George Poteet has always had a soft spot for the '61 Starliner, and although he loved the design, he still thought there was room for improvement. He enlisted the aid of automotive artist Eric Brockmeyer to bring those subtle changes to life on paper, and then he went to the Alloway's Hot Rod Shop crew to make them a reality.
Whenever we get the chance, we like to stick our noses into various hot rod shops around the country to see what's cookin', and one shop we can always count on to showcase a plethora of cool projects is Alloway's Hot Rod Shop.
Bobby and the crew never cease to amaze us with their awesome ideas and great craftsmanship. Unless you've been livin' under a rock or have spent the better part of the last decade locked away in your garage, you're more than likely familiar with the slew of beautiful street rods they've created over the years. Another cool thing about Alloway's is they're just as comfortable, and equally creative, with crafting later-model hot rods as they are SpeedStars and Deuce roadsters-like George Lang's '56 Skyliner, Chuck Row's '59 Impala, and Doyle Thomas' '55, for example.
This time around, we caught 'em in the throes of a cool build they were doing, one among many in various stages of completion at the time, and what do ya know, it's another of those post-'48 cars again-this time a '61 Ford Starliner for consummate rodder George Poteet.
The early '60s Galaxies were all-new in style, swapping the flamboyant trimming of the 1950s for an even more futuristic look. There were still fins, but smaller, with the focus of Ford's designers progressing from the airplane-inspired influence of the previous decade to the burgeoning world of space exploration. The Starliner, with its huge, curving rear window, hardtop design, and large circular taillights glowing like the engines of a spaceship, sure did the trick. Mr. Poteet loved the styling but wished to take it to the next level. With that in mind, he commissioned Bobby Alloway to basically dissect the Starliner and rebuild it from the ground up, incorporating his personal tastes in the process.
Here's a sneak peek at the '61 in progress, and keep your eyes peeled, as the finished product should be prowling the blacktop by the time you read this.
