The McGee Roadster: Hot Rod Legend | Historic Vehicle Association Documentary 

This old hot rodder has tears as I write this note of thanks to all who've gone before me. Thank you.

This car oozes character, it truly deserved to become a historical vehicle

Pete Chapouris was quite possibly one of the most influential hot rod builders of the post-World War II era. Pete Chapouris restored the Bob McGee Roadster & got his start in hot rodding from his father, an Edison employee who installed power lines between Los Angeles and Boulder Dam. Pete's father earned enough money to begin fixing up his cars as well as building some hot rods. His first rod was a Model A as would be his son’s. Chapouris got his break in the industry through his friend Gray Baskerville at HOT ROD Magazine. Gray introduced Pete to Jim ‘Jake’ Jacobs as they were both bucking the resto-rod style that was popular at the time. Gray put what became ‘The California Kid’ and Jake’s Coupe on the cover of the November 1973 issue of Rod & Custom and, suddenly, Pete and Jake were in business. Soon thereafter, they got a call from Batman producer Howie Horowitz looking for a car for his TV movie ‘The California Kid.’ The show put Pete's coupe in households all across America and ultimately inspired Cal’ Kid clones to be built all around the world. Hot rod trends seem to shift every ten years. A decade after The California Kid, Pete & Jake’s launched the ‘Fat Attack’ with Pete’s purple flamed ’39 Ford convertible. Hot rodding the post-WW II, so-called, ‘fat fendered’ car, was nothing new but Chapouris’s marketing strategy once again jump-started the industry. In 1986, Pete & Jake’s was sold and Chapouris went to work at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) as VP marketing. He brought personality, pizzazz and more importantly enthusiasm and passion for hot rods of all kinds. He helped initiate programs that are still in place today. He was inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame in 1999. From SEMA it was ‘up the hill’ to Crestline, California, where he built a huge shop that turned out numerous significant hot rods including Limefire, the restoration of the Pierson Brother’s Coupe and the Doane Spencer Roadster, HogZZilla for Billy F Gibbons of ZZ Top and, fortuitously, the So-Cal Belly Tank Lakester for collector Bruce Meyer. Being so far removed from the action didn’t work for Pete and in 1995 he moved back to Los Angeles and opened PC3g in Pomona. It was a struggle, even to pronounce, and Pete didn’t know what to do. Then, one night, an epiphany-resurrect the So-Cal Speed Shop name and brand. He made the call to So-Cal founder Alex Xydias who had been canny enough to protect the name since closing shop in 1963. So, in November 1997, SO-CAL (now in caps) was back in business. This was all good timing, as the hobby was beginning to tire of Boyd Coddington’s smooth look and Pete’s New Traditionalist approach was about to became the next big thing. Surrounded by his old cohorts, SO-CAL turned out some important and ground breaking cars: the restoration of the Bob McGee Roadster, Kopperhead for Billy Gibbons, the Duffy Livingston Eliminator restoration and, of course, the iconic red and white scalloped SO-CAL Roadster. It would be cloned around the world, just as the California Kid had been decades earlier. Pete’s innate skill at being in the right place and doing the right thing made him a hot commodity. The first big job was a Bonneville ZT-T wagon for MG Rover. It would go on to run 225 mph and return SO-CAL to its lakes racing roots. Peter Stevens, chief designer at MG Rover and designer of the McLaren F1 said of Chapouris, “Such a fine guy, great eye for line, form and detail.” One of Chapouris’s proudest moments came when he worked with Mark Reuss and Al Oppenheiser on the GM Bonneville program-particularly when they wanted all the cars in SO-CAL colors-as had MG. Al said, “I was lucky to be able to call Pete my friend, and thankful for every memory I had with him. Together, we set 9 World Speed records in 5 years!” Regardless of all the project cars, Chapouris's enduring passion was to help young people find a place in life and discover their talents. In 2010 Chapouris became instrumental in the birth of the Alex Xydias Center for Automotive Arts (AXC) at Fairplex, Pomona. AXC’s goal is to help young people ( primarily high-school students ) prepare for a career in the automotive industry. One-time SO-CAL shop manager Shane Weckerly said it best when talking of Pete Chapouris, “He took many young guys under his wing and guided them all toward greatness.” By Tony Thacker

Hot rods in the beginning, hot rods to the end, they are fantastic pieces of machinery today

How on earth can you give this a thumbs down??? Are you mad !, cracking piece of filming, photography and boy what a car !. Many thanks hagerty for cheering my Wednesday up!

