David aboard his rigid Pan/Shovel, Kansas City, 1969.
Left to right: Hangman Skip, Tom Fugel, David, Tiny, and Turk—true brothers.
sissybar over the traditional English ribbed fender, the jockey/ratchet shift and the illegal highbars.
David’s dad was a lifelong illustrator and an active member of the Society of Scribes in London. The younger Mann was born in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1957 he first drew pencil sketches of hot rods while feigning attention in high school. His crude sketches opened the door for David’s first job, pinstriping cars for Doug Thompson and Ray Hetrick’s custom car shop in Kansas City.
The wild lure of the West Coast drew him and buddy Al Burnett into the tuck and-roll interior of a candy-apple red and pearl-white, customized 1947 Chevy coupe, and they peeled rubber to Santa Monica, California. While cruising the seaside community he stumbled across Bay Area Muffler, an area custom car house, and there he discovered completely insane chopped Harleys. The bikes drove him wild. They projected freedom, power and mobility with every chromed curve. Dave was immediately hooked. much like the rest of us.