It's quite rare that great stories fall into my lap. But when they do, I try to go the extra mile and do them justice.
This is one of those instances. Found this absolute gem of a gasser / hot rod on Instagram of one really talented lady photographer, Shen.
The Alchemist, this bitchin' 33 Ford it's an altered gasser. For those unfamiliar with the lingo, a gasser is a high-nose, rear-tire-smoking drag car that represents one of the most iconic eras of American hot-rodding, 1950s and 1960s. As key features, a gasser has a raised front end (for better weight transfer when those beefy rear tires start spinning), light and simple straight front suspension, hopped up V8, light body, wide slicks and oh yeah, an aggressive look. Gassers used to race in A / B / C Gas classes, depending on weight to engine size ratios.
To be completely honest, it's the gasser stance that stopped me from scrolling away when I found it. And of course its rusty / crusty look only makes it so much better. It was originally imported from Limerick Autos Pennsylvania to the Uk in 2003. Lance McCormack at Romance of Rust chopped the roof along with many other metal sheet work.
Carl Frith, who built and originally owned this car, sold The Alchemist to a chap in the 2010s but now the hot rod has been bought back into the family this year by Carl’s sons, Pace and Kane. I do believe that every chopper guy or hot rodder understands the pain of letting one of his creations go for certain reasons. Getting it back must sure be a great feeling.
Pace Frith is a pinstriper, sign Writer and metalworker and I do believe I've met him a few years ago at a hot rod event. Really cool chilled dude.
From the hot rod's own IG I managed to pull out a photo of the rod before being imported, the photo at the end. Needleless to say, it was a solid starting point but a big project.
There is not much technical info I can share at this moment about The Alchemist, as I was really keen on doing this feature before being dragged into something else life has reserved for me. Hopefully, Carl will be willing to fill in the blanks when it comes to actual custom work and engine info. So keep an eye on this; it will be updated shortly.
All I can say for now is what a beautiful Somerset Ford gasser!
Many thanks for making this feature possible to the awesome photographer Shen, thank you!
I hope I'll have the opportunity to see this class-act in real life at future hot rod events.
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