Bubbletops are a fascinating part of the custom-car world. Pioneered by such restyling maestros as Ed “Big Daddy” Roth and Darryl Starbird, Bubbletop cars wonderfully combine fascination of 1950s Americana with jet age fighter aircraft, rocketry, space travel and above all, the promise of the future, both real and imagined. The builder of this amazing car, Gary “Chopit” Fioto, admits that as a kid growing up on Long Island, New York he was fascinated with bubbletops, particularly those of Darryl Starbird. Fioto’s nickname, “Chopit,” craftily describes his central customizing philosophy. After he impressed custom-car traditionalists with his new interpretation on an old theme, a chopped ’50...