What kid does not like Christmas?
The possibilities are endless for any kid who did not burn down the family bungalow or murder the budgie over the course of the year.
Most misdeeds are forgivable in the eyes of a benevolent guy like Santa Claus and kids will play the old boy like a violin to get the right toys for Christmas.
The road is tougher for adults because they have discovered the real secret behind Santa and now find themselves as givers rather than takers at Christmas.
However, there will always be a Christmas wish list, no matter what age, and car guys will have their own gift list based upon their particular tastes.
One of the largest segments of the old car hobby are the hot rodders.These cats have been around since the first days of the hobby and were famous for their ingenuity during the pre-war years.
They milked all of the performance possible out of the limited horsepower engines found in the early years of the hot rod hobby.
Most of the modifications amounted to a better power to weight ratio largely achieved by lopping off every part not directly involved with motion.
These soon-to-be-missing parts included fenders, bumpers and anything else that lightened the load on the little engines that couldn’t; due to limited numbers of horses under the hood-if the early rod even had a hood.
There have been massive changes in the horsepower equation but the basic philosophy is still the same: the hot rod is still king of the road for many car guys and would make a perfect Christmas gift for them.
It should be noted that hot rods are a very personal ride because they reflect the individuality of their owners.
There are certain eras of cars that have always been the basic hot rod platform for car guys, and early era Fords would be at the top of the list.
The early 30s Hi-Boys from the Ford Motor Company would be high on the list of many car guys who love the hot rod hobby. Another popular Ford model for hot rodders also carries one of the most famous names in automotive history: Model T.
These two Ford brands from the Roaring 20s and Dirty 30s occupy the top rung on the hot rod hit parade. They are popular enough to warrant a large aftermarket reproduction industry which furnishes custom bodies for modern hot rod builders.
Imagine how excited a car guy who loves these style of hot rods would be if he found a Model T or Hi-Boy body sitting under the tree on Christmas morning. Best guess is he would completely re-think his adult impression of the Santa Claus theory.
Two more additions to the car guy Christmas wish list would have to be the 1940 Ford and its WWII rival, the 1940 Willys. These two rides are as popular as a car show on a sunny day in the eyes of the hot rod crowd and fall comfortably within the top range of highly desirable rides.
The ’40 Ford and Willys bodies are also reproduced in today’s market and would likely bring tears of joy to a lucky hot rod enthusiast if he found one with a bow ribbon and his name on it on Christmas morning.
The magic of Christmas does not have to be lost in childhood. It can be found in a big way by a car guy who gets the right gift from Santa.
Jim Sutherland
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