By Brian Brennan – Photography By The Author
I found myself wandering the Pomona Fairplex just as the 59th Los Angeles Roadsters Father’s Day Show & Swap Meet was about to begin, when I ran into an old friend. The first time I met “SIROD 2,” the 1927 Ford track roadster originally built by Pete Chapouris II and Pete Chapouris III in 1978, was early in my career as a magazine editor. Pete III, who is now well known for Pete & Jake’s Hot Rod Parts and SO-CAL Speed Shop, called me and asked me to come over because he had a nifty little roadster to show me. The track roadster emerged from a conversation of a father-and-son noontime bench-racing session. I had heard about the car from its appearance in Hot Rod, but now I had my chance.
I remember photographing SIROD 2 for the Dec. ’80 cover of Rod Action. Our paths would intersect one more time in 2004 when the car was featured as a “Milestones” story in the Mar. ’04 issue of Street Rodder. The track roadster made its debut in the Jan. ’79 issue of Hot Rod with words by the one and only Gray Baskerville (“Yer Ole Dad”).
So here I am, reminiscing with an old friend, when a flood of stories came back to me. I thought this would be a great opportunity to share two of them. One has to do with the license plate (SIROD 2), the second story involves the rearview mirror, cut from a piece of aluminum—could this be the first mass-produced billet part within the hot rod industry?
SIROD 2
This story appeared in the Mar. ’04 issue of Street Rodder. There is considerable speculation about the meaning of the license plate SIROD 2. There are several interpretations when viewing the license from the front or through one’s rearview mirror. The rearview mirror interpretation seems to make the most sense, as it resonates with Doris. (Reference to this was made in the first story published in the Jan. ’79 issue of Hot Rod.) However, the car wasn’t built for Mom, so exactly what is the correct interpretation? Well, here goes: Pete III’s uncle from his mother’s side was a fan of horse racing as well as an owner.
Uncle Garner Graham inherited the family passion for racehorses, which had been passed down by Pete III’s great-grandfather, who had raced thoroughbreds and quarter horses. Being family, Uncle Gardner thought it would be a wonderful gesture to name one of his racehorses after his sister, Doris. The twist was that he spelled the name backward, hence “SIROD.” Well, that explains the letters, but what about the number? Simple: the car was the second racehorse and therefore was the number “2.” And now you know the rest of the story.
The Mirror
To this day, you can still see the original mirror, which was once featured in Pete & Jake’s parts catalog. Initially, it was Lil’ John Buttera who created the first mirror for one of his builds. He then showed it to Boyd Coddington, who passed it on but thought that Pete Chapouris and Jim “Jake” Jacobs might be interested in it as a potential addition to their parts catalog. Pete jumped at the idea and produced one of if not the first billet aluminum part in our industry. When I saw the mirror, I wrote a little story in Rod Action about how it came to be and mentioned that you could get it from Pete & Jake’s.
It always pays to attend events, especially those with a rich history. All events have the potential to be great, but some already have a brand, and you never know what you’ll find or what memories will be resurrected.
-MR
