[Auto] Trio of Famous ’90s-Style Hot Rods Shows What "Smooth" Was All About

[Wassim MH]

 

When Smooth Ruled
In the '70s, street rods experienced a revival in po[CENSORED]rity after being knocked out of the spotlight during the muscle car era. That revival came with a change. The prominent rod builders of the late 20th century were not building early roadsters and coupes in the traditional styles of earlier years but rather in a modern style characterized by high-tech chassis with independent front and rear suspensions, extensive use of hand built components (with an abundance of billet aluminum), reshaped bodies, and the elimination of emblems and trim. The result was a super-clean, streamlined style that almost instantly became known as "smooth."

Of all the designers and builders associated with the "smooth" style, some of the most famous are Boyd Coddington, Lil' John Buttera, Chip Foose, and Larry Erickson. Of all the owners, probably the most successful was Fred Warren, owner of the AeroCoupe, Smoothster, and Shockwave, among others. No other car owner in the history of this hobby has earned a Ridler Award from the Detroit Autorama, plus two America's Most Beautiful Roadster awards from the Grand National Roadster Show—an accomplishment Warren achieved with three of the most famous cars from the smooth era.

Fred Warren's 1937 Ford coupe, known as the AeroCoupe, won the Don Ridler Memorial Award at the Detroit Autorama in 1994. It was Warren's second attempt at that prestigious award. He had entered a 1933 Ford coupe in Detroit a couple of years prior. He didn't win. "That didn't sit right with me," he told us. So he went home and started working on the '37 that had been sitting in a corner of his shop.

The car was built in Warren's shop in Warren, Ohio, with the help of Tim Novick from Car Crafters. The style of the car was inspired by a drawing of a 1940 coupe by artist Dave Bell. Novick's body mods include extensive sheetmetal reshaping. The top was chopped 2 1/4 inches, the lower body sectioned 1 1/2 inches in front, the nose pinched, and the whole thing was channeled 4 inches over the custom frame. Virtually every exterior component was eliminated or hidden, including the custom headlights, which were hidden behind the handmade grille.

The polished aluminum 406-inch Hawk engine was a collaboration between Li'l John Buttera and the Mr. Gasket company. It originally ran Bosch eight-stack injection on a modified Inglese manifold, which has since been swapped for three Demon carburetors (the fuel injection system has been rebuilt and will be offered to the next owner).

Hot Rods by Boyd hand built the independent front and rear suspension, and provided the billet wheels. The smooth theme continues into the completely modernized interior, featuring beige upholstery. There is not a single gauge in the dash. Car Crafters built a panel above the windshield and installed a Dakota Digital gauge panel. The billet steering wheel is another Boyd Coddington contribution.

Warren was back in Detroit in the winter of 1994, ready to take a second stab at impressing the Ridler Award judges. This time he succeeded, and AeroCoupe was awarded the Autorama's coveted top prize.

After bringing home the Ridler Award with AeroCoupe, Warren was eager to build more show cars and win more awards. Less than a year after his victory in Detroit, he won the Americas's Most Beautiful Roadster in Oakland with another '37 Ford.

Smoothster, as that bright-yellow roadster is known, was designed by Larry Erickson and Chip Foose, and was already in progress at Hot Rods by Boyd when Boyd Coddington suggested that Warren buy the car.

The Smoothster body was hand-fabricated from aluminum (with steel fenders and running boards) by Craig Naff, an East Coast metal man. Naff had worked with Boyd on several projects, including the body fabrication on the famous CadZZilla 1948 Cadillac. Like the AeroCoupe, the Smoothster's body was shaved of all external ornamentation—unless you count the chromed brass grille bars, the topmost of which extends the entire length of the car to the deck. The car is never seen without its top, but the hand made aluminum piece, covered with cloth by Marcel De Ley of Marcel's Fabrication, is removable. According to Warren, the original plans called for bright-red paint. It was Chip Foose (who had done renderings) who contended that the car should be yellow.

The sanitary engine compartment is packed with a 350-inch Corvette LT1 engine, dressed up with custom components. The engine is tied to a 700R4 automatic transmission. The Boyd-built modern chassis includes Corvette front and rear suspension parts with Air Ride (now RideTech) parts. As on AeroCoupe, the one-off billet wheels were built by Boyd from a Li'l John Buttera design. Upholsterer Jim Griffin contributed the leather interior and, according to Warren, the Smoothster moniker.

In addition to winning the 1995 AMBR award, Smoothster was highlighted in numerous hot-rodding magazine articles and ads, featured as a limited-edition Hot Wheels collectible car, and is one of the best-known hot rods of the last 27 years.

ShockWave was Warren's second AMBR award winner, dominating the 50th annual Grand National Roadster Show in 1999. The car is identified as a 1934 Ford roadster, although like AeroCoupe and Smoothster, it has been wildly restyled. The inspiration came from a design by Chip Foose, which originated as a student drawing project from Foose's days at Art Center College of Design. The build was executed by a number of the biggest names in '90s hot-rodding. Much of the initial build was done at Hot Rods by Boyd, while Foose was working there. The project was continued at Chuck Lombardo's California Street Rods and ultimately finished at Foose's own shop, Foose Design, which opened in 1998. The car's name came from an earthquake that shook Warren awake one night during a trip to California to check on the build.

The steel-and-aluminum body, built by Marcel De Ley, is the most sleek, open, and low-slung of Warren's award-winning trio. The only brightwork on the body is the custom '33-'34 style stainless steel grille from Dan Fink. The candy-tangerine paint is a custom color, mixed and sprayed by Greg Morrell at California Street Rods.

A Hot Rods by Boyd chassis carries ShockWave, and has all the signature Boyd suspension parts, including eye-catching billet independent suspension components, along with front and rear coilovers. Pirelli tires roll on Boyd custom wheels.

As with Smoothster, ShockWave is powered by a contemporary Corvette engine, in this case a Chevy LT4, distinguished by hand-fabricated custom valve and engine covers. The automatic transmission is a GM 4L60E.

Acclaimed hot rod upholsterer Paul Atkins wrapped the hand built bucket seats, door panels, and center console in tan leather. The dash is elegant in its simplicity, with a center panel of gauges from Classic Instruments.

Watching these three historic cars cross the stage at the Mecum Auctions event in Indy will no doubt be a bittersweet experience for Fred Warren. "They were trendsetters. They are the only cars like this in the world," he said, "and they have been part of my life. When I would go to California while the cars were being built, I'd walk in the door of the shop and it was like electricity. I'd get so pumped up I couldn't sleep at night." Warren wants the cars to continue to be enjoyed, by whoever buys them, and by everyone who will continue to appreciate them. AeroCoupe is scheduled to be auctioned on Friday, May 20. Smoothster and ShockWave are scheduled for Saturday, May 21. We'll be watching on the MotorTrend+ streaming service (sign up for a free trial today!) and on television on MotorTrend TV.