Like it's 1999!

...and yeah, it's a little crazy, but so was this past year.

Starting today (12.30.09), you can order a single-view rendering (front 3/4, rear 3/4 or profile, whichever you like!) at prices we had in 1999! That's right, a single-view rendering of your hot rod, custom car, street machine, classic, daily driver, whatever for a discount! (pricing info is on our site at problemchildkustoms.com)  That's a fully-detailed, highest quality, 19x13-inch piece of art, ready to frame at HUGE savings...

These aren't some knocked-back, lesser quality versions.... These are the real deal, Studio PCK renderings as you've seen in the magazines and the Hot Rod Art Book. The very same detailed pieces we provide to the top shops when laying out a project car, or preparing artwork for promotional use and portraits as well!

All work is of the highest quality, and all renderings come delivered on superior quality stock, feature archival inks (8-color process with incredible depth and saturation), and are ready to frame. Naturally, all of this is subject to a limited-time offer, and full details are available on our site at www.problemchildkustoms.com

It's our way of saying "Thank You" for getting to do what we love every day, and saving you some cash on some great art. This is an incredible time to get that one-of-a-kind gift for someone special, and perhaps even knock out next years Christmas list for your hot rod building family member or enthusiast. Thanks again, and feel free to hit us up HERE, or give us a call in the Studio (contact info is HERE) with any questions, or to get the ball rolling on YOUR rendering. Happy New Year, and thanks again!

Two Cranks, Four Cylinders...

…and eight pistons.


While it sounds remarkably like a first-time engine build gone awry, it was actually a development engine from Ford, designed and built by Eugene Farkas.
In the 1940’s, Mr. Henry Ford was experimenting with lightweight, tube-framed cars, attempting to create a structurally rigid, but overall simple-to-construct car. And what better to power such a car than a very unique powerplant. Understanding Ford’s mindset of simplicity is key in the development process (even if this seems a bit extreme for only seeking to eliminate some engine vibration!). You see, the world was changing, and getting more and more complex. Ford wanted to retain the simplicity of the Model T, but create something powerful, efficient and reliable to work in then-present day America. The four cylinder engine illustrated this simplicity, but it lacked the balance of a V-8 (far less torsional vibration, even in a solid-mount configuration). In his quest for a vibration-free engine, this twin-crank eight was born...

Granted, it’s technically a four cylinder, but with two cranks and eight pistons, each moving in the opposite direction on combustion, thus balancing either side of the assembly. The engine had an overhead-cam, with a chamberless design (leaving the the actual combustion chamber in the block), running 1.5-inch valves. At 83 cubic inches (2.25-inch bore, 2.625-inch stroke), and running such a short stroke, this design would’ve been great for some high-RPM action, but, sadly, suffered from poor crank design (the billet cranks had no counterweights on the cheeks, thus exposing the center mains to some heavy abuse, consequently deforming at higher speeds). The cranks, incidentally, were geared together via herringbone gears (a pair each of left-and-right-hand helical gears per side), which were as quiet as a standard, single helical gear, but suffered no thrust issues. A large idler at the rear of the assembly acted as the flywheel, with the pressure plate (from a V-8 60) bolted to it. Furthering the quest for low vibration, the driveshaft speed was low, as the idler tgransferring power spun at roughly on-half of engine speed. A simple design engineered to arrive at the solution!

Another interesting fact is that this engine was constructed mainly of cast iron (aside from the aluminum oil pan). At the time, almost all of Ford’s experimental powerplants utilized aluminum. This considered, the assembly only tipped the scales at around 260 lbs, and looked pretty slick, too:



Looking back, a simpler solution, such as rubber motor mounts, isolators, etc, may have been the more logical, stop-gap answer, but Mr. Ford had sought perfection in design, and running a solid-mount would have reinforced that notion. Besides, it was a pioneering effort like this that makes for such a great story…

As always, I invite you to check out my website at www.problemchildkustoms.com for more stories, and plenty of hot rod and custom car design.

Adopting the Gonzo Approach

Many years ago, I was introduced to the work of a writer named Hunter S. Thompson. Bear in mind that this "introduction" came at a pivotal point in my creative career, and I was completely drawn to his style of not only writing, but his almost renegade technique of forming a story. Here was a journalist who not only covered the news at hand, but worked in a personal angle, often thrusting himself so deeply into the event he was covering so as to alter its outcome! "Absolute brilliance", I thought! Not mere "coverage" or "reporting", but LIVING it!

