1937

Greger Strøm Special No. 1 of Trondheim, Norway. Greger's Nordic Special Racer was built in 1937. It attended one race at Leangbanen in 1937 where it beat Norwegian racing legend Arvid Johansen.

Glen Wall's 1928 Chevrolet Coupe of Huntington Park, California. Glen was a member of the Throttle Throbbers car club, and he owned the coupe in 1937. Photo from The Glen and Forey Wall Photo Collection.

The Phantom Corsair is a custom-built concept car designed by Rust Heinz, a member of the H. J. Heinz family. Distinguished by its unusual provisions for safety and comfort at high speeds, the six-passenger aluminum coupe was built by Bohman & Schwartz coachbuilding company in 1937. Originally intended as a pilot model for a limited production, the Phantom Corsair plans were terminated when Rust was killed in an accident.

An early Northern California custom, this 1936 Ford Phaeton was restyled by Tommy "The Greek" Hrones in 1937. Known for his meticulous craftsmanship, Tommy later refined the car further, adding a DuVall Windshield, shaving the door handles, removing the running boards, adding fender skirts, and bobbing the trailing edge of the front fenders. By the time it was shown at the 1952 National Roadster Show in Oakland, the Phaeton had become a standout example of Northern California’s unique approach to custom car design.

The 1937 Kurtis Tommy Lee Special was started in 1936, and completed in 1937. Handbuilt by Frank Kurtis for Tommy Lee, this boattail roadster was designed to be the fastest and most sophisticated custom speedster of its time. Built on a 1936 Ford chassis with a Cord 810-inspired front end, the car featured a hand-formed aluminum body, a Cord-derived grille, and a DuVall Windshield. Powered by a massive 318-cubic-inch Offenhauser twin-cam engine producing 300 horsepower, it was capable of speeds up to 130 mph at the dry lakes. Despite its stunning design and advanced engineering, the car’s racing engine proved ill-suited for highway use, leading Tommy to eventually retire it to storage. At a reported cost of $25,000, it was one of the most expensive custom cars of its era, surpassing even the price of many Duesenbergs.

An Unknown Early Custom from The Jimmy Summers Photo Collection. This sleek custom build, photographed with a 1937 California license plate, shares a resemblance with the boat-tailed speedsters Frank Kurtis was creating in the early 1930s. Featuring a distinctive DuVall Windshield, the man pictured bears a striking resemblance to George DuVall himself, a pioneer of the custom car scene and later a business partner of Jimmy Summers in the 1960s. Could this be another one of DuVall's early creations? Completed in 1936, Southern California Plating’s 1935 Ford Delivery truck was the first car to showcase DuVall’s iconic windshield, further connecting this design to his legacy. Photo courtesy of Karen Smith.

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The Road Rebels and Hollywood Throttlers were formed in 1937.