One Bad Ride: The Stragster

 Vince Spretnjak, Mick and Tom Buddell, Anthony Gianetti and Bob Mugica along with the boys at Calumet Collision Hot Rod Shop are no strangers to building unbelievable rides.  With covers on Rod & Custom and Street Rod Action and features in Street Rodder and the GoodGuys Gazette under their belts in addition to numerous awards and Best of Shows, there is no question these felllas build rides to be reckoned with.  So five years ago when Vince's grandson and son created a one of a kind lego model, he took one look at it and said "I can do that!"  Lots of long hours and just a "couple" of bucks later the model came to life and this past July one bad ride hit the streets. 

Although Vince doesn't have a name for this beauty we have taken a little liberty and are calling her a "Stragster"; part Pro Street and part old school rail dragster.  We believe this masterpiece deserves it's own name and category!  Each detail of this ride is done to perfection, it is incredibly unique and totally unexpected.  (For example, check out the front down force winglets that turn into headlights!)

With a Builder's Choice from GoodGuys in Joliet ( check out the Pony Girl Blog to see this baby there!)  and the ISCA Best of Show at the NSRA show in Kalamazoo in September, all at the ripe old age of 2 months - this is one serious ride!

The "Stragster"  started out life as a '34 Ford three window coupe.  It's got custom, all steel tubular chassis and is powered by a vintage 354 blown Hemi with a Weiand supercharger, old fashined Hilborn fuel injection, custom aluminum heads, and a Vertex magneto for ignition.  Behind the classic powerplant however is a modern day Tremec 5 speed so when the "Stragster"  is crusin' down the interstate the rpm's aren't off the richter scale. All this vintage power flows into a 9" Ford 4 link with a Strange aluminum center section.  Wildwood aluminum discs on all four corners whoa this beast down in a hurry should John Law make an unexpected appearance.  With the open zoomies barking away at full tilt, this ride is anything but inconspicuous!

Rumor has it Vince is going to make the upcoming cold winter months a little bit hotter by bringing this beauty out for the Chicagoland World of Wheels show.  Mark your calendars and get there early because once the crowd gathers around Vince and his ride it is hard to catch even a glimpse!  To tide you over check out the video of this beast in action.

If you like what you see and have a craving for a wild ride or just need a touch up to your daily driver give the guys at Calumet Collision Hot Rod Shop a buzz, they can fix what you have or make your own one of a kind dream come true and the best part is it wont break the bank!  708-672-3676