This was just too much... This guy GOT it! To a student of Fine art, this was the epitome of "creating" anything: Living it! Thompson's style of news came to be known as "Gonzo Journalism", and the name packs the energy rightfully reserved for this all-out, sensory attack, in which the writer himself becomes an integral part of the story. Somewhere between the facts, self-interjection and commentary, the truth lay in wait. This was the sort of writing I had done since I could first form sentences... I had found someone who had paved the way before me, and man, I was digging this. Taking something that has always been deemed as objective, and beating it into something much cooler and entertainingly subjective... showing that a subject or event could have an effect on the writer, and then, at times becoming a part of that story was just simple logic to me... After all, how interesting is just blowing some facts all over a sheet of paper (or a monitor!)? Stirring in (or up!) some emotion is key to creating compelling content. Anyone can say "gee, Stan... there was this one guy, and he said this, and the other guy said that. Then they shook hands." Wow. Not sure about you, but I'M drained from that story. What a cathartic experience... or NOT. Thompson would become the center of his work, very often blurring the line between "reporting" facts and "influencing" a story. He interjected opinion, an energy, and most of all, an experience.

That said, I began to look at this field of automotive art that I work in, and feel a bit depressed. It's gone from the fun, energetic industry to a machine full of photo-real, computer-generated imagery lately. The landscape is littered with 3-D models and tracings of the same-old, same-old.

Doesn't anyone just DRAW anymore?!

The creative projects... the REALLY wild customs and out-of-the-box hot rods are the ones that inspire and push the hobby to that next level... they've become fewer and further between. It's become... well, "safe". We're flooded with near stock-looking blah-mobiles drawn with a lack of personality, often with the actual car being just the same bland cookie-cutter crap over and over again. Wow... a photo-real 3D model of a '69 Camaro on aftermarket wheels... just like those other ones! What the hell happened?! It was as though Henry L. Mencken's "bathtub hoax" had brought some new lease on life in the car community. As though someone started the rumor that renderings needed to be sterile, lackluster depictions of some uniform style, and by golly, the whole group jumped the bandwagon, eating up the words and carrying it right into the common belief system they'd developed. Worse yet, I saw it start to occur in my own work as well from time to time, and it made me take a step back, and in doing that, I had a moment of absolute clarity.

I took the past couple of months and began heading back to what made this whole automotive illustration gig so appealing to me at the start: The ENERGY!! I pondered just what makes a rendering so valuable to a project, and beyond the financial (sponsor opportunities, press, etc) and communication (illustrating the modifications) value, it all boils down to CREATING EXCITEMENT! Simply looking at a photograph of a car can be cool, sure, but you're seeing something COMPLETE, FINISHED... and it removes the emotional response, the natural impulse to IMAGINE. To look at the idea SUBJECTIVELY!! By leaving just enough to the imagination, just enough room to interpret something, some part as YOUR OWN, you don't just LOOK at the work, you EXPERIENCE it!!

This is why I leave some loose lines among the tightened concepts, some free-form areas to chance... I'm not nailing down parts, bit by bit from some "rule book" ("18's and 19's? Check. Suspension lowered exactly like every other car on that forum? Check. Billet parts here, here and here? Check. Correct valve covers so as to avoid the wrath of the Traditional Police? Check, check!"), I'm inventing a concept to be shared, interpreted... EXPERIENCED by not only the owner or builder of the car, but anyone who happens upon it. Anyone (and I repeat ANYONE... you, your kids, your neighbor's Grandmother) with access to a 3D model, or some tracing paper and a few pencils and markers, or worse yet, Photoshop, Google and some time can bash out a lifeless, non-creative turd, and have it celebrated by the easily duped masses... but the ones who can hammer down a concept, and show some life in the lines, some ENERGY... man... those are the pieces that stand up to time, and drop their pants at the lesser crap. Compare a Stanford rendering to some Photohack from a guy in a forum. Name your three favorite Jimmy Smith renderings, or Steve Stanford concepts, or Larry Wood designs. Easy, right? Now try to do the same for three photochops or 3D models. That's a pretty tough one, huh? And do you like those pieces you named because the artist kissed your ass on some online forum, or because the work stood out, elicited a RESPONSE in you?

Pretty creepy realization, huh?

I'm not about to fall victim to this absolute "dumbing-down" of the hot rod and custom car industry... Rather, I'm adopting the "Gonzo" style, and going at it with the passion that brought me here to begin with. What's great is that I've never really fit in to begin with, so if anyone takes offense or has their feelings hurt by my shift in priorities, I certainly don't have to hear the whining, or fear some drop in the number of cards sent my way over the Holidays. It's just me, my art, and the drive to push it until the son of a bitch breaks from the altitude. I'm not about to fall victim to trends... to having the need to be accepted because I'm doing the same thing fifteen other guys are currently latching onto.

