Please take part in our Reader Survey!

Haute Wheels:
Doug Gardner’s Street Rod Collection

story and photography by Stephen Faure

Madisonville’s Doug Gardner owns some of the hottest Haute Wheels on the northshore: a pair of classic 1937 Packard model 120 automobiles. One is a 2-door convertible; the other a 4-door sedan. He also has a 1940 Ford—more on that one later.

At first glance, it seems the two Packards are antiques, but get closer and you notice some modern touches. Big chrome rims. The bodies seem to ride a little lower than one might expect. Shiny chrome engines, metallic paint jobs. What’s up?

What’s up is that these classic cars are highly modified “street rods,” which, according to the National Street Rod Association® is:

An automobile of 1948 or earlier manufacture which has undergone some type of modernization, to include any of the following: engine, transmission, interior refinements and any other modifications the builder desires. A street rod is to be driven to events under its own power and is to be used as a safe, non-racing vehicle for total family enjoyment.

Doug says, “I wanted to build classy hot rods.” He started with the right materials. In their day, Packards were among the most luxurious of autos and were more prestigious than Cadillacs or Lincolns.

Both ’37 Packards were re-built from the ground up; the only parts not modified were the car bodies. “Street rods are all different, not like something you buy off the showroom floor. Building one takes a lot of skill and allows a good deal of creativity.”

He’s added modern touches to the hot rods: the 4-door has an air-ride suspension that raises the body height for driving and lowers it for that “hunkered-down” show look. Both cars have what look like antique gauges on the dash, but in fact, they are modern electronic instruments. The convertible’s rumble seat is motorized; it unfolds open with an electronic whir, almost like a James Bond device.

The engines are also new Chevrolet 350s. “Ninety percent of street rods have the Chevy 350s put in because of all the parts and add-ons available for them,” he explains. Doug’s motors are also chrome-plated for that extra-cool look.

The 1940 Ford coupe was the first street rod Doug bought. “I was involved with Porches for years and went with a buddy of mine in 1995 to Pigeon Forge, Tenn.,” Doug says. He discovered street rods there at an annual event called the Shades of the Past Hot Rod Roundup. The next year, he and his son attended an event in Reno, Nev., where he spotted the 1940 Ford for sale in front of the auction house. After getting back to his office on Monday, he made up his mind, called the owner and made a deal.

Doug and his wife Elaine have lived in Madisonville since 1996, moving there from New Orleans. They quickly fell in love with the town, and have tried to be a part of it ever since. Elaine takes part in civic activities and Doug is on the board of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum. Doug organized the first car show this year as an added attraction at Madisonville’s Wooden Boat Festival, the museum’s primary fundraising event. “I’d like to get that whole soccer field [in front of the museum] covered in hot rods next year.”

Part of the allure of owning a street rod is that the autos are meant to be driven. Doug and Elaine took advantage of that when they flew to Reno to pick up that 1940 Ford. “We drove it home to Louisiana, and on the way we stopped in Las Vegas. We saw Hoover Dam, and even though it wasn’t on the way, we decided if we didn’t see the Grand Canyon on this trip, we might never see it. So we drove it there, too.”

What a cool trip in a cool car.