Low-Flyers hot-rod club: growing old disgracefully

Cars with billet wheels and pastel paintjobs filled the arenas of events staged by the likes of the National Street Rod Association, and for anyone raised on musty 1950s magazines such as Car Craft and Rod & Custom, the ‘scene’ had become almost unrecognisable – and financially challenging.

Low-Flyers member Andy Collins designed the club’s logo

This was the environment in which a handful of twenty-somethings from the south of England found themselves 40 years ago.

Fuelled by equal measures of enthusiasm, gasoline and alcohol, these youngsters were more interested in driving than polishing their creations.

Just like the ’40s So-Cal petrolheads that had inspired them, this small group designed a logo and christened themselves the Low-Flyers, the resulting club plaque being very much part of that early aesthetic.

With a firm nod to the past, they were hell-bent on extracting the most fun out of every vehicle they built, be it a hot rod, custom or, er, bus.

1932 Ford pick-up, inspired by southern California’s rebellious pioneers

They built a lot of them, too. Of the 11 core club members, more than half were involved in the motor industry in some form or another, and nearly all had been disciples of the 1970s magazine Custom Car, whose irreverent ethos formed a strong element of their DNA.

Lone members could be found in London and Newbury, but the nucleus resided in the New Forest, Poole and Bournemouth.

In the 1980s there were numerous businesses (before the DVLA got involved) built around the buying and selling of numberplates, one such being Collectors Autos Ltd, run by Hampshire local Colin Kirsch.

The Low-Flyers club was inspired by the early days of hot rodding, on the dry lakes of southern California

Apart from ’bikes, he focused on pre-’60 American and British cars.

His adverts were always entertaining, in particular the one where he took over the Sandbanks Ferry to create a memorable photoshoot of all his stock.

Whether he knew it or not, he inadvertently provided a sandpit for at least four of the Low-Flyers to hone their mechanical skills, along with developing their group’s camaraderie: each lunch hour became a fever-pitched, barnstorming session of automotive imagineering.

Low-Flyers (from left): Deb, Dave, John The Hippy, Cynical John, Clive, Gary, Jensen and Ken at Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire, in 1987

They nearly all cut their teeth putting larger engines in Ford 100Es or customising Morris Minors and Vauxhall Wyverns, but it was the nation’s remaining Ford Model Ys and Pilots that became a prime source of entertainment.

With the latter’s flathead V8 and rudimentary suspension, it was the perfect donor for anyone wanting to build an early-style hot rod.

It is worth emphasising at this point that these were not ‘rat rods’, a title derided by the group; these were cars that paid tribute to the birth of the hobby and, like their American forefathers before them, were built with what they had.

It’s fair to say that, despite their meagre years, the Low-Flyers were among the first clubs – not just in the UK, but worldwide – to embrace and recreate those early days of hot rodding.

Original members of the Low-Flyers hot-rod club have found themselves captivated by the hobby all over again

With the then recently published books of Don Montgomery, the club drew plenty of inspiration from the rarely seen, grainy black-and-white images contained within its pages, and immediately these tomes became their style bible.

Most importantly, though, the Low-Flyers’ cars were built to be driven – and driven hard. The phrase ‘drive it like you stole it’ could have been their motto.

The first vehicle to really establish the club and its future look was the five-window coupe created by John ‘The Hippy’ Blackmore in mid-1985. 

He proved that a period-style hot rod could be homebuilt from scratch, and as a result it was all that was needed to spur on those already building cars and inspire those who weren’t.

John Blackmore’s 1930 Ford Model A joined the 100mph club at the Pendine Sands Hot Rod Races

Within months, rods were emerging from humble lock-ups built using parts sourced from wherever possible – sometimes even original running gear discarded by high-end street rodders.

For them, getting cars on the road was the priority, not glossy paintjobs; consequently most were finished in red-oxide or matt-black primers.

Initially, they were misunderstood by the more mainstream street-rod movement and infamously labelled in the specialist press as ‘the non-representative 1% of hot rodders’ – a label the group of course saw as a badge of honour.

Yet within 15 years, and the turn of the century, youngsters from Burbank to Birmingham were creating traditional-style hot rods.

The Low-Flyers hot-rod gang marks four decades not out

Historic businesses were relaunched around supplying parts, with names such as Moon Industries and So-Cal Speed Shop.

Even wealthy collectors were restoring famous ‘cover cars’ of the 1950s, with a class being held at Pebble Beach in their honour.

It would be difficult to lay the blame for this renaissance entirely at the Low-Flyers’ door, but they certainly weren’t completely innocent.

The club’s arrival at events was always greeted with a degree of excitement, as Dave Loder’s girlfriend, Lucy, recalls: “They would turn up en masse and immediately start driving about, having far more fun than anyone else.”

Kenny Brookes’ 1932 Ford coupe wears a polished version of the blue-and-white livery that the Low-Flyers hand-painted at a show on Hayling Island in the 1980s

On one occasion at Bruntingthorpe, they drove through the gates and, on seeing the runway in front of them, fanned out in formation before storming down the long straight.