Our pal Hunter (from the start of this whole mess) stated that "he that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master". Grand advice... and a central theme here in the Studio. Draw inspiration from as many sources as possible! I'm often looking to objects or art forms so removed from cars that even I begin to wonder how they'll apply... and it's a blast! I'll look at a painting and consider the brush strokes, and experiment, seeing how they might work in a current or future piece. Perhaps there's a rhythm in a song that just makes sense when laying down the lines on some graphics... It can come from almost anywhere. The key here, though, is KNOWING YOUR SUBJECT.

INTIMATELY.

Simply hacking a few photos together, or painting some digital model or tracing a picture doesn't grant you any more knowledge of designing a hot rod or custom car than does accidentally bumping a car in the parking lot with your shopping cart. When you take time to know the car, to understand the parts and pieces that make the whole... to look into the designer's mind and grasp where he was going and WHY, well, you're starting to grasp the idea. You're in no position to modify that car until you understand it. Going back to Dr. Thompson for a second (after all, he's the reason we got rolling on this anyway), he once wrote that "Fiction is based on reality. Unless you're a fairy-tale artist, you have to get your knowledge of life from somewhere. You have to know the material you're writing about before you alter it. " Incredibly wise indeed, and the big "why" that so many of these sterile, cold "renderings" lack that "punch"... the thrill, the excitement of a GREAT piece... the ones that make you take a step backward and yell "BITCHIN', MAN"!!

With all of that strewn on the table, I'm going to go back into the Studio and tear the next project a new one. I challenge you to go and do the same in the shop, and wow the snot out of everyone who experiences your Gonzo build.

Meeting the Mistress

Back in 1980, Len Legere Sr. bought the remains of a ‘71 Javelin from a wrecking yard, and took it from a forgotten mess to the ISCA National Championship. The car had a HUGE impact on me almost twenty years ago, and still brings forth that teenage awe that it did when I first laid eyes on it at the Clutch Artists AutoRama in Buffalo, NY.

The one and only Mistress
Before we get too deep into it, dig on some video caught by my father those many moons ago (pardon the low quality– time has been harsh to the old VHS tapes, and his transfer was decent, but moving it online has degraded it a bit more…).

The car absolutely jumped off of its turntable that March day, and drove deep into my psyche. Here was a modern custom car… a contemporary take on the radical customs I was already obsessed over as a kid, but oh, so much more! That stance was aggressive, and not typical at all of a custom car, it had billet rollers, and those proportions, man!! Chopped and sectioned, and channeled just right over that custom frame… This was a 1:1 version of the models I was building! I can’t begin to count the hours I spent studying the car as it went ’round and ’round that weekend, but know this much: I was taking notes.

Radical Custom AMC Javelin
As a junkyard-trolling individual, I recognized the (then) late-model Monte Carlo headlamps, the Fairmont tail lights… but the specifications were branded into my brain: roof chopped 2.5-inches, body sectioned 3-inches, floors channeled 5-inches. I stood there, imagining the car sitting on the ground… how it would have looked, a whole, what… 40 or so inches tall? Awesome.

How’s the old girl look today? VERY well-preserved indeed. Some pics from this past Summer:

As she looks in 2009

It's what's inside that counts, too...

A modern classic
Anyway, I bring this car up following a week of finishing off a couple of pro-touring style car renderings, and a late night of pondering where that whole movement will go next. After all, custom cars grew to become milder versions of their former selves, save for a few notable examples like we have here, and pro-street became, well, pro-touring… Yet, almost 20 years ago, Len Legere created a car that would easily meld the custom and pro-touring camps, and left an indelible mark on my design sense. Since that day in the Buffalo Convention Center, I’ve worked to add styling cues to my designs that honor that pivotal moment, and have enjoyed the hell out of it all. Here’s hoping you’ll do the same, and thanks, as always, for peeking in….

Naturally, the question remains for my fellow hot rod designers (and those just peeking in, too!) :
How would YOU, as a hot rod designer or artist, update this car to compete once more in the modern day? What changes, if any, would you contemplate? Bonus points for posting up some ideas!

Happy Holidays...

to all of our friends and colleagues! A HUGE thanks to all who supported us this year, and to our "regulars" for the faith in what we do! Nothing beats hearing those words "just do what you do... run with it!". Just know we appreciate it!

