Paul Hatton’s “Wild Wagon”

A little less than a year ago I walked into the Red Apple looking for Paul Hatton. After glancing at the waitress behind the counter, I scanned each wooden booth with hopes of finding my source. The soft rock soundtrack in the background added unnecessary intensity to my search. “Paul?�? I asked, smiling at the older man in the last booth on the left. He peered up from beneath his dark ball cap, took a sip of his coffee and gestured for me to take a seat.

Although Paul Hatton may have been tough to track down in a motel diner on a weekday afternoon, the same can’t be said about his custom paintwork. From the scallops on Chili Catallo’s “Silver Sapphire�? to the flanks of Connie Kalitta’s “Bounty Hunters,” Hatton’s handiwork has graced hundreds of cars for street, strip and show. He highlighted his bigger moments during our conversation, sharing stories of lettering Ridler winners and out performing factory pinstriping machines. Amidst all this talk, he never mentioned his days as a drag racer.

Earlier this week, I came across a shot of Paul Hatton’s 1958 Ford. Dubbed the “Wild Wagon,�? the more-door machine featured all the quintessential mid-‘60s styling cues. Dig the bumperless front end supported by a beam axle and a pair of parallel leaves, as well as the radiused rear wheelwells. Dual frogmouth scoops, chromed steelies and oversized drag chute give the “Wild Wagon�? gobs of AMT box art appeal. Like countless drag cars of the era, this was just one of the wagon’s iterations.

Version I. “Exquisite Form�?

Itching for more history, I contacted Paul Hatton Jr. to trace the Ford’s roots. Paul says the wagon served as a friend’s mother’s grocery getter until his dad bought it in 1963. It wasn’t long before the stock drivetrain was replaced with a 427 Ford side oiler and a four-speed. With precision tuning by Ernie McEwen, the hot wagon became a fierce competitor in the NHRA’s B/Modified Production ranks. Splitting time evenly between Milan and Detroit Dragway, Hatton’s machine tore into the low 12s in this trim. “It was a car to be feared,�? Paul Jr. says. “Ernie McEwen was way ahead of his time.�?

Version II. “The Wild Wagon�?

By 1965, Hatton decided to up the ante and convert the wagon into a C/Altered. The modifications were standard for the day — carved quarter panels, mags and all around weight saving. But the real change surfaced up front in the form of an SOHC. Paul Jr. says his dad got the heads directly from Ford, and in the new configuration the wagon consistently ran in the high 10s and low 11s.

Hatton and his wagon terrorized Milan and Detroit for about a year until the motor found a new home between the rails of the “Boss Hoss�? flopper. The wagon was sold, maybe raced and then eventually scrapped.

Although the “Wild Wagon�? is gone, Paul Jr. was gracious to share these shots with us to remember his dad’s haulin’ ’58. And if you’re interested in checking out more of Hatton’s work, take a look at Paul Jr.’s page he’s assembling here.

-Joey Ukrop

All photos by Paul Jr., “Boss Hoss” shot by Daryl Huffman