The folks at target=”_blank”>Petrolicious are another great source for documentary style-film interviews with an artistic lifestyle approach to their post-production. In one of their more recent features Petrolicious got the chance to sit down with eccentric Southern Californian, Brian Bent, an embodiment of the era which he draws his spirit from and owner of the 1927 Oakland parallel leaf racer featured in the video above–be sure to check it out!

Oakland was one of the early platforms that was discontinued during the evolution of GM’s companion make program. Bent’s ’27 is a bare bones ride that maintains every bit of character from the golden age of hot rodding.

Though it looks fairly simple, Bent has done quite a bit of custom and fabrication work to really make the car his own, “it had a Pontiac flathead in it, I had to make the clutch pedal assembly because it had nothing, just the motor sitting in it. Pulled the motor up closer to the radiator, I patched the radiator, got new tires, and started taking it out at the Ortega Highway.”

From the suicide floor shifter to the wood-spoke wheels, Bent expresses his appreciation for this car in its entirety. He references that Oaklands were built a little bigger than the traditional Ford automobiles used for hot rodding. Because of the bigger body and longer chassis Bent says that the car, “drives straighter…and tracks really nice.”

He continues to talk about how the car’s frame and low end torque are an overall advantage when applied to the Ortega Highway’s windy roads and rolling hills. Bent likens driving the Oakland to surfing which he is also passionate about often hauling his 30s inspired wooden paddle board to San Onofre atop the ’27.

Through and through Bent expresses his life through a nostalgic lens. If eccentric and liberation are related in any way Bent certainly exhibits an exhilarating level of uninhibited spirit.