Sitting on flattened tires behind chicken coops or overgrown with kudzu in played-out fields, the Southern landscape is dotted with the rusty hulks of cars from years gone by.
While many consider those old Fords, Chevys and Plymouths worthless hunks of junk – eyesores and rusty reminders of times past – others consider them priceless gems.
This 1931 Ford two-door sedan rat rod was built by Wayne Oliver, of Harrison, Tenn., and sold to a buyer in South Carolina.Those who see beauty in these beasts have formed a new club, the Chattanooga Rat Rod Association, that is headquartered in Ringgold.
David Rose said that he, Ben Langston and Les French formed the club Jan. 9 and a week later attracted 24 to their first meeting.
“We’ve only met for two months and are already the most advanced and most successful club sanctioned by the National Rat Rod Association,” Rose said. “We already have members coming from all over the tri-state area – Dayton, Cleveland, LaFayette – who will travel more than 100 miles round-trip just to attend these meetings.”