When Cars Had Fins

I wrote this poem a few years ago. I was thinking of putting a bunch of my old photos from the scrapbook up with some Rock-n-Roll by Dagmar and the Seductones, then Dagmar reminded me of the poem, and I decided that they might just make a good background for it, so I put it together that way. All the cars in the early part of the video were either mine, or relatives of mine. Some near the end were from 1970's car shows in Georgia, Stone Mountain and Andalusia Alabama rod run.

Also: I've had a few folks ask for the words, so I posted them here below. Thanks.

When Cars Had Fins

So, I've got this old car,
a Hot Rod...
a serious piece of iron
a duel exhaust Rumbler
a tire smoking
gear shifting
full bore screaming
hunk of Detroit
vintage technology
guzzling $3 a gallon gasoline
and polluting the environment and
speeding my heart
like a mainline shot
of adrenalin
every time I step on the gas....

You can't get that
from no Japaneeze
hunk of tin...
No matter if it does have
more technology involved
than the Apollo Moon Lander...

There ain't no substitute for
vintage American iron
thumping
un-economially
matching
beat for beat
the rhythm of my
teen age heart....

Sometimes
I go out and I
get in her and I
thromp on the accelerator
a half dozen times
to get a
good shot of gas down the
carburetor and into the intake
and in range of the spark plug/pistons
so I can turn over the starter and
listen to her catch and lope and
stutter into life,
running on seven cylinders
till that broken ring
worn camshaft
piston wakes up and even then
she doesn't
smooth out....
'cause she ain't smooth...

Ain't supposed to be smooth...

She is meant to run with that
wicked kabooka kabooka
kabooka rumble
just like Ed Iskenderian
intended her to do...

I ease her into gear and
slowly release the clutch and
she lurches and catches and
vibrates
like a rocket
waiting on the lunching pad for the countdown
and when I do gas her
she sings
rhythm and harmony
out of twin pipes
barks rubber between the
gears and pins me back
in my seat..

As the speedometer climbs and
my awareness of the likelihood of
some rookie police officer
out there
somewhere
who never had a chance
to chase down a
vintage piece of Hot Rod
history,
waiting, like a kid
anxious to loose his
virginity
causes me to
back off
just shy of 100 miles
an hour
and let her drift down to a
nearly acceptable
speed
'cause I don't want to
give him the
satisfaction....

The old cops
who grew up
street racing
like me
don't care....

They look the other way
or wave and smile
appreciating someone
willing to make a commitment
to keep a little bit
of the old life
alive...
a little longer
even if the odds
insurance prices
pollution laws
rust
and the
high cost of gasoline
stands against it.....

For there is something good
in the heart of an old man like me
who can remember
what it was like
to be a kid
in America
when cars
had fins.....

12/07/2005

Richard Peek

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• hot rod poetry
• slam poetry
• rat rod
• hot rod
• antique cars

[chevy67292truckcst]

Really nice sir i really love the old chevys

[rpeek]

@chevy67292truckcst Thank You!

[sparkscarz]

damn fucking straight!

[rpeek]

@sparkscarz Thank You!

[GODZILLAMANASS]

I had tear running down my cheek by the end of this, and there aint much that can make that happen.

[rpeek]

@GODZILLAMANASS Wow! Cool.. A real motor head.. Nice to meet ya.

[rpeek]

@TheFirehawk396 Who's Justin Bieber?

[packardkid1984]

I love this! it sums up everything that's good with the world. Hotrodding is more than a hobby its a way of life a feeling in your soul, this sums it up thanks!

[9511eqloco]

I love Japanese and European cars but as he said, their is nothing better than the rumble and sound of an all American V8.

[rpeek]

@TheGarnerjustin73 Thank You! Glad you like it... R.

[TheGarnerjustin73]

I listen to this at least once a week. Absolutely love it.

[rpeek]

@jebsr50 Well Thank You James. Very nice to hear from you and thank you for your service for all those years.