Great to see Ed Iskenderian ( Isky ) .... he's 96 years young.

I'm jealous that I wasn't around back in those days. Love seeing who and what started the movement of the whole car culture.. That's when men where men!!!

Love this. Great story for bed time. Now I can't sleep.

One of the best!!

What a little HONEY of a car.......thanks for looking after it.

Wow, I almost didn't watch this... totally changed the way I look at hot rods. Amazing video, thanks!

Amazing video. Makes me unbelievable proud to be able to carry on this traditional and to show my respect to the people before me who made this possible. Thx guys

Awesome video! It was extra special to me because I had the opportunity of meeting Ed at Bonneville in 2008 for World of Speed. It was my first time there, and on the morning of the second day at the hotel two guys (even older than me!) come in as we are paying. One was Ed (and if I am not mistaken), the other was Joe Lunati. I had a big solid roller Isky cam in my 62' corvette prior, so Ed I remember for sure! They were both so cool and so down to earth!! When they introduced themselves, I was star struck! Then Ed asked me how it was yesterday (since I was wearing a Bonneville T shirt). To be asked that question by one of the Kings of Bonneville, was unbelievable! It was on my bucket list to let him know what a pleasure to meet him it was, and wrote to his old company, but never heard back. :-( If you read this Ed, It was a highlight of my life!!

That was a great short film, I thoroughly enjoyed it :) Gotta love a flathead V8 !!! Nothing sounds like them.

Simply one of the most beautiful cars of ANY style ever . Superb film , thanks !

Great story. The car is so smooth it almost looks like a glass body. My next build is definitely going to be a roadster

Great car great story great video 👍

Awesome video and the history of Hot Rodding!

Avesome video thanks! My favourite "carshape" is the hot rod. But here in Europe (Hungary) the rules are very strict. No way to use on highway a car with openair wheels, without windscreen, and many else. That '40-s, '50-s and '60-s was fantastic in USA. The guys was inventing, modifiing, "racing" instead of playing with computer games. My grandfather went to USA at '56. He sent home a picture. He helped for a photomaker and that man had a hot road. My grandpa is sitting in that car on the picture. He wrote a lot about its sound, power, etc, and he told young guys can buy that cars. In Hungary, after the WW2 we fall in to the soviet era. In the '50-s we needed passport from city to city, and we must not have own car. This rule changed in 1970. We used some FIAT 500 with 18 horsepower or something similar, but maximum 50 hp car. The average was 1-2 cars/village. An USA car was 150-200-300 hp at this time. In the '50-s the USA guy built his hot rod, while the hungarian same aged guy did his overtime for buy a bicycle. This hot rod "thing" is a big USA idea what loveble from everywhere around the world. Many of hungarians build hot rods and they allowed to sit in only at their garage. The cops hunt them. The life is short! If you allowed to hot roading at your country, enjoy as lot as possible. Car is the best hobby I think :)

Awesome Doc. Just like good music we'll never see it's kind again.

I actually cried..

Never knew, Iskenderian is a living person !....in the late sixties, and early 70's, hotrods were scarce here, but everyone who could, put an ,aiskiderian' cam, into their cars. Was the ONLY good cam ! Very glad to ,meet' mister Ed and friends, and thankyou, for the GOOD work, that you have done !....you golden oldies !

That was just awesome to see that 1932 roadster and to hear the story as well so thanks for sharing with all of us.

Excellent, just perfect. Thanks.

Hot Rod Gang, Hot Rod and Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow just to name a few are the best Movies..

I believe " Isky" is now 99 years young ! Hot Rodding keeps you young at heart !

Fantastic! Thank you for putting together this story.

best episode yet so glad he kept the Flathead in it.

truly inspiring. Thanks for a well done piece..

