Ala Kart is a custom car, a customized 1929 Ford Model A roadster pickup, built by George Barris, Richard Peters, and Mike "Blackie" Gejeian in 1957. Originally owned by Peters, it is a two-time winner of the Grand National Roadster Show "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" (AMBR) trophy and Hot Rod cover car in October 1958. Featured in hundreds of car shows, Ala Kart has won more than 200 trophies. It has also made numerous appearances in movies, usually in the background of drive-in shots, and dozens of magazine articles since. It is considered by many to be "one of the most iconic hot rods ever built."
Ala Kart after restoration at the Wally Park NHRA Motorsports Museum
The AMT kit. The hood fit is poor, and the grille rake is not visible, but the chromed lakes pipes are, along the edge of the running board.
Ala Kart engine view (after restoration)
Closeup of the front of the kit. The slant of the headlights here is not apparent in photos of the full-size truck.
A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been altered to either improve its performance, change its aesthetics, or a combination of both. Some automotive enthusiasts in the United States want to push "styling and performance a step beyond the showroom floor - to truly craft an automobile of one's own." A custom car in British according to Collins English Dictionary is built to the buyer's own specifications.
One of the famous custom cars in the classic American custom style, the Hirohata Merc
1916 Ford Model T modified into a speedster, an early form of customized car
A 1923 Ford T-bucket in the traditional hot rod style
1959 Chevrolet Impala Art car
