In it's "pre-Kookie" days, Norm Grabowski's influential T-bucket graced the cover of Hot Rod sporting a blower on the Cad engine and black paint without flames. 

Norm

Here's Norm's car in it's first incarnation when he ran a blower with a single 4 barrel and before flames appeared on the body.

My original T-bucket inspiration

Norm Grabowski's "Kookie" car from the TV series 77 Sunset Strip got me hooked on the T-bucket hot rod 47 years ago.

Norm Grabowski's T-bucket, which was likely one of the most influential cars in hot rod history, met its end with this desecration. "Hmmm, I'll just add two more headlights, two more rear tires, two blowers, two high-back bucket seats and, oh yeah, the most hideous exhaust stacks ever seen on a rod." I can see a clueless ten-year-old building a model car with this "more is better" attitude -- however, for an adult to do this to a car that was inherently so visually perfect is absolutely shameful!
 

The Norm Grabowski-built "Kookie Car" from 77 Sunset Strip. 

The wealth of chrome gracing the March, 1962 cover of Hot Rod was found on the Highland Plating Special, which had its roots as Dick Kraft's T-bucket. 

While Dick Kraft may be most famous for his pioneer rail job, the "bug", his T-bucket which was built for dry lakes racing in the 1940's later morphed into the Highland Plating Special. 

Ivo's Buick powered T-bucket also appeared in the movie, "The Choppers." 

TV Tommy Ivo's T-bucket appeared in several movies, including the Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow. 

Ivo's T-bucket

"TV" Tommy Ivo's Buick "nailhead" powered dual-threat T-bucket was another great inspiration for me. Not only did it look great, but it was a consistent winner at the drag strip.

T-buckets in the music world

In 1964, the surf guitar group The Ventures caught record shoppers' attention with a strikingly raked T-bucket on their Ventures in Space album cover.

It didn't take long for Monogram Models to recognize the distinctive look and beauty of the Geraghty and Crawford T-bucket, although the changed the name of the car to "Green Hornet". 

When I picked up the October 1959 Hot Rod, I couldn't turn to the section about the fascinating T-bucket cover car fast enough. Geraghty and Crawford had built one of the slickest '23 T drag cars ever seen. Called the Grasshopper for its "Creme de Mint" lacquer, it sported a '32 Ford grill shell and tasteful pinstriping. I believe this car spent much more time in the "show" rather than the "go" mode. 

While Big Daddy Roth's Excaliber, later renamed Outlaw, was a scratch built fiberglass creation of Ed's, it had close resemblance to a T-bucket. What I really found distinctive was the rear end treatment that included '58 Impala taillights. Excaliber's rake also contributed to the unique look. 

"Big Daddy" Roth bought Tweedy Pie in 1962 and added 6 deuces, quad headlamps, chromed wheels, rear nerf bars, and updated the interior. It still maintained the really cool short wheelbase, raked look. 

Bob Johnston originally built his Tweedy Pie T-bucket in the late '50s with a full house '48 Merc flathead. Ed Roth did the pinstriping and hung out with Bob at Southern California car shows. He later repowered the stubby, 84 inch wheelbase show winner with a '57 Corvette ohv mill. 

Bill Roland of Gardena, CA, bought Ivo's T-bucket around 1964 and made a few changes.

John "Stitch Benevides" was into rodding with Cotton Werksman in the 1960's and his current T-bucket (shown at the Bonneville salt flats) is a really cool updated version. 

Cotton Werksman, of Chicago's northwest suburbs, built what was possibly the lowest slung T-bucket of its time -- Ardun powered no less. And a louvered fabric top? Too cool! 

Isky's timeless T-bucket

Ed Iskenderian, the "Camfather", also built a very influential T-bucket roadster in 1940 from a '24 Model T hulk he bought for $4. The '32 Ford flathead was converted to Maxi Overheads to produce a top speed of 120 mph at El Mirage dry lakes. It was Hot Rod's May, 1948 cover car and exists today in the Peterson Automotive Museum relatively unchanged.