Post #590337 by Sabu The Coconut Boy on Mon, May 23, 2011 1:26 PM

Thanks for good and on-topic input, Everybody.

Sven & Brudda Bear - You've got it right. Hoping to focus on the vintage connections in this thread, since we've already got several other threads for modern Tiki cars & trucks. That doesn't mean however that we can't post modern photos of vintage cars that had a tiki or Polynesian-pop connection. And if you find that old guy in your neighborhood who has a backyard full of old hot-rods and tikis, then BY ALL MEANS post some photos.

It's interesting how the two least-tiki looking vehicles (the Tahitian and the Polynesian) are from the early 1950s and probably influenced more from pre-tiki culture (maybe South-Seas or Beachomber bars and South Seas films?), before carved tikis had really made the scene. In the case of the Tahitian at least, the name might have been chosen because of the paint-job. It seemed to have resembled a Tahitian sunset, perhaps. Don't know what the paint-job was like on the Polynesian.

Love the bamboo-font on the Hawaiian dragster.

Bigbro - totally forgot about the Hula Hut in Whittier and the "Hutters". Would love to see more photos of that car club.

Also - great catch on that tiki mask logo being pretty much the same one on your decals. It also reminded me of the old mask-and-shield signs that appeared over some tiki restaurants as well.

hewey - I didn't know about the pith-helmet craze. Wonder what that was influenced by. Also, beautiful video of that Dodge Turbine in front of the Bali Hai - I'd never seen that before.

msteeln - it must have been great growing up so close to Ed Roth's shop in the 60s. I remember the street I lived on in the 60s & 70s had a custom chopper club at the end of the block. Beautiful Candy-Flake choppers, some in custom styles that Ed Roth would have been proud of, used to cruise up and down my street on Saturdays. Used to see a lot of dune buggies and custom vans too. I miss those sights.