Lanny at age 16 with his 1951 Ford, his first car
Lanny holds forth in a shop almost at the rural edge of town. In evidence were various automovia in various states of decay and restoration. Once inside his shop, you are treated to a veritable museum of artifacts of almost all description, some automotive, some not. Some date back to his boyhood.
One vehicle in his shop I could not identify and had to ask. It seems to be a 1928 Willy-Knight coupe, something I certainly don’t see every day.
But what really commanded my attention as I drove up Lanny’s driveway, was the rather extreme 1953 Chevy hardtop custom. I gather that it had been customized heavily years ago, but was now being restored, re-engineered and re-worked to an even more extreme level. The top has been chopped 1.5 inches, and it is lowered over fully-independent Corvette suspension, with running gear include a 6-speed gearbox, requiring a custom floor plan and greatly raised driveline tunnel. Small details abound, from the 5^ (?) Olds headlights to matching flared tips for the taillights, integrated Pontiac side trim, Cadillac wheel covers, and an amazing quad exhaust pipe system. Extreme metalwork appears all over the car, from its custom hood, to the integrated bumpers, and much more. The gas filler has been relocated inside the trunk to present a smooth, seamless exterior. Candy Apple Green, as seen on the firewall and dash, will be applied to the exterior. I understand that the car recently received one of 16 trophies, chosen from 1500 contenders, for a major car show’s best work-in-progress.
