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    When I was growing up in the Buffalo area, I used to see this 1958 Pontiac based radical custom at the Clutch Artists Autorama every winter.  This radical custom '58 seemed to always be in attendance.  It was in primer for at least one of those shows back in the '60's. It got some nice yellow candy colors for some years. The last time I remember it, it had a green fogged and faded display of candy colors and pearls.
    What really set this car apart was the body work. Nothing was left unchanged. The head and tail lights were severely frenched, but still left the only clue to the original car being a Pontiac. 1958 was the first year for the quad headlights, this detail was preserved at both ends of the car.  This car was low, it was long, it was chopped, channeled and might have been sectioned as well. It stood out then and still does in my mind. Picture gallery from the rodandpiston.com website.  This picture gallery is from a car show at Fantasy Island, on Grand Island NY.  Its the green and white car with the license Plate LOW 58.
    In the fifties through the early 80's, there were quite a few of these radical works of art. Nothing was left stock.  Fenders were lengthened, shaved doors, the body may have been sectioned, and channeled over the frame.  Tops were always chopped or completely reshaped.  The work went way beyond adding a continental kit and Packard tail lights.  In order to listed as a radical custom, the car had to be completely redone, or built from scratch.  Ed Roth, Darryl Starbird, George Barris, Gene Winfield were the masters of the radical custom and hot rod.  Ed Roth in particular used fiberglass to mold his completely one-off customs.  His Beatnik Bandit or the Mysterion were good examples. Ed and others often used the bubble top.  This made for a kind of futuristic space ship look. And of course the interiors were just as radical.  The bubble roof was natural to show off the stitches.
    These cars seemed to go out of style for a few years. The Pro street thing had its day.  Restorations of muscle car has become a major piece of the enthuisaists' interest. The lowriders have always been around and seemed to carry some of the styling cues from the radicals through the generations. But pretty much, the creation of the radical custom or hot rod has been on the back burner.
    In the past few years, there has been a resurgence of the radical art form. Many of the classic cars are being resurrected or cloned. I have seen interest in the Ala Kart, the Beatnik Bandit, and many other classic customs come to the forefront. Some fo the styling features are making their way into the rat rods and full tilt customs.  I expect to see more of these cars or clones of them onthe bloack at Barrett- Jackson soon. And the old guys, like myself,  will be trying to catch a glimpse from the glory days or maybe taking some of that extra cash out to grab one of these pieces of history.