to employ the time-honored solution of mounting a Model A body atop 1932 Ford rails.
As a teenager in 1937, John bought the body for $7 and the Deuce frame for $5.50. He began building the car, but didn’t finish it until after he returned home from military duty during World War II.
While Deuce rails would come into common use, John’s roadster featured numerous touches that made it one of a kind. The windshield glass is the rear window from a 1939 Chrysler with the surround and posts being cast and machined by John in his machine shop.
Athan happened to live near an outfit – Pacific Auto Rental – that supplied cars as props for Hollywood movies, which led to the Elvis movie gig.
Athan was rather nonchalant about his car’s notoriety, too, years ago telling me: “I didn’t know who Elvis Presley was [at the time].” Athan said that, following brief instructions on how to drive the roadster, Presley did all right behind the wheel. “He could get around in that car,”
The car itself is a thing of A-V8 wonder, sporting its 59AB engine in front of a ’39 Ford transmission that leads to a ’39 Mercury rear-end packed with 3.54:1 gears, all hung within the classic ’32 Ford frame rails. This was all cutting-edge technology when the car was completed in 1940. And shortly after the car rolled onto the street, Athan pointed it to El Mirage for the Road Rebels’ dry lake meet where the car posted a top speed of 108.5 MPH.
And if you’re wondering about the Elvis Car’s odd-shaped windshield, here’s the skinny: The glass originated as the rear window for a 1939 Chrysler. Athan liked its contour, so he popped the glass out of the sedan’s molding and then fabricated a frame of his own. Pure hot rod funk.
http://www.ckdeluxe.com/hot-rod-milestones/
