History Ayala/Barris Jack Stewart '41 Ford arrives in The Netherlands

The Ayala/Barris build 1941 Ford coupe for Jack Stewart (later owned by Jim Street and Bob Drake) arrived at Rotterdam in the Netherlands last week. On Friday the car was transported to Amsterdam, and today it was picked up from Amsterdam...

The "bad" thing about this is that - by now - the car has already left the Netherlands again.
On a car transport to be delivered at the new owners home in Denmark.

It all began on April 23nd when I was tipped that the Jack Stewart 1941 Ford was on ebay, for a good price. I went online and looked for it... and there it was. With a buy it now price on it.
I knew my friend Palle from Denmark was looking for a great custom car. So I emailed him the link to the auction.
A few hours later he replied back and mentioning he had pushed the "Buy it Now" button. He had bought the car... and his mind was spinning!!!.
Palle had dreamed about owning a historic custom car like this, but he never thought he would be able to realize that dream.




It took a few weeks to sort out a few things, among others the car was registered as a 1972 Ford!!!. Most likely the new date on the title was given to the car after Bob Drake had finished the complete restoration in 1972. Anyway the date had to be changed back to 1941 because importing a car from 1972 to Europe would be far more expensive than one from 1941!

But the second week of May all lights where turned green and the car was ready to go.

Getting ready to be put on the boat to The Netherlands. (photo by the US shippers)




The photos below are taken after the car was delivered in Rotterdam, and trailered to Amsterdam where the shipper had their warehouse.






And these photos where taken this morning.
My friend Palle picked me up early in the morning after he drove from Denmark to my place.. and on our way we went to Amsterdam (another two and a half hour drive from where I live).






As mentioned above the car is already on its way to Denmark... and in this photo is was pulled inside the truck. Palle, the new owner is on the far right. The two guys in the black jackets are the truck drivers who will bring to car to its new home.. and the guy scratching his head is from the shipping company who could not really understand this car at all.




Yep its dragging Palle!!! but only the pipes.




Bye.... for now...





So what's next!
Palle plans to do a complete restoration on the car. Strip it back to bare metal, and get every body panel in perfect condition again. This car has been rebuilt in 1972.. and really is in need of a full restoration.

We are trying to find out as much info on this car as possible. The car is rather well written up in magazines and books. But there is always more infomation to be found.
I already talked to Jim Street about the time he owned the car, and he will supply some old photos of the time when he had the car. We have contact information for Both Bob Drake and Jack Stewart which Palle hopes to speak as soon as possible.

We know the car was featured in a early 70's Street Rodder magazine and the article showed how Bob Drake restored the car. It also showed how the car looked after it was hit by a train (after Jim Street had sold it).
But we do not know which month this article was in.. so if anybody here has some early 70's (most likely 1972) issues of Street Rodder magazine, please take a look and see if you can find this article. And let us know the year/month and/or scan it to be shared on here.

Also anybody with any more info or photos of this car... please share on here, or send an email to Palle [email protected]
, so that we can get the full history on this car gathered.

 

Awesome!!!!!!!!! That must be the coolest feeling in the world. Congrats to your friend!!!

 

Wow! What a lucky guy. Great story Rik. Did you get a chance to sit in it. It must of been amazing being around a car like that. Im sure after he is done with the restoration it is going to look amazing!

 

Too cool!!! This will be an interesting restoration to follow, for sure.

 

I am always happy to see a historic car get a good home wherever that may be. Way cool!

 

Hey,

Congrats to the new owner! I do hope that it will be restored to be a real Kustom, and not "streetrodded'' to a modern day standard with frame clips, bags, "orange motors" and other vulgar molestations that have been visited upon some historic kustoms of late!

40K, sheesh! he stole it!

" The icecream truck in his neighborhood plays Helter-Skelter "

 

I saw the car up close in del mar,it is in need of some care,a resto will do this ride some good.Look forward to seeing it in all its custom glory.

 

If the new owner is a friend of yours, I am very confident that he will return it to its Ayala/Barris configuration....and thanks very much for posting these photos, this car was one of the great custom classics, worked on by two of the most famous custom shops ever.

 

It will get a good home at Palle. He hasnt talked about almost anything else for last month or two.
He is ready to blow it apart and restore it, like when it was built.
Lars

 

He is going to restore it, not street rod it, so it will be like Jack Stewart built it
Lars

 

Don't worry.. this one will be treated with a lot of respect.
That is the reason why Palle wants to find out as much history on this car as possible.
It will be restored with the most respect to the Ayala and the Barris brothers.
Palle already has a Cadillac Flathead engine with special Cadillac Speed parts to go in it.

 

Rikster; Thanks for the pictures & the info ,,,great to see it got over there without any shipping damage ,,i know you'll keep us up to date on the resto ,,gonna be KQQL to see it when it's all done ,,

 

WOW!!! Very cool.

 

Knowing the way the europeans are CRAZY about true american hot rod and custom culture and it's purity and originality..... there is no doubt this will be done that way.

I say this based on things i have experienced over the past fifteen or so years of really observing how they go about absorbing and dissecting and immersing themselves in particular of this part of hot rod culture.

Rad that is going to such a good home and at 39g's he did steal it!
so once again.

FUCKING RAD....Congrats.

Rome

 

Yes... I got to sit in it... and touch it and take many more photos of it...
It was fantastic. Even though the car is in bad need of a restoration, it was much more beautiful than I had ever thought. I have always liked this car a lot, but it has its small "flaws"... at least in the photos I had seen. But when I looked at the car in real live those "flaws" disappeared in front of my eyes... and was was just in ahw all the time I was able to walk around it. Unfortunately the two drivers where in a bit of a hurry to get on the road again, so I did not have the change to take all the photos I had hoped I could.. or check on all the details.
But now the car is only a 6 hour drive from my home... so in time I will be visiting Palle and see the car up close... and possibly in bare metal.. and check out all the details.

I will be showing more photos I took of it... but they might appear in a magazine first.

A little bit of info on the car I got from Jim Street... When jim owned the car in 52-53 he was driving around in it with his wife. They went to a diner to have a bit to eat, when Jim noticed somebody outside had opened the hood on his car. Jim went out, and asked the man to close the hood again and get his hands of his car. When they left Jim did not notice the hand made hood was not secured properly... and while driving the hood flew open and one hinge broke of. The hood was badly flipping upside dow and twisting all around and damaging the front fender, top and of coarse itself. Jim repaired the damage and tried to match the bronze paint.... but could not get it right. So he repainted the car in black. The photos of the car wearing "wire" wheels are from after this misfortune, when the car was painted black.

 

Damn he stole that thing for that price!
Congrats

 

I might be wrong Rikster, but I think it was a old Rod Action magazine that had a article about this car , talking about the train wreck and finding the interior in a neighbors barn loft , or something like that. I will look to see if I can find it, it might have been one of those Rod Action yearbooks also. Its good to see it's in good hands and not lost to oblivion.

 

Congratulations to the new owner! I hope we get to follow the restoration. And I hope to see it live sometime, since Denmark is close to me..

 

If you can look for those... please do. I have Rod Action magazines.. but not from those years.

 

wow! 39g to a seller with 11 feedback ratings.

 

I bet Palle will welcome you