The Grand National Roadster Show located at the Pomona Fairplex brings the best hot rodders in the world to one spot to show off their custom cars and roadsters. In this WRTV video we get an inside look at one of the most famous hot rods ever built, Ala Kart. Based on a 1929 Ford Pickup, Ala Kart is one of the most recognized hot rods in America. The creative design behind the truck is from none other than George Barris. Barris made a name for himself in hot rodding at a young age, customizing a 1925 Buick with his older brother Sam Barris. Eventually, the brothers took their talents to Los Angeles and began custom fabrication on anything they could get their hands on with Sam responsible for the sheetmetal and George was left with the design and promoting aspects of the business. The Ala Kart was originally built in 1957 for Fresno native Richard Peters and remains the only roadster to take top honors at the GNRS for two consecutive years.
The technological aspects of the Ala Kart are responsible for huge advances in the art of customized cars. The car features signature over-under quad headlights, a theme that caught on quickly in the 1950's. Unlike the traditional Ford fenders of the time that covered the tires then swept back before becoming flush with the body, the fenders on the Ala Kart have been cut back so the chrome suspension components can be seen. Speaking of the suspension, unlike other cars at the time, this truck has been "bagged", or had adjustable airbags mounted in the suspension so ride height can be adjusted by pumping air in or out of the bags using an air compressor.
Bringing this car to a stop is a fully electronic braking system that was state of the art at the time. It wouldn't be a hot rod if it didn't have an outlandish paint scheme, and the Ala Kart fails to disappoint with a magnificent pearlescent white with purple ascents that has been layered 30 times over.
No that was not a typo, this car has 30 coats of paint on it. Other unique touches Barris integrated into the truck include the anodized aluminum gold side panel and a quad exhaust. Powering the Ala Kart is a vintage 1950's Dodge Hemi engine. The hemispherical combustion chambers give the engine more power, and with a more modern multi-port fuel injection system, the Ala Kart made more than decent power. Enjoy.
