History

The story starts in the early ’80s when those set to become the Lowflyers were just a bunch of blokes with an interest in hot rods and customs. All were already restoring and modifying old cars to some degree. Affordable and available British cars, such as Austin, Morris, Ford and Vauxhalls dating from the ’50s and ’60s, were ripe for modification. Clive being the exception that always proves the rule however – had a ’58 Ford Fairlane when he was 17! But it was the allure of the early American hot rodding scene that was always the dream.

The debut of John’s ’32 5-Window Coupe (above) in the summer of 1985 was a defining moment. The reality of a period style hot rod, home-built from scratch, was all that was needed to spur on those already building cars and inspire those without. The next few years resulted in a flurry of car builds, all built on limited budgets with basic tools in lock up garages. Those pre-internet times meant sourcing old hot rod magazines and books to learn how these cars were originally built. Parts were sourced from anywhere possible, often using original running gear discarded by street rodders, and then trips to the US shipping rust home became the norm.

During these early years the group expanded with members from the South of England, London, Thames Valley and Nottingham. By the mid-’80s, with the entire group now on the road, they decided to form the Lowflyers Car Club. Although a small group, at its zenith only ever having 11 members, the Lowflyers gained much notoriety in England and throughout the world at this time, when the club ethos of building, and most importantly driving, nostalgia style Hot Rods was adopted.

Originally misunderstood and shunned by the mainstream street rod movement of “park and talk” shiny street rodders, they were negatively labelled in the press as “The non-representative 1% of Hot Rodders”. The Lowflyers formed partly to enable participation in some of the major hot rod events, but mainly because a club plaque was an essential part of the early hot rod aesthetic!

The Lowflyers Car Club is now considered to have been responsible for re-igniting interest in nostalgia hot rods, not only in the UK, but throughout the world. The term “The growing 1%” was quick to catch on, and now it would seem that this small, initial movement pre-dated what is now considered mainstream.