The custom hot rod Ala Kart began as what Ford model?

The custom hot rod Ala Kart began as a 1929 Ford Model A roadster pickup. George Barris, Richard Peters, and Mike “Blackie” Gejeian transformed the pickup into one of the most celebrated customs of the 1950s.

The project began in 1956 and was built during 1956 and 1957. Peters and Gejeian handled major chassis work in Fresno, while Barris shaped the body and styling at Barris Kustoms in Los Angeles. The finished car featured a dramatically modified body, a fully chromed chassis, pearl paint, and purple-and-gold scallops.

Ala Kart won the Grand National Roadster Show’s America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award in both 1958 and 1959. Its origins are sometimes obscured by the extensive modifications, but the underlying vehicle was a 1929 Model A roadster pickup—not a later Ford passenger car or Model B.