With a shaky year now drifting into the past, here's hoping that 2010 brings out some more creativity and a willingness to really "push the envelope". I can't begin to explain what a cool year this was in a few short sentences, but I'll give you a quick summary of the places and people that made it such a killer year. Howzabout a sneaky-peek at the holiday card artwork... your friendly postman is probably carrying yours right now...

Starting in January we hit the GNRS in Pomona, and nailed a double-whammy, launching the Hot Rod Art Book: Masters of Chicken Scratch, which we were stoked to be a part of... Not only does The Hot Rod Art Book contain over 100 pages of beautiful hot rod art from a variety of artists, but it includes tutorials from a past Hot Wheels designer, Dwayne Vance on an instructional CD that shows the complete process from sketch to rendering plus a few extras. The first printing sold out, and the second printing will be in shortly, so if you missd it, grab one when these hit!

That same weekend in January, we debuted Resilience, the '52 Buick we were honored to be a part of with owners Erik and Paul Hansen and builder Tim Strange. The radical Buick received a ton of great press, both here in the US and overseas, as well! As the year rolled by, the mighty Buick cleaned up with some great awards, even capturing the KKOA 777 Custom Crown Award as America's Top Custom...and the prestigious Elden Titus Memorial Design Award... OUTSTANDING!!

While attending the GNRS, Paul and Erik Hansen were kind enough to invite me along to the Hall of Fame Luncheon, which was a once-in-a-lifetime highlight to be certain. We have some video from this all-star gala HERE on the site... Legends like Blackie Gejeian, Mary Slonaker, Dick Bertolucci, Thom Taylor and more... Definitely worth a look.

As the year rolled by, we were chosen to be a part of many great projects, meeting some incredible builders and designers along the way... We were even chosen to pen the 2010 Street Rodder Road Tour car! (see it in this month's Street Rodder Magazine)

This year also saw the first Hot Rod Industry BMX Challenge, which we were honored to create the artwork for. Organized by Tim and Carrie Strange, it was a great event held the weekend of the Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, and attended by many top builders and great folks in the industry. Look for this to continue to grow!

Add to all of this working with Denny and the crew at ProRides on their latest Drag Week monster, the "Sick Seconds" Camaro, which debuted in raw form at the PRI show... Look for this terror to swallow 1320 feet and thousands of miles in the coming year!

While staying thankfully busy, I took on some added responsibility, accepting the role as V.P. at Motorburg, Inc., a position offered to me by one of the founders and a HUGE inspiration in my work, Charlie Smith. The automotive art and design community has some incredible history, and I was brought on to build the community. Starting with a new website, revamped forums and a social network, things are REALLY starting to happen there, with some incredibly talented folks posting articles, tutorials, and just generally sharing tricks, tips and advice on everything from drawing to running a studio. Check it out!

Things just kept picking up, with the Hot Rod Art Book show at GINAC Gallery in Santa Ana, and more drawing and designing...

We began wrapping the year up with the Goodguys Southwest Nationals in Scottsdale, and were once again shown incredible hospitality from Scott and the crew at Billet Specialties... thanks again, guys!!

Speaking of Billet Specialties, dig on the new tees we designed for them to celebrate their 25th year, as well as some great wheels and accessories!

Rounding out the year, the wife and I continued a tradition we began some years back, and instead of exchanging gifts, she grabs a few "Christmas Angels" from the tree at work, and we go about giving a few kids a Christmas to remember... The kids get involved, and it's a great lesson in sharing and giving a hand to someone who may be a bit down. I can't say enough good about the program, and encourage you to take part as well.

And, just a reminder to give back a little if you can, especially to those who need a little cheer this season. Head on over to the Car Design Fetish store and grab a gift that not only supports a great cause, but gives back twelve times a year with some fantastic artwork! This is a great-quality and big calendar, too, at 11x17 with thick card stock and full bleed printing. Very high quality indeed, and with art from guys like Scott Robertson, yours truly, Micah Jones, Raza Bashir, Mark Weaver, Dustin Shedlarski, Wayne Manista, Charlie Smith, Dwayne Vance, Arvind Ramkrishna, and Sangyup Lee, it's a virtual "who's who" of OEM and hot rod design and artistry! Certainly a future collectible.

We're not slowing at all heading into 2010, and hope you'll stick around as it just gets crazier and crazier! Thanks again, and Happy Holidays!

Rendered Hope...

It’s here!!! The 2010 Rendered Hope Charity Calendar featuring transportation artwork from professional designers. This years calendar has a great mix of work from OEM, Hot Rod and Entertainment Designers. There is feature artwork from the hot Camaro, Corvette Stingray Concept, Scott Robertson’s crazy ships, west coast Hot Rods and more!

