Welcome to the FastLane Rod Shop website.

For two decades, Dave Lane of FastLane Rod Shop in Donahue, Iowa, built award-winning, high-end hot rods—most of them ’32 Fords—before retiring and relocating to the Phoenix area. His cars graced the covers and pages of The Rodder’s Journal multiple times and earned top honors including Goodguys Street Rod of the Year four times and Hot Rod of the Year twice.

What truly sets Dave apart is that he did it all himself. A completely self-taught, one-man operation, Dave built every car from the ground up—starting with just a pair of frame rails in a jig. Except for engine internals and upholstery, every inch of those cars was created by hand in a modest shop nestled in the middle of a cornfield, just outside a tiny town of 300 people.

His career path took a pivotal turn in the late ’90s when he crossed paths with renowned
car enthusiast and Bonneville racer George Poteet. In 2001, George commissioned Dave to build a ’32 Roadster—giving him the push to turn his passion into a full-time career. (Before that, Dave held a master’s degree in information systems and worked designing computer networks for the Department of the Army.) Over the next two decades, he would go on to build five cars for Mr. Poteet.

Dave’s philosophy was simple: “If you want it bad enough, you can do it.” He only took on full builds—never small or partial jobs—giving each project his full attention. That unwavering focus built lasting relationships; he remains close friends with every one of the clients who commissioned the 13 cars he completed.

While the recognition and awards were appreciated, they were never the goal—and never even mentioned during the builds. For Dave, it was always about working closely with the client to define the vision and create the best possible version of that dream. His clients shared that passion and saw each car as a piece of rolling artwork – often representing lifelong dreams or treasured family history.

In two decades of building, there were challenging days in the shop, of course, but never with the people he built for. They were always a team. For Dave, a guy who grew up loving Hot Wheels and building model cars, it truly was a dream come true.