Some times I'm convinced there's a higher power at work in the automotive universe. Some sort of "car-ma" if you will, insuring the celestial gears remain in cosmic synchro-mesh. I call this the Henry Force. Example: recently I sold my beloved 1966 Buick Riviera, conveyance for many of my adventures, some of which you may have read about here. With another hot rod project in the works, the sale was necessary to free up garage space and project cash. Here's the latest pics of the Coupe of Wrath, the 1932 Ford Coupe project it was sacrificed for.
As you can imagine the sale wasn't without remorse. Fortunately I knew the car would be going to a good home, a young lowridin' feller in the Louisville KY area. Within a week of picking it up, he sent pics of it in its swanky new shoes, 14" Cragar S/S mags on pinner whites. It will soon get hydraulics and Tru-Spokes, making it one kick-ass Mexican style lowrider.Exactly what I wanted to do with it before selling it.
From Mexican Rivieras to Mexican Riveras: soon after I received the photos, my artistically inclined lovely live-in ladyfriend Tammi Jo sent me an interesting story about the strange friendship between the south-of-the-border commie muralist Diego Rivera and Edsel Ford. The name "Edsel Ford" conjures images of FoMoCo's disastrous 50's model, in fact Henry Ford's son was long dead before that ill-fated project began. He was in fact a great designer, and was largely responsible some of Ford's greatest cars -- like my 1932 coupe. In any case Ford commissioned Rivera in 1932 to paint a series of huge Fresco at the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the location is now called Rivera Court. For subject matter, Rivera chose to focus on car manufacturing. Look close and you'll see schmoes hard at work putting together 1932 Fords.
And Rivera's detail of Edsel Ford at his drafting table. Squint and you'll see behind him a blueprint of what looks to be a prototype of the Lincoln Zephyr.
Update... reader "Mister Arthur" writes:
When my mother was young, her parents lived down the street from (and were friends with) one of the curators at the Detroit Museum of Art. Anyway, my aunt used to sit on the scaffolding with Mr. Rivera when he did those frescos.
Within a couple days of reading that bit, I received an invitation to display my last hot rod project, the Coupe of Justice, at a bigtime fancypants Father's Day car show. I like to think one of the reasons is Riviera paint -- midnight blue firemist, chosen to match my old '66.
Location of the fancypants "Eyes on Design" car show: The Edsel Ford Estate in Grosse Pointe Shores MI.
If you happen to be anywhere near there tomorrow, drop and say hi -- it's for a good cause, and good for karma.
