Photo: Barrett-Jackson
The world of custom cars (and by that we mean the true custom ones, put together almost from the ground up and with extensive use of imagination) is a very diverse one, and almost always there’s an incredible one out there looking for a new owner. Few probably compare though to the Rod-Riguez.
Despite its name, it’s not a South American build. Despite its base, a 1930 Ford Model A, and the many parts used on it (most of them U.S.-made), it’s not North American either. You see, by its place of birth, Rod-Riguez is… Japanese.
The thing you can admire in the attached gallery is the work of Junichi Shimodaira and his shop, Paradise Road. It was first shown exactly 20 years ago, at the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show, and because of the way it blends elements from the American hot rod and lowrider movements, and mixes them with Ed Roth and George Barris influences, it became an instant hit.
The car uses the Ford as the base for the all-steel body, chopped by four inches, and hiding up front a 303ci (5.0-liter) V8 engine, sourced from a 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 and working with a 4-speed transmission.
To continue the mashup, the builder went for a 1959 Cadillac front bumper offsetting quad headlights, and 1958 Chevrolet parking-light bezels at the other end. Inside, one can still find the donor car’s original gauges, but in front of them sit seats made from scratch, and an interesting-to-say-the-least steering wheel.
Winner of several awards, and an apparition in several magazines and even in the 2021 movie Licorice Pizza, the gloss Tequila Gold machine will soon be up for grabs, during the Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas at the end of June.
The auction house makes no estimate as to how much it is expected to fetch, but by going with no reserve the Rod-Riguez will most likely become the hot sell of the summer.
The thing you can admire in the attached gallery is the work of Junichi Shimodaira and his shop, Paradise Road. It was first shown exactly 20 years ago, at the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show, and because of the way it blends elements from the American hot rod and lowrider movements, and mixes them with Ed Roth and George Barris influences, it became an instant hit.
The car uses the Ford as the base for the all-steel body, chopped by four inches, and hiding up front a 303ci (5.0-liter) V8 engine, sourced from a 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 and working with a 4-speed transmission.
To continue the mashup, the builder went for a 1959 Cadillac front bumper offsetting quad headlights, and 1958 Chevrolet parking-light bezels at the other end. Inside, one can still find the donor car’s original gauges, but in front of them sit seats made from scratch, and an interesting-to-say-the-least steering wheel.
Winner of several awards, and an apparition in several magazines and even in the 2021 movie Licorice Pizza, the gloss Tequila Gold machine will soon be up for grabs, during the Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas at the end of June.
The auction house makes no estimate as to how much it is expected to fetch, but by going with no reserve the Rod-Riguez will most likely become the hot sell of the summer.
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