I was among the fortunate few to receive an invitation to be a part this year, and am stoked to have a piece featured among my heroes and colleagues, and even dragged legendary hot rod designer Charlie Smith along for the fun, adding a double-shot of Motorburg flavor to the mix! Just like last year 100% OF THE PROCEEDS will go toward buying Hot Wheels and toys for the Detroit Children’s Hospital annual Snow Pile Event. This is a great cause that you surely want to support... and you can certainly understand how incredible it is to see OEM guys giving back. Head on over to their merch store and grab a gift that not only supports a great cause, but gives back twelve times a year with some fantastic artwork! This is a great-quality and big calendar, too, at 11x17 with thick card stock and full bleed printing. Very high quality indeed, and with art from guys like Scott Robertson, yours truly, Micah Jones, Raza Bashir, Mark Weaver, Dustin Shedlarski, Wayne Manista, Charlie Smith, Dwayne Vance, Arvind Ramkrishna, and Sangyup Lee, it's a virtual "who's who" of OEM and hot rod design and artistry! Certainly a future collectible.

The calendar is a limited edition print and will be on sale now through the end of the year. So spread the word and get it while you can! We sincerely appreciate the opportunity to be involved with this project, and appreciate your help in getting the word out there more than can be expressed here. Thanks again, and Happy Holidays!

Performance in MOTION...

"There was no long-range marketing plan", says Joel Rosen in the new Motorbooks title Motion Performance: Tales of a Muscle Car Builder by Martyn L. Schorr, and like so many legends, things just seemed to take on a life of their own for Motion Performance.

Mr. Schorr brings the Motion Mystique to life with his in-depth, highly entertaining and enjoyable book. This is a book that reads about as fast as the cars Joel "Mr. Motion" Rosen put together. The author begins with a little history lesson about auto racing, going back to 1904, when the cars from Buick Motor Division were cleaning up at the tracks. We are treated to some racing history about the Duesenbergs, Stutz Bearcats and the Hudson Hornets (the Hudsons won 27 of 34 NASCAR Grand Nationals!), and the inspiration that a young Joel Rosen would draw from these cars. Interestingly enough, the exponential growth in speed and power over the years from these early supercars would be mirrored in his own brand of high-powered muscle.

In the mid-1950's, Joel became tired of the lack of hands-on experience offered in his college engineering courses, decided to join the Air Force and hone his talents working on airplanes. Shortly after his discharge, Joel opened his own auto shop and in his spare time competed in gymkhana and hill-climb racing with his wife. They raced a Corvette and did very well, but it was a street Cobra that brought major attention to his tuning talents prior to his alignment with Chevrolets. It was Joel's magic touch in dyno tuning that created a name for his shop, and soon, there was little time for wrenching on the neighborhood grocery getters... It was performance-only from then on.

Having a keen entrepreneurial spirit, he struck a deal with Baldwin Chevrolet to "built to order" street cars with a money-back guarantee. His success with the big block Camaros found buyers waiting in line across the U.S., Canada, Germany, Iran and Switzerland to mention a few.... and the list of Motion supercars was as impressive. Motion-prepared engines were finding their way into Novas, Chevelles, Vegas, full size Biscaynes and Corvettes. The success of all the Chevrolets brought interest from Pontiac and Oldsmobile as well, and even an Iso Grifo sporting a 427!

Joel Rosen was not a one-trick pony. His love of horsepower led to building super fast boats at Motion Marine, as well as performance street VW's and dune buggies at Motion Mini Car. Overcoming the obstacles placed before him by the oil embargo and the Clean Air Act of 1970, Joel ventured into building Mako Shark Vettes, IROC Grand Ams and Monte Carlos well into the 1980's. In 2005, he debuted an all new Camaro at the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas.

The book documents the vision and keen determination of an automotive genius. We are treated to a bevy of photos which add to the enjoyment of the story. You get the feeling that you are one of Baldwin Motionís satisfied customers... As my father put it, "I know my left foot kept looking for the clutch pedal. For anyone who has ever raced or even dreamed of racing this is one book you should own."

Truly a great addition to any high performance lover's bookshelf, the book is one of those rare works that brings the historical, emotional and factual ingredients together in a slick package. It has some great "repeat" value, meaning you'll find yourself cracking it open again and again... if not just to enjoy the great collection of photos and car features. Truly a wonderful documentation of something uniquely American.

PHOTOS CREDIT/COURTESY MARTYN SCHORR

Motion Performance
Tales of a Muscle Car Builder
Martyn L. Schorr
Illustrated. 176 pp.
Motorbooks
$35.00

Grab your copy here, and save almost 35%