Do you know why I love bubble tops so much? Because it’s not just a ghost of the era of space and rocket technology, no, it’s a look and a desire. A desire for the future, present and imaginary, a view of the future as something bright and full of hope.
Today’s car perfectly reflects these views. Beatnik Bubbletop was built by comrade Gary Fioto, who was hooked on the nickname Chopit. And for a reason: Chopit cut down his first roof at the age of 11. One of his principles is never to make plans for a car. Gary believes that you just need to start, and the vision of the end result itself will come in the process.
Beatnik started from the moment when Comrade Chopit cut down the roof of a ’55 Ford, and after that moment, work on the project lasted four years. There’s not much left of the car that was there then. Fioto used a lot of spare parts from a variety of cars: Cadillac, Chrysler, Lincoln… Beatnik’s front bumper, for example, was taken from Cadillac 59, and the rear bumper is actually also a Cadillac front bumper, only 58. The taillights on the huge fins are a piece of the Chrysler 60th. Almost all the running gear was given to the Lincoln Town Car of the 88th. Chopit prefers to take mechanical parts from newer machines: in case of a breakdown, the repair process will be much easier. The Air Ride suspension prevents all this beauty from scratching on the asphalt when driving and opens the tires with a white sidewall.
In addition to a whole scattering of parts from other machines, Comrade Fioto made a considerable part of the parts himself. A lot of aluminum and steel went into the front and rear fenders, and the rear section of the car as a whole: the steel was shaped manually, and then the parts were welded with acetylene-oxygen welding.
The interior, of course, resembles the concept cars of the 50s and 60s, which in turn resemble the cockpit of an airplane. Among the vintage details, the Alpine multimedia system stands out, including a screen for passengers on the back sofa.
And the whole thing is loaded with a small Chevrolet 350 unit. The engine itself is also extremely detailed: chrome hoses, polished parts, a whole belt system, Moon valve caps with small fins – it’s a pleasure to admire all this. A lot of effort was also put into balancing the whole thing: as you can see from the video, the sound is damn pleasant and smooth.
And yes, Chopit took care of the air conditioning system, so it’s quite comfortable in the car even on a hot day. Well, as comfortable as it can be, sitting under a bubble on a cloudless day somewhere in the middle of California.
Needless to say, Beatnik Bubbletop has received a whole host of awards. It will take a lot of time to list all of them. But at the moment, auto shows are a thing of the past, and the car itself is in a museum. One can only hope that Beatnik does not just symbolize a bright future, but that it will actually be like this, at least for himself, and he will not face the fate of becoming a rusted trough disassembled for spare parts.
Source: http://www.desert-motors.com/?p=2571 (March 18, 2016)
