Precious few creations are as profoundly American as the automobiles built in Detroit in the middle part of the last century. Those designs, in many ways, reflected the American psyche of the time.
A time when America believed that anything was possible.
One could passionately argue the years between 1948 to 1973 represented the golden age of American car design. In the 1950s, car designers showed us what they could do.
By the 60s, there was a refined appreciation of what they should do.
These were automotive designs that quickened the pulse even before the key went into the ignition. They were created by those who pushed the limits of creativity, art, and engineering, both in Detroit and the emerging hot rod scene.
The custom hot rod scene often provided the creative spark needed to move the designs in Detroit forward. In turn, these creative hot rod rebels became stars in their own right.
Stars such as George Barris, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, Joe Wilhelm, Gene Winfield, Bill Cushenbery, and Darryl Starbird dominated the covers of car magazines and the imaginations of many teenagers.
Von Hunter’s Vision
The groovy hot rod culture of the 60s had its toes firmly buried in the West Coast sands. Emerging designers mingled with hot rodding legends at events from Washington state down to Southern California.
Von Hunter was one of those young stars who saw that era’s cars as a palette for his artistic expression. So deft was his skill that George Barris took the photos that landed Von Hunter’s 1960 Corvette on Car Craft magazine’s cover in September of 1963.
The 1957 Corvette featured in this article was one of Von Hunter’s iconic creations. As was often the case, new car creations were the amalgamation of other cars to create something never seen before.
While the headlights and fenders came from a 1963/64 Riveria, other aspects of the car, later nicknamed “Ravyn” by Randy Koch, were hand fabricated.
The result is head-turning rolling creation that has drawn crowds of admirers for decades at car shows. Its graceful lines have been featured on calendars and in magazines from the U.S. to the New Zealand edition of Hotrod Magazine.
Koch Family Connection
As was often the case, soon after Von Hunter finished his stunning project, he sold it. This Corvette’s history remained a mystery until it appeared in a newspaper ad for sale in 1979.
The various rumors among the locals are that it sat for several months on a carousel display inside Ron Tonkin Chevrolet in Portland, OR. Along the way, its eye-catching design graced car magazines as well.
In 1979 Russ Koch purchased the car because he was looking for a new project Corvette to restore. You see, Russ’s hobby and passion were restoring stock Corvettes to award-winning conditions.
Randy Koch, Russ’s grandson, recalls vividly the 15 or so Corvettes that were part of the family’s collection. Of those, the custom 1957 from Von Hunter and a 1963 split-window were the family favorites.
Russ changed the front grill for a 1957 Corvette version and made several electrical and drivetrain changes to make the car more driveable.
Legacy Continues
Randy Koch’s “Ravyn” is more than just an award-winning custom Corvette for the current owner. It is part of his family’s legacy now.
Over the years, the Von Hunter creation has seen new paint, new upholstering, and a subtle raven airbrushed on it.
A new, modern Chevy small block now powers car the car through the twisty mountain passes of the Northwest and local boulevards for parades. Through it all, it has remained a car to be driven and enjoyed, not a garage queen.
While he has several updates planned, Randy plans to retain the original Von Hunter design’s distinctive look and stance. Tracking down the previous owners and history of the car between Von Hunter and his grandfather remains an engaging mystery to solve.
Keeping Hot Rodding Alive
While it’s true Americans didn’t invent the automobile, automobiles have come to define what it means to be an American over the last century. It has become a symbol of our freedom, individuality, and independence.
You can no more separate hot rodding and custom cars from this country’s history during the 50s and 60s as you can baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie. It defines us in indelible ways too powerful to ignore.
Randy Koch feels that innate connection to the golden age of American car design and his family every time he commands the small-block V8 to life. With every mile and every onlooker’s smile, he keeps hot-rodding memories alive.
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