A 1950 DeSoto Diplomat DeLuxe convertible coupe with a front spike, a toothy front fender, and wheel hub weaponry lethal enough to make Ben Hur blanch hardly seems like the car to inspire a career.

Even though we had two years of publishing HOT ROD Magazine under our collective belts and there were 24 separate issues of "The Automotive 'HOW-TO-DO-IT' Magazine" in our library, HRM was still a ...