Platypus: A Conversation with Dana Newquist and Bruce Terry - West of Tulsa Show #0012

Join us for a fascinating conversation about #carcollecting and #metalsculpting with collector Dana Newquist and metal sculptor Bruce Terry. Learn about the unique artistry and #craftsmanship behind their work, and gain insight into the world of car collecting and metal sculpting. Don't miss this insightful discussion on the creative process and passion for automotive and metal art.

This week on the West of Tulsa Show we welcome two guys who you may know already from our social media. Dana Newquist has one of the most diverse collections around. I can’t say classic car collections because Dana has everything from a vintage fire truck to a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car and a 1948 Republic CB airplane that he’s converting into a roadworthy creation that he affectionately calls Platypus. Dana also explains how he came up with the name and if that name will stick by the time the project is done.

One of the creative minds behind Platypus is Bruce Terry. Bruce is a master metal fabricator who has taken his talents to new heights. He’s really a sculptor. West of Tulsa visited Bruce’s shop to see where he turns crazy ideas and dreams into reality. He gave us a tour and showed us the progress they’re making on Platypus. The 1948 airplane fuselage is being reimagined piece by piece incorporating Art Deco design into an automobile.

It’s powered by a 1948 Mercury flathead V8 which Dana says was a suggestion made by Chip Foose. Dana and Bruce tell the story about how they teamed up to build Platypus. The two men did not know each other before Dana reached out and roped Bruce into not retiring and doing this project. They talk in detail about how Platypus has evolved through the creative process, what works now and ideas that never got off the ground.

We ask Dana about the vehicles in his collection and Bruce talks about his decades of experience working on concourse vehicles featured at Pebble Beach Car Week, everything from Mercedes Benz 300 SL's to rare Porsches. Both men also talk about where their love of classic cars came from and its connection to their childhood.

The entire West of Tulsa team also discussed the possibility of Dana being stopped by the police in Platypus. Would he get pulled over just because the officer wants to know what it is? Or because the police might question if it’s legal?

Bruce also talks about his homemade English Wheel he uses to hand form the metal pieces. He shows us the components, why he felt the need to build it and how that one 1100 pound piece of machinery is his legacy.

Dana and Bruce also discuss a new project that involves an electric vehicle that’s more than 100 years old and is powered by several thousand pounds of batteries. Dana also talks about one of his favorite cars that used to be an MGM Studio lot car and one of Clark Gable’s favorite ways to drive around Hollywood during the Golden Age of Film.

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