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Mods and rockers
ZZ Top's Billy F Gibbons is a man with an astonishing beard. And a taste for custom hot-rods
"Hot-rod automobiles have a rather smart-Alec element, and there's a sliver of my rebellious personality that still leans towards creating something just a tad irritating to the guy beside you," smirks Billy F Gibbons, lead guitarist for legendary Texan rockers ZZ Top, one of the most famous beard-wearers on the planet and hot-rod collector par excellence.
Hot-rods also happen to fit perfectly with the hard-rockin', moonshine swillin', Southern blues-men image conjured up by the band's 'Reverend' Billy F Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank 'no beard' Beard.
And they've taken the art form to the masses. The one 'rod that people would recognise worldwide is the '33 Ford Coupe-based 'Eliminator Coupe'.
The tomato-red hot-rod featured on the cover of their 1983 Eliminator album and starred in the videos for Gimme All Your Lovin', Legs and Sharp Dressed Man.
'Meanwhile, the band lurks by the roadside like a trio of fairy (or should that be hairy?) godfathers'
The storylines were basically teen fantasy stuff: regular guy in a dull job is visited by a trio of foxy chicks in minimal attire, driving in a madlooking hot-rod with ZZ graphics down the side. Said minxes give him either a) a makeover, b) the once-over, c) both, and he emerges as the story's super stud.
Meanwhile, the band lurks by the roadside like a trio of fairy (or should that be hairy?) godfathers, before handing over keys to the ZZ motor. The Eliminator became an instant pop icon.
According to though, creating the Eliminator was no easy task. "After chasing down a primo '33 three-window, we took the car over to Don Thelen's whackshack over in Paramount.
(To see more of Billy F Gibbons' hot-rod harem, visit our gallery section.)
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