Photo of the Day

Al Hawkins Chevy

The year is 1936 and we see a proud J. Allen Hawkins standing with his 1925 Chevrolet phaeton at an unofficial and pre-SCTA dry lakes meet at Muroc. Although Hawkins chose a slightly unusual ride to be his hot rod steed, the ingredients and look were familiar as he ran a Ford Model A 4-banger and hung a 1934 Ford grill shell out front. Hawkins was member #3 of the Pasadena Night Flyers, a club that would join forces with another Pasadena car club, the Velociteers, in 1945 to become the Pasadena Roadster Club, and ran his club plaque proudly on the rear of his car. This “tub” would evolve and evolve over the next several years and ultimately become a highly finished and very proper street driven hot rod by the late 1940s. A nationally renowned photographer, Hawkins was a go-to for the Hollywood studios when they were in need of a portrait done on a big celebrity… but he was always and forever a hot rodder. This wonderful image came to us via a generous donation by Cheri Hawkins ( daughter of J. Allen ) and is part of a large collection of automotive/hot rod images shot by Hawkins between the early 1930s and mid 1950s. We thank the Hawkins family for sharing these important images with us and for trusting us to preserve J. Allen’s work, going forward. ©AHRF/ J. Allen Hawkins family Collection (HFC_007)