Take 5 With Troy Ladd
Hot Rod|February 2017

Eight years ago, HOT ROD wrote about Troy Ladd just as his Hollywood Hot Rods shop was gaining prominence and establishing itself as a thriving business. Now it’s well established, a thriving business and producing cars like its “Mulholland Speedster” practically from scratch. But it’s still in the same old, slightly ramshackle, small building in Burbank, California.

John Pearley Huffman
Take 5 With Troy Ladd

HRM] What has surprised you most about the hot rod–building business? 

TL] I could have never imagined the evolution of what I started then until now. It was year two when I talked with you before, and it was a passion and a hobby that I really wanted to turn into a business—you just hope for survival. I never comprehended growing to the point where we’re known and have actually impacted the industry. On the other side, it’s the evolution of the art. I didn’t realize how my artistic vision would develop over the years.

HRM] How many are working at the shop? 

TL] Seven at the shop. Plus me, plus an office guy. So there are nine total.

HRM] Are you making more money selling T-shirts or building cars? 

TL] We’re one of the very few shops that makes money building cars— building hot rods. A lot of shops have paint businesses or sell things like front ends. Or they have someone with money backing them. We literally survive and make money just building cars, period. T-shirts and stuff like that are nice little bonuses. That’s how I get paid sometimes with that ancillary money.

HRM] When someone commissions a car, that’s almost like entering into a marriage, isn’t it? 

TL] I prioritize the art. I have to make a living, but I don’t do business with people that have personalities I can’t get along with. Just because you have money doesn’t mean you’re going to get a car from us. We have to have a relationship. I’m a partner in the car. There’s a lot of time, energy, and passion that gets invested in a car that doesn’t show up on an invoice. It’s about trying to build the best thing we can build, and that’s what excites me.

This story is from the February 2017 edition of Hot Rod.

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This story is from the February 2017 edition of Hot Rod.

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