What is this Secret Roadster that Hollywood Hot Rods is building?

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]One more from the Grand National Roaster Show, the 76th edition here in Palona.

[00:00:04]And right now I'm here with Troy Lad, who's always one of our favorites at Hollywood Hot Rod. We're standing in front of >> I don't know what it is.

[00:00:13]>> And you may not be able to tell us, but what's going on here?

[00:00:16]>> Okay, so I got to kind of dance around the info on this one. So this is >> Now this belongs to Mr. W, >> correct?

[00:00:23]>> Who was the owner of your AMBR winning roadster, >> right? The Mhan Speedster was the the AMBR winner. same owner. See, yes, this is a roadster. Okay.

[00:00:34]>> And uh it's a really cool roadster >> and but you can't tell us what it's going to be in the end.

[00:00:40]>> No. Okay. No. So, we don't even have any renderings or any drawings right now even though the body is done. So, the body is a handmade aluminum body from scratch with wood bucks and in the old school manner of of metal shaping. But then this has a lot of modern technology and things to create what is still supposed to look old.

[00:01:02]>> Okay.

[00:01:02]>> That's why all the cast >> Well, now I'm looking at a vintage motor from back in the old early indie car days.

[00:01:07]>> Yep.

[00:01:08]>> You can tell us about that. So, tell us what the power tell us what the drivetrain is going to be.

[00:01:13]>> Okay. Yeah. Yeah. It's awesome. So, obviously it's a little offy indie motor. This one has been converted to and tuned down, I guess, toned down to be an absolutely streetable car.

[00:01:24]Obviously, there's no front belt. So, the alternator is built into the bell housing. Brrizzio was part of some of this early on. So, that's a different water pump to so it can cool. It will be electronically controlled fuel injection. So, it's not mechanical, >> but I've already not driven it, but driven it on a stand, run it through the gears. The torque tube is based on a Ferrari. It was a Ferrari torque tube that we reached to change the length.

[00:01:51]The transaxle is a I think it's Z1 quaif, which is six-speed transaxle. And then all of those together as a solid package is part of the structure of the chassis. The other thing that we wanted to do is what if it was a what if? What if we build a car with no frame?

[00:02:09]>> Yeah.

[00:02:09]>> So, um, under the floor there's bulkheads and stringers, kind of like a plane or a boat.

[00:02:14]>> Yeah.

[00:02:15]>> Uh, some guys have been calling it monco, like a monoc design. So, that's the idea. We have subrails here and in the rear, but there's actually typically no frame.

[00:02:24]>> Now, I see bulkheads like a motor plate.

[00:02:27]>> So, the rear motor mount is basically part of your firewall.

[00:02:31]>> It is. Is it? Okay.

[00:02:32]>> It absolutely is. Yeah.

[00:02:33]>> And is that happening in the rear too with the rear end?

[00:02:36]>> Correct. Okay.

[00:02:37]>> So, you can see how that would add structure as a spine down the middle. On Thursday night, there was more of this to see, but the owner came and he's like, "Nah, get rid of that. Get rid of that. Put that in the car." Okay.

[00:02:49]>> And so, there's a little less, but the there's a firewall that would be there.

[00:02:52]That was amazing. And the same in the rear. And >> you know, we're working with Eric Black.

[00:02:57]So, >> yeah, >> you know, it's >> now this is obviously dummy. We have a dummy suspension.

[00:03:01]>> Correct. Anything black is uh dummy.

[00:03:04]>> Okay. Yeah. So what has hap this piece has been cast. What's going on here?

[00:03:08]What what what is this going to do?

[00:03:10]>> So we'll we will have um some really cool A arms that go here. The steering linkage goes through here and connects to here. So the backing plate is actually the steering as well. And there's a little air scoop there.

[00:03:23]>> This will be for the like the shocks go here. There's going to be uh springs that are un undisclosed at this time.

[00:03:30]This is actually simply for radiator radiator hose.

[00:03:35]>> Okay.

[00:03:36]>> And and it's full belly pan.

[00:03:38]>> So Oh, that that's what's interesting, too. It's full belly pan, but that's a machined aluminum belly pan, not shaped >> one piece.

[00:03:46]>> Not one piece. We had to weld a bunch together.

[00:03:48]>> Okay.

[00:03:48]>> But yeah, if you look under there's actually little speed like fins and >> Yeah.

[00:03:53]>> and things. So, >> it's just next next level using all of the resources that are available to us now. But for us, >> we got to keep it traditional and vintage.

[00:04:03]>> Okay. Now, this is going to take some time. What are we looking at? Two years.

[00:04:08]>> Next year.

[00:04:09]>> Here.

[00:04:09]>> You think so? Okay. Well, >> the body's done.

[00:04:12]>> Okay.

[00:04:13]>> Yeah. The body's done. This drivetrain is I've already wired it and run it and like I said, driven it.

[00:04:18]>> Okay.

[00:04:19]>> The biggest hurdles for next year is paint, finishing, polishing, chrome.

[00:04:24]>> Is it going to be exterior exhaust?

[00:04:26]Exhaust running down the side actually.

[00:04:29]Actually, exhaust goes through that tube structure there.

[00:04:32]>> Okay.

[00:04:33]>> And then plumbing and wiring go through that down that tube.

[00:04:35]>> Okay.

[00:04:36]>> All right. And it's a roadster. Yep.

[00:04:38]>> And it's two seats.

[00:04:39]>> Yep.

[00:04:40]>> Okay. And is it going to have like a cut down race car like a a Brooklyn style or we can't say we can't. Okay.

[00:04:48]>> It's going to be a swoopy super swoopy racy thing.

[00:04:52]>> Okay. So So we got that. All right, everyone. That's what we've got going on here first at at Troy's booth here at Hollywood Hot Rods.