Another time, during a weekend-long show on Hayling Island, the group, having set up camp early, sloped off to the nearby dunes and, inspired by the cover of a November 1954 copy of Rod & Custom, hand-painted all their cars in pale blue with a single white racing stripe.

Getting to and from events in convoy would often attract unwanted attention from the authorities or ’biker gangs, neither of whom would cause extreme problems, but Kenny Brookes does recall the time he was stopped by the police on the way home from a particularly vigorous weekend, when he had broken the brake pedal in his Ford coupe.

“Is that a screwdriver?” the officer enquired. “Actually, you know what? I don’t want to know.”

‘Getting to and from events in convoy would often attract unwanted attention from the police or ’biker gangs’

Much as they enjoyed hooning around at these meetings, as the club’s members became more accomplished both as drivers and car builders, their attention turned to organised sporting events such as sprints and hillclimbs.

As club figurehead Clive Griesel remembers: “We went to spectate at the Brighton Speed Trials and, before long, we were all thinking, ‘How do we get to do that?’

“We were told that we’d have to create a Motor Sports Association-recognised club.

“Low-Flyers wasn’t considered grown-up enough, so we came up with the Vintage Hot Rod Association.”

Andy Collins’ engineering students develop their skills on his 1930 Ford Model A

“Of course,” John ‘The Hippy’ continues, “we enthusiastically came up with a T-shirt and a membership card, but that was it.

“We never did anything else with it, and were happy to hand it over to Neil [Fretwell] years later.”

Some of the membership drifted away, but four decades later most have returned to the fold, all enjoying today’s expanded and, to them, much more relevant scene.

Along with traditional hot rods, the camaraderie and banter within the Low-Flyers is still very much at its core, and spending a day with them is a real joy.

The alcohol consumption might not be what it was, but the laughter and enthusiasm for the cars is definitely still there.

Images: Jack Harrison/Low-Flyers

Gary Janes: 2024 Formosa

Gary Janes produces the Formosa two-seater from his Poole base

Gary had always gravitated towards the outside of the box where the Low-Flyers were concerned.

Yes, he had a fenderless roadster, but it was full-size cars, usually customised, that really got him excited.

His best-known was a 1950 two-door Chevrolet Fleetline that, of course, was chopped, drawing inspiration from the George Barris customs of the early ’50s.

Being catholic in his tastes, he was also inspired by sports-car racing in California during the same period, although with the prices of Maseratis and Porsches being what they were, for most these would have been consigned to the wish list.

Gary with his Chevrolet Fleetline, inspired by ‘King of Kustomizers’ George Barris

Not Gary. Having always enjoyed the craft – and being exceptionally capable – he set about building his own interpretation of a period sports-racer.

So was born the Formosa, a handbuilt two-seater straight out of 1950s Palm Springs – via Poole, Dorset.

Gary has made more than 30 of these cars, powered by various engines, and they have found homes in 17 different countries.

Dave Loder: 1934 Ford five-window coupe & 1932 Ford pick-up

Dave Loder and his award-winning 1934 Ford five-window coupe

In many ways, Dave is the club’s prodigal son.

At Low-Flyers’ inception he was beyond enthused and built numerous cars, the most outrageous being a customised Austin Atlantic.

He would go on buying trips to the USA along with John and Gary at Collectors Autos.

“It’s amazing what people threw away in the late ’80s and early ’90s,” he says. “Today they all want it back.”

Dave in 1988, at a Low-Flyers gathering at Holmsley Airfield in Hampshire

By the end of the ’90s, Dave decided to step back and put his energy into his career rather than his hobby.

He moved to London, and for 25 years worked exclusively in the tech and digital world.

But as we all know, you can take the boy out of hot rodding…

So as work started to wind down, his passion and interest were rekindled.

Dave has rediscovered his love of hot rodding

“It’s now worse than ever,” he smiles. “I bought three cars this week.”

Reinvigorated, he now has a storage unit in Kent that is full to the rafters with projects and running cars, including his late-’50s, East Coast-inspired five-window 1934 coupe that, in a twist of irony given the Low-Flyers’ aversion to prizes, won car of the show at the 2025 Giant Killers event.

Andy Collins: 1930 Ford Model A coupe

Andy Collins is back in the fold, with his 1930 Ford Model A

Andy had been beavering away in his garage even before the advent of the Low-Flyers, chopping a Ford 100E and messing around with Model Ys.

As a natural creative, he was into both design and music – hence he was charged with drawing up the club’s logo and plaque – although his love of the latter would take him away from the gang.

Having read an article in Custom Car by Peter Stevens, Andy christened his jazz quartet Lemongrove after the plating company of the same name.

An earlier incarnation of Andy’s Ford at Bruntingthorpe in 1988

Playing on cruise liners, as well as the arrival of a young family, would keep him away from hot rodding during the 1990s and 2000s.

Back on dry land and back with the club, these days he lectures in engineering at Brockenhurst College, where students can be found working on and learning from his Ford Pinto-powered Model A coupe. 

