I'm lucky enough to work within walking distance of a place called Fantasy Junction. No, it's not the adult bookstore that you might be imagining, but rather an understated brick building that contains the nicest folks and most amazing sports cars in... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Thanks for sharing the story and photos of the Ingalls Special. Seems there was more than one privately built and campaigned sports car built around Ford components in the Bay Area in those days. I used to visit Fantasy Junction when living in Walnut Creek. Always an interesting collection of cars for sale. I also like to visit the speciality vehicle sellers in Pleasanton and Livermore. (o{}o)
Unlike a lot of the homely looking cars made in that era, that is a great looking little car! I'd love to take it out for a spin.
And, it is for sale; The Ingalls Special was restored in 2003 to the way it was raced in 1953. Over the years the Ingalls Special was powered by a variety of motors. Chrysler, GMC, Ford and small block Chevy were all part of its history. There have been 5 owners of the car and about 8 different drivers. Price: $149,500 1145 Park Avenue Emeryville, CA 94608 <abbr title="Phone">P:</abbr> 510-653-7555 No, I am not affiliated with this car in any fashion. Found it on the Hemmings blog. All the best, Dale Cleveland OH
That thing is killer!! I love the nose piece and the way the radiator hoses come straight out.....and that it's flathead powered!!!! So awesome!
Having a sports car background I really love this post and the pictures. I really wonder how hard would be to wrench this thing around corners at speed. I bet it was thrilling.
I'd love to see the suspension. Also curious as to when it got those brakes, since finned drums didn't come out until '58...plus they're clearly NOT "30-'40 Ford" pieces. I'd also be very, very surprised if those wheel covers, or anything like them, were on the car originally... makes it a little difficult to check air pressure without access to the valve stem, let alone change tires. It is a cool car though. I just always wonder about the actual history when I see things that jump out like that on really expensive cars. I LOVE the shifter arrangement. -Brad
I was lucky enough to know Ed during my career, and not only was this a super car but he was a wonderful individual. Quite an artist and photographer also. Nice to see his legacy living on. Tom
Among the 4,177 images in "The Robert Canaan Photograph Collection" (within The Revs Institute Archives) I stumbled upon 7 vintage photographs (actually digital scans of B&W negatives) of "The Ingalls Special" circa 1949 - 1951. NOTE: In the early '50s, Bob Canaan was an employee of Kurtis Kraft, knew Frank Kurtis, and shot many of the cars as they were being assembled. Canaan's photographs of the California Sports Car Racing and Hot Rod scenes were often published in the period enthusiasts’ journals such as ROAD & TRACK and HOP UP magazines. Here's those 7 images: full frame scan of the 2¼”x 2¼” negative
Hemi32 thanks for posting those pics, I've always liked that car and hadn't seen a couple of those pics.
Dont want to be a nit-picker, but it would be hard for this wonderful little roadster to be built on a Desoto Airflow frame as all Airflows, whether of Chrysler or Desoto vintage, were made from uni-body construction. Other than that, and the outrageous asking price, I love this car!