Very few things in the world are perfect, but the McGee Roadster is perfect.

Thanks for restoring it with Henry's ORIGINAL Hot Rodding Motor !!

one of the best docs ever seen

A car lovers dream that never goes away . A old man stays young as his car .

Hot Rod history.....love it!

Excellent!!! So much info and history contained in a small space..........amazing.......thank you!

Amazing video. I loved every moment of it!

AWESOME. Thank you for sharing.

Wow! that was really fantastic!

Legends talking about a legend.

Outstanding History God bless American Hot Rods

I was born in '53 in the Bay Area. As a kid i loved hot rods and built plenty of models,orange crate,etc. Back then, hot rod owners did most of their own work, unlike the majority of today's wealthy owners.I miss the sincerity of those times.

What a great video! Superb. Thanks Hagerty.

hats off, beautiful, truly American and unique, love hot rods! This was amazing to watch. I live in California and I see these from time to time, either replicas or the real genuine car.

Excellent video!!! Thank you and please keep at it!!

I’m ready to build a rod.... Gear-Head for life!!!

Very interesting video ! Personally I had never heard of this car but as i watched the video I realized I had seen it many times through the years . Beautiful piece of our history !

Great video! Hotrodding is in my blood. Glad to get inspiration again.

Thank you for putting these magnificent videos together

These things are eye candy

Did any part of this business enter anything in to the 2017 harvest festival in Oregon? Cuz i seen a car that had your logo on it ?

Thank you for this video!

my fave is a highboy & this vid says it all

Ditto, Roman Avila Awesome video and the history of Hot Rodding!

this was good fun to watch! well done!

Love you guys.

Excellent!

Great show! Hagerty is really stepping up their game with video content this year. Bravo!

Historic icon car which lives forever, thank you for sharing this amazing and wonderful video. A lot of remarkable information to learn and to share.👍🏻👍🏻

Quite a lovely film.

Beautiful car!

Excellent video. Hotrods forever!

McGee family knows how to build them Hot Rods

Awesome guys. Outstanding video!

Thanks for sharing. 👍

excellent documentary

Very good story, great car and quality video production!

Beautiful story ❤️

Great story, great people, great car!

Pretty obvious that the people giving thumbs down didn't watch the video. They just troll RU-vid disliking car videos.

Simply awesome

Iconic... nothing else needed 😎

Great story,

ISKY rules, ah the golden years. i love these videos because i was there.

The Legend!

Great video!!

Fantastic!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

The car couldn't be in better hands. He's right - all of us in the hobby who own a historic vehicle of any type are stewards first.

Nicely done!

Great little video

And I can say one thing for sure is just too cool can't beat the original very nice awesome video love it

Excellent

Muy bueno!

Great video

I like your videos, you guys should post more often

So good to see this car with a flathead back in it. One thing that gets my goad is an old ford with a smallblock chevy in it. Absolute sacrilege.

Nothing more elemental than a 32 roadster, one day.......

Great story say no more !

The Great American Automotive Culture!

A long to own an old skool hotrod like this!!!!

'32 roadster, timeless style

now these are my kind of cars

America 's car. Period

Best hot rod video I have seen to date. Negative aspects were handled well and no bragging about who is better then everyone else. There might be more to say but using this roadster makes up for that. But at the same time it now resembles the original car at what period of it's life?

Love Hot Rods. But I'm a Kustoms person. Like to see a doc on that. Since I'm house lock down. My 58's at my Buds house. And can't work on it at the moment.

Definitely need a detailed die cast of the mcgee roadster in my collection or atleast a model kit.. Very nice most certainly the Ferrari of American hot rods

How does this only have 100k views in 2019?

Very nice, very traditional, but I'll take mine channeled with early Hemi power, like the AMT model kit many of us built in the 60s.

27 years old and thinking bout getting an old one soo i can turn it into a hot rod

A truly beautiful roadster, I can't decide which roadster I like better,the McGee roadster or the Doane Spencer roadster..hell I'll take both!

I saw 2 hot rods in my life i got very happy lol