The Zingers inspired a generation of car geeks, and we talked to the guy who built them

Craig Fitzgerald, BangShift, July 22 2014

There was a time when custom car culture was as mainstream as professional sports. Back in the 1960s, custom car shows were huge events that hundreds of thousands of people saw over the course of a weekend, and the promotion that went into them was incredible. That’s the story behind the Zingers, a collection of cars built solely for promotional purposes, partially by a custom car builder not long out of his teens.

Chuck Miller’s first car was a 1950 Ford Coupe he picked up at the tender age of 15. “I paid $35 for it,” says Chuck today. “I finished it when I was about 18.” When Chuck finished it, Larry and Mike Alexander — the A Brothers — took a huge interest in the car that the young Chuck Miller built. Mike and Larry ended up photographing the car for a magazine. “I was 18 when my first car was in  a magazine. That was cool back then. I started doing different cars of my own.”

In 1968, Chuck built the Fire Truck, a C-cab Model T-based rig that perfectly blended every “every young man’s enthusiasm for fire equipment, the booming T-bucket craze and the enduring popularity of the early ‘C-Cab’ Model T trucks.” It was the kind of show car that people bought tickets to see. It won the prestigious Ridler Award for 1967.

In 1968, Chuck built the Fire Truck, a C-cab Model T-based rig that perfectly blended every “every young man’s enthusiasm for fire equipment, the booming T-bucket craze and the enduring popularity of the early ‘C-Cab’ Model T trucks.” It was the kind of show car that people bought tickets to see. It won the prestigious Ridler Award for 1967.

Lots of parts came in from Cragar, which loved to have their name plastered all over the cars as thousands of fans walked past. Goodyear also provide the 15×15 Indy tires on the rear. The Zingers that Miller built had tongues built on the front axle to make hauling them around easier.

The Zingers went on to become some of the most incredibly popular custom cars of the 1970s. A few are still around, though the A100 van sold at auction in Auburn, Indiana and has never resurfaced, and a second version of the Corvette that Holley commissioned was destroyed in transport when it got loose in the back of a truck.

Miller sold Styleline Customs to protege Mike Kieliszek a few years back. In recent years, Miller was honored with inductions into the Detroit Autorama Circle of Champions, Hall of Fame North at the St. Ignace Straits Area Antique Auto Show, Kustom Kemps of America Hall of Fame and Darryl Starbird’s Hall of Fame. The most recent honors are to be chosen Builder of the Year at the Detroit Autorama in 2010. He’s written a book, which is available on his website.