So, What's in A Name?
By noderel:
Photo by Roger Rohrdanz
Boy, talk about a storm, the win of the AMBR by a tub has caused just that. The common thread in all the commotion is that it is America’s Most Beautiful ROADSTER!
Hey, I get it. I won that big one with a concept roadster when all the other roadsters were normal. Some growling then. I had a tub when one such was in no way the hot rod to have. But, let’s put this in context.
Back in the dark ages when Sritchfield formed the Roadsters Of Los Angeles, we had some intense debates as to what the cut-off year should be. Never about what a Roadster really was. Finally, we settled on l937, because we knew of some Ford roadsters of that year having been produced by Ford. So, in the way of a definition, we proclaimed that a roadster did not have roll-up windows. OOPS. What about the convertibles of the era. We had them in the club, and there was no grousing about their having roll-up windows.
And we had tubs (touring’s, phaetons, whatever the name might be). And, we had convertible sedans, which had drop tops as well as wind-up door glass. In the end, by implied agreement, we decided we would decide on a case-by-case basis.
So, now we come to the AMBR argument. If the most prestigious hot rod club in the world accepts tubs as full members, should the National Roadster Show define otherwise? Should the contenders for AMBR be more narrowly defined? If that is to be true, how can one of the new “roadster” bodies with hide-away folding top mechanism and roll-up door glass be a roadster? In fact, how can any non-production Detroit type car body be a roadster? It gets even stinkier if we try a different definition, such as the number of seats. If a roadster can have only a single front bench seat, does that eliminate a roadster with a rumble seat?
Can a REAL roadster never have full or partial fenders? Can it run without a hood? Must it never have a top? Can it only have Eisenglass curtains? Well, you get the delimma.
If this kind of narrow approach to the AMBR is applied, we end up with a dangerously singular approval of what is allowed in hot rodding, and that, bucko, is exactly opposite to the true nature of hot rodding. For me, the true and honest application of any title in hot rodding should be simply, Personal Preference.
No, the AMBR should be reserved for cars that we accept as roadsters, and that definition has been long established by the LA Roadster club. It should not be determined by a very narrow cross-section of individuals, who may possibly not even own a roadster. Perhaps not even a hot rod.
Well, that’s my take on it. You now have the floor…