Judging by the overabundance of '60s-era cars in this magazine, you'd think we were forgetting all about the '50s, wouldn't you? Well, think again! We'll be the first to admit there has been plenty of focus centered on the later custom rods, but that doesn't mean the rest of the world has abandoned the more voluptuous, curvaceous cars of the earlier eras--just check out the latest from Rick Dore.

We knew Rick was up to something a couple years ago when we heard (from many sources, including Rick!) that he was on a desperate hunt for a '52 Cadillac. Earlier this year, we found out exactly what it was he had up his sleeve. His '52 two-seat roadster, a "dream car" inspired custom, hit the streets in early 2004, debuting at many of the winter indoor car shows (Dore and his roadster even made a trip to Starbird's Tulsa venue). But we had to wait till the spring thaw to get these images for you. Nevertheless, we think it's well worth the wait.

Rick started out with a two-door hardtop, which saved having to significantly modify the doors/tulip area had he used a four-door. Somewhere out in Arizona, there's a pretty cherry roof and windshield lying around, but that has no relevance to our story, so let's proceed. As you can tell (we hope), Rick's alleviated "overhead" amenities gave way to a custom roadster windshield; the cockpit ultimately succumbing to a two-seater-only configuration. The transformation is a masterful work of steel and fiberglass, with Brian Cline handling the windshield frame, Floyd Oldewurtel the metalwork, and Erin Ruddy the 'glass torpedo-like tonneau cover (all players located in Rick's hometown, Phoenix, AZ). For the pillarless windscreen, Rick called on Timo Taskanen to pattern and form a custom piece of Swedish safety glass. Obviously, the roadster conversion wasn't the only modification--add to the list: smoothed cowl, rolled, peaked, and vented hood, reshaped rear-quarter scoops, custom billet side trim (fashioned after a stock piece), angle-sectioned doors with rolled tops, sectioned decklid with rounded corners, frenched '48 Caddy taillights, smoothed bumpers, and custom, flush-fit skirts. Although all the bodyworking magic took place in Arizona, it was Antioch, California's Marcos Garcia at Lucky 7 that applied the mix of blended PPG blue candies and pearls. John Wright's Custom Chrome in Grafton, Ohio, took care of the plating, while Tom Haltmayer handled the polishing. But it's the paint job that really sets the Caddy off, as the intricate "blend" detailing by Marcos is the smoothest you'll find in the business! Along with Colorado Custom's Caddy-inspired billets with Coker wide whites, the exterior of Rick's roadster is pretty damn impressive.

The interior was no walk in the park to accomplish, either, what with the waterfall center console that flows directly into the removable tonneau cover (which separates at the armrest for detaching). The front portion of the console runs right up into a completely smoothed and customized dash, perfectly separating a pair of Wise Guys bucket seats. Other notable items within the fair-weather interior include a Flaming River column, Colorado Custom three-spoke wheel, Lokar pedal assembly, and full Dynamat insulation/sound-deadener beneath the Tom Heath Italian blue pearl vinyl upholstery.

Of course, there's even more work beneath what the eye can see. Starting with the drivetrain, Rick and Lee Larson installed a Chevy crate 350 and Turbo 350 automatic trans--nothing out of the ordinary (other than a Performance Products dress-up, Holley carb, Sanderson headers, Cool-Flex hoses, and a US Radiator cross-flow), but an excellent choice for drivability, maintenance, and so forth. Larson and Rick also swapped the old front suspension out for a '75 Nova subframe, then had Phoenix's AutoCore install a complete airbag system from Air Ride Technologies.

We think Rick hit the mark and reached his goal of creating a "dream car" style, one he'll have a hard time parking for any length of time...unless, of course, it's monsoon season! But then again, many a devoted roadster owner doesn't let a little rain get in his way!