The Story of Annie the Hot Rod Granny, the Burnout Champ With a Big Block 1957 Cadillac
Annie Koehler smokes 'em whenever she gets the chance, and we sat down with her to learn how she found her passion for hot rods. The post The Story of Annie the Hot Rod Granny, the Burnout Champ With a Big Block 1957 Cadillac appeared first on The Drive.
We first learned about Annie Koehler last year when she randomly emailed us. She asked if we knew of any burnout contests she could enter with her 1957 Cadillac. We shared her story on our site and posted one of her burnouts on Instagram, where people went nuts for it. So, naturally, we had to pay her a visit in Illinois to hear more about her and see her tire-killing Caddy up close.
Ms. Koehler, aka “Hot Rod Granny Annie,” shared some great anecdotes during our sit-down. “My sister and I learned to identify the cars that were coming up the hill by the sound of the pipes or even the engine,” she said. “We could recognize a six-cylinder Chevy with a split manifold from a V8 Chevy. We knew the difference. And the Ford, We could tell the difference. We got interested then in who had the best car and that’s the fellow you wanted to chase after for a little bit, and see if for one thing, if he’d let you drive his car.”
She got the white Cadillac coupe she drives now through her son Jamie. He has his own engine shop, and acquired two beat-up old Cadillacs in a trade a while back. Annie took a liking to one, so Jamie decided to build it into a laid-back hot rod with a 489-cubic-inch Chevy V8, a hydraulic roller cam, Edelbrock heads, 700R4 transmission, MSD ignition, and the original interior. “Standard old stuff, nothing special,” as Jamie undersells it.
This is exactly the kind of car and project we love to celebrate on CARISMA—our video series about cool people and their cars. This Cadillac is not necessarily the most extreme machine on the road, but it was built with love and is clearly enjoyed with earnest enthusiasm. It’s clean, but it’s no garage queen. This is a car that was made to be driven. Koehler has a warmth that shines through your screen—and a lifelong love of cars that, we think, is pretty infectious.
If you enjoyed this video, give the rest of the CARISMA catalog a look. Last month, we shared the story of how a garbage man traded up to an RWB Porsche 993. That and more are on The Drive’s YouTube channel now.
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The post The Story of Annie the Hot Rod Granny, the Burnout Champ With a Big Block 1957 Cadillac appeared first on The Drive.
