Network
Hot rodders draw influence from an incredibly varied number of sources, from superheroes and cartoons to books, ideals, or even religions. Most often though, hot rodders draw their influence from other vehicles, whether that car is American, European, or Yugoslavian. This is part of what makes hot rodding so exciting; you never know what you’ll come across next.
KansasCity.com had an interesting story on one local man’s quest to build an American hot rod that resembled a famed Italian roadster, the Boyle Special Maserati that raced in the 1939 Indy 500.
So no, this isn’t in fact a Maserati hot rod after all. Rather, Charlie Little’s dirt track hot rod draws its influence from the aforementioned Maserati. Officially dubbed the 8CTF, it packed a 365 horsepower V8 and took Indy 500 victories in 1939. Charlie Little decided to pay tribute to this well-regarded Italian racer with his own version as a hot rod.
Using a ‘32 Ford frame as his base, Little then went about hammering ‘29 Ford panels into a customized shape that from the front resembles the famed Maserati quite well. For an engine, Little used a ‘46 Dodge HEMI with Hillbourn fuel injection that looks mechanical, but features an EFI system for reliability and drivability. The brakes have the same old school look with modern stopping power, helping keep this tribute to an Italian looking period correct.
There are so many famous cars from history to draw influence on, and we’ve always been closet Maserati fans. To see the world of exotic cars meshed with classic American hot rodding is another reason why we love the creativity from rodders all around the world. We can’t wait to see what will pop up next!
