Robb Stewart sends this photo and adds: "I thought that you might be interested in this little piece of prewar Southern California hot rod culture. We think of hot rods being created for the first time in the late 1940s by the enthusiasm and talents of young men returning from war in Europe, Asia and Africa, but the seeds were planted before they left. This 1927 Ford was my father-in-law’s first car in 1937, when he was 16 years old. His name is Dick Meyer and he is 94 years old now. Five years after this photo was taken, he joined the army and went to Africa, eventually being in charge of top secret communications between the command there and in Europe. Sitting on the car is his sister Margaret and brother-in-law Jim Lamparter. We attended Jim’s 100th birthday party this year.
Notice the severely dropped front axle and shortened spring that lowers the car as much as that modification could (editor: also note the flipped tires to keep the white walls out of sight for a more sporty look). I asked Dick if he remembered how the rear might have been lowered, but he couldn’t remember the details. The top half of the windshield has been cut off and all four fenders were removed. The hood sides are missing and the top is held on by leather straps. I asked Dick if the engine had been hopped up, but he thought that it was a stock unit. This car was not a big investment, but rather getting the most fun out of what was available during the Great Depression. I also asked about the radiator mascot and figure on the front of the radiator. Unfortunately, his memories are a bit sketchy, but when I suggested that the figure on the radiator looked like the Felix Chevrolet (a Los Angeles Chevrolet dealer, still in business) Felix the Cat, with the emblem cut off, he chuckled and said: “I was strictly a Ford man”. Dick’s next car was a Ford Model A that was more practical, but not as much fun."