Clive Griesel: 1932 Ford five-window coupe

Low-Flyers stalwart Clive Griesel with his 1932 Ford coupe

Raised in Fulham by motorcycling parents, Clive is the sole Londoner and the nominal leader of the gang.

At the age of 12 his folks took him to Santa Pod, and the die was duly cast.

A number of American cars followed, and he appeared in this very magazine in June 1986 with his ’58 Ford Fairlane – a car he acquired at the age of 17 and which he still owns today.

Apart from being one of the club’s larger characters, Clive was probably the most influential where referencing history was concerned, and among this band of brothers he is credited with unearthing the club’s name.

Burning rubber at the Low-Flyers club’s 1987 Bruntingthorpe meet

He had a keen interest in the hot rodders of the past and in 1983 set off to California, spending a year working with Dean Moon.

While there he bought a number of projects and parts that nobody else was particularly interested in.

Being a ’biker – Clive is proud that he always has a roadworthy old ’bike ready to ride – he is no stranger to having the wind in his face: most of his initial builds were roadsters, starting with £750 glassfibre bodies, but over time a number have been upgraded to metal.

Clive’s Ford five-window coupe can often be spotted at Low-Flyers events

These days, though, there are more cars in his custody with windscreens and roofs, notably his green-and-black five-window coupe or his F-1 Ford truck.

Not that he’s going soft: he still personifies hot rodding and embodies the true spirit of the hobby, whether competing on the sand at Pendine, leading a reliability run or parading at Goodwood.

John Blackmore: 1930 Ford Model A roadster

This very tidy Ford Model A roadster is John Blackmore’s weapon of choice today

If Clive personifies the Low-Flyers ethos, then John ‘The Hippy’ is very much the keeper of the flame.

He hosts a website dedicated to the club and is very much the group’s ambassador.

It is also fair to say that he is the epitome of someone who lives to drive.

“Prescott hillclimb is the most fun I’ve had with my trousers on,” he says of the VHRA GOW! meetings held there.

In the early days of the club he was building a car a year – five-window, three-window, ’27 Model T.

John in his 1927 Ford Model T back in 1988

The T he would tow to gatherings behind a Ford V8-Pilot, but it is the dark blue roadster for which he is best known.

If an event involves driving a hot rod, chances are John and wife Julie will be there in that car although, having become a member of the Pendine 100mph club, the A has been retired from that particular meeting.

The roadster alternates with a Morris Minor – an example of which he has owned since 1978 – as his everyday car, and there are a few more traditional classics lurking in the garage in the form of an Austin-Healey Sprite and a Rochdale GT.

Jensen Brint-Smee: 1923 Ford Model T

Jensen Brint-Smee’s 1923 Ford Model T is an ever-evolving keeper

“You’d often get a phone call that began with a simple ‘Gumball!’,” Jensen remembers.

“We would arrange to meet in a lay-by on an A-road and then all head off together.”

He would be behind the wheel of his faithful 1923 T-bucket, a car he built himself in his tiny garage back in the mid-’80s, and which he still owns today.

There was, however, a brief three-year period during the early 2000s when he was without it, having sold the car to Neil Fretwell, but his first wife bought it back for him as a surprise present.

Jensen has rebuilt it several times, most recently seven years ago.

An earlier version of Jensen’s Ford at Bruntingthorpe in 1987

“It gets better parts every time,” he says. “1940 Ford drums, ’32 front axle, chrome-steel wheels. It’s always been various shades of black, apart from that time on Hayling when I painted it blue.”

There are a lot of happy memories associated with the car, and the HGV driver fondly recalls the reaction to the club’s arrival on the scene.

“Nobody really knew what to make of us,” he says. “I overheard one lot on Hayling Island say, ‘Are they just a bunch of p***heads with cr*p cars?’.”

Time has proven that they were nothing of the sort.

Kenny Brookes: 1932 Ford three-window coupe

Old stager Kenny Brookes shows no signs of slowing down

Kenny is the oldest of the group, but despite turning 70 he DJs once a week and drag races one of the most famous cars on the UK circuit, the ’57 Chevy Roarin’ Rat.

Based in Newbury, he still buys and sells cars, but his days of running an MoT centre are behind him (a pursuit that, as you can imagine, came in very handy for members of the Low-Flyers).

Kenny’s first job was cutting grass at Greenham Common airbase, which in those days was inhabited by the US armed forces along with, more importantly, countless numbers of their Chevy Corvettes and Camaros.

A trip to Blackbushe then cemented the drag-racing bug, and he has been a regular competitor all his driving life.

Kenny with the same 1932 Ford back in the day

Through his contacts within the trade, it was Kenny who came by a Bedford Duple coach that club members duly modified and turned into a mobile clubhouse.

Show organisers were always quick to point the Low-Flyers to their own area, and the bus would become the focal point of their stay.

It was just one of many vehicles Kenny has owned over the years, and even today there are at least half a dozen cars in various states of repair vying for his attention.

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