The Bob Hamke T-Roadster

Another day, another t-roadster built in the early 1950’s in Indianapolis, Indiana. This one comes to us from Bob Hamke. Bob actually started with a truck cab and then used the rear section of a coupe – taking the long road to what we call a “coupester” these days. In any case, the result is a car that isn’t quite as sleek or proportionally perfect as the McKenzie roadster that we featured yesterday, but one that does have a pretty impressive performance history.

Rather than dolling his car up for the Oakland Roadster show like McKenzie did, Bob stripped his roadster and headed to Bonneville. In 1951, the 306″ flathead powered car proved its valor by running 149 mph. Later in the day, Bob switched to alcohol while aiming for the 160 mph barrier. The result was a hydro-locked motor and a long trip back to Indiana.

Once home, the car was then dolled up and showed at a number of shows in the midwest. It did well, but by 1960 or so Bob decided to sell the roadster. This is typically where the story ends… But, check this out.

The thread hasn’t been updated since 2012 and last I heard, the current owner (Bob’s son) was still collecting parts to complete the restoration and, ultimately, another shot at Bonneville. I wonder how she sits today…