Growing up in northern New Jersey, Rob Iulo had an infatuation with hot rods from an early age. By the time he hit his early teens, the young gun was already tinkering with some of the same hot rods, gassers, and dragsters that would decades later end up in his well-equipped garage. Through the local street scene, he met straight-axle guru Rich Conklin, and the twosome soon became fast friends. Young Rob became a regular at Rich’s “Hot Rod Farm” in Montville, New Jersey. The guys bonded over their love of the hot rod scene and their shared love for classic rides and vintage speed parts.
A few years later, the two would go on to form Radir Wheels, a company which re-created vintage wheel designs from the ’60s. “We called our wheels and designs ‘newstalgia,’ a term I coined to define our newly cast, vintage-styled wheels” says Rob. After several years at the helm of the company, Rob decided to part ways with Radir and head south to the bucolic beach town of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. There, he found a quieter way of life and room to spread his wings. After a few years teaching auto shop class at a local high school, Rob founded “Land Speed Automotive,” his own hot rod oasis in a landscape made up of vacation homes and mega golf clubs.
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From there the business has taken off, with work steadily flowing in and out of his shop on the island. Nevertheless, Rob has tried to find time to build his own custom rods and rides, staying true to his roots and his love for the ’60s customs and racers that filled his dreams over the years. From his radical ’32 Sedan to his latest dragster and gasser projects, Rob’s garage is always something to marvel at.
1932 Ford Sedan
This ride was built to be one of the cornerstones of the Radir Wheel company back in the ’80s. “I found it in a warehouse in Newark, New Jersey. It was basically stock and in pretty good shape,” says Rob. From there he built it up in true ’60s fashion, adding a stout LT1 pushed by a BDS blower up front, and a wicked cool Frankland quick-change rear out back. The body sports some subtle mods and is basted in PPG Wineberry with ghost flames. The finishing touches are a set of church-organ style headers on the side and a quartet of Radir Tri-Ribs on the corners with 15x6s up front and meaty 15x10s out back. Radir slicks finish off the look.
1932 Ford Coupe
This five-window is a barn find that Rob found in 1988. “I’m the second owner, and the car has 57K original miles on the odometer. It starts right up and drives nice on its original banger motor,” says Rob. The interior is original as well, as it still sports its born-with mohair upholstery. Plans for this one: Keep driving it the way it is!
1955 Chevy Gasser
This stunning ride was a joint venture between Rob and his business partner Mike Iannazzo. This tri-five started as a needy ’55 that Mike bought years earlier. It was then infused with a 396 L78 block they found at a local garage sale. From there, it was built up with an Isky cam, a Spaulding Flame Thrower dual-point distributor, and very healthy 13.5:1 compression. A Man-A-Fre 4×2 sits up top and adds some vintage bling and boom to this built big-block. Rich Conklin helped out with the straight-axle setup, and that neat spreader bar was reclaimed from an old spiral staircase. “This car not only looks the part, but it runs, drives, and sounds like an angry grizzly caught in a leg snare,” says Rob. Lucky for fans, Mike has this car on the road often and hits a lot of the major events with it.
1956 Chevy
This two-door hardtop was bought to be a father/son project. “My son Robbie and I restored the car. We wanted to keep it mostly stock but just make it a dependable driver,” says Rob. It still has its 265 c.i. engine shifted by a Powerglide trans. The original all-black paint and trim codes were kept intact. “The only thing we really changed was adding the Radir bullet-spoke wheels at the corners,” says Rob.
1937/41 Willys
“This car was found in Midland, Michigan back in 1984. It was an old hemi-powered gasser back in the day and was built-up the way it looks, with a ’37 body and a ’41 front clip,” says Rob. The car has been a slow and steady process over the last few years, and Rob hasn’t rushed perfection. “It’s got a ’69 426 Hemi in it, along with a 727 trans and a rare Art Carr push-button shifter,” says Rob. It rides on Radir 15×4 Front Runners and 15×10 Radir Bullet Spokes out back.
Dragster
This rail was built in 1966. “It’s a Skip Ormond car built on a Lynwood chassis and motivated by a high-rise ’66 427 FE side-oiler. A super-rare Hilborn injection unit sits up on top with its matching Hilborn/Weber intake. “Mr. J out of Paterson did the lettering on the body. We are going to keep this one as original as possible during the restoration,” says Rob.
’37 Ford 7Y
Built in 1937, this rare model would morph into the Ford Anglia in 1939 with some slight modifications. This one is in the process of becoming an all-out gasser/street freak. “It will have a 383 Chevy mill with a 4×2 Man-A-Fre intake up top. The ’57 Olds rear is ready and I have a vintage B&M Hydrostick trans as well,” says Rob. Like many of the others, this ride will sport Radirs: 12-spokes up front and a pair of 15x10s out back.
1939 Ford Panel Truck
“I found this particular truck at the Hershey swap meet and have owned it since 1992,” says Rob. Now it runs on a ’53-vintage 255ci flathead, topped with a trio of Stromberg deuces. It’s shifted by its original trans stuffed with Lincoln Zephyr gears and a torque tube rear. Keeping it all cohesive, Rob installed Radir 15×6 Single Rib wheels at the corners with Radir 8.20 whitewalls on the rear rims.
1954 Chevy Custom Pickup
This primer-basted beast has had a ton of subtle mods done to it by Land Speed’s own Cory Bergman. Modifications include a top chop, custom bed, custom frame, Fatman front suspension, and a triangulated four-bar coilover rear suspension. It will be powered by a beefy LS3 drivetrain when completed.
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