The Brian Frederick Photo Collection

Don Von Dwingelo's 1956 Ford Thunderbird at the 1961 Hartford Autorama. Don's Thunderbird was restyled by Don and Tony Bruskivage. The second version of the car, seen here, was debuted at the 1960 Hartford Autorama. Photo by Brian Frederick, courtesy of New England Speed & Custom.

John C. Silva, Jr.'s 1941 Mercury club coupe at the 1961 Hartford Autorama. John's award winning custom was chopped, channeled and sectioned. Power came from a 1951 Chrysler Hemi-engine. Photo by Brian Frederick, courtesy of New England Speed & Custom.

A photo of Leonard T Menard's 1959 Chevrolet Corvette at an outdoor car show. Restyled by Leonard, the car featured a wild panel paint and flame paint job. This version was shown at the 1960 Hartford Autorama. Photo by Brian Frederick, courtesy of New England Speed & Custom.

Terry Browning's 1958 Ford Ranchero, the Ruby Ranch at the 1960 Hartford Autorama. Terry came from Neptune City, New Jersey, and he was a member of the Haulin' Gents. Photo by Brian Frederick, courtesy of New England Speed & Custom.

A photo of Irvin Kirschner's 1955 Chevrolet at the 1964 Hartford Autorama. Known as the Princess and the Pirate, George's radically restyled Chevrolet was restyled several times by Tony Bruskivage. Notice the red paint and the matching red tires. Photo by Brian Frederick, courtesy of New England Speed & Custom.

A photo of Richard Korkes' 1954 Ford convertible, the Parisienne at the 1960 Hartford Autorama. The Parisienne was completed in 1959, and shown at the 1960 Hartford Autorama together with three other Korky custom creations. By then it had already received top awards in many shows. Photo by Brian Frederick, courtesy of New England Speed & Custom.

Ken Costello's 1939 Ford coupe at an outdoor car show held by the Piston Poppers of Littleton in 1959. Ken's coupe was restyled by Hank Fournier of Warwick, Rhode Island. The build took 8 months, and it was completed in 1959. Photo by Brian Frederick, courtesy of New England Speed & Custom.

Two iconic East Coast customs captured at an outdoor car show organized by the Piston Poppers of Littleton in 1959. The 1955 Mercury belonged to Gary Broccoli, and it featured a sleek, nosed and decked body, shaved door handles, and a hood punctuated with crisp louvers. The molding of the headlight hood seam and the removal of the front bumper guards accentuate its streamlined look, while fiery flames dance across the front fenders and hood, injecting a wild spirit into its aesthetic. Gary didn't stop there; he enhanced the Mercury with 1957 Cadillac Sombreros, dual spotlights, and lake pipes, turning the vehicle into a true showstopper. The 1955 Ford Fourdoor belonged to John Hollis of Waterbury, Connecticut. Hollis told Ray Soff that John Hychko built the Ford for him. Photo by Brian Frederick, courtesy of New England Speed & Custom.

A photo of Brian with his channeled and fenderless coupe in 1967. Photo by Brian Frederick, courtesy of New England Speed & Custom.

Brian Frederick of Rockville, Connecticut is one out of five original members of the Ty-Rods of Rockville auto club. The club was established in a small garage in Rockville in 1959, and it is still active today. In addition to being a hot rod and drag racing fan, Brian is also a very accomplished striper and letterer. Brian took a lot of photos of hot rods and customs in the 1950s and 1960s, and thanks to the fine crew at New England Speed & Custom this collection has now been digitalized and shared with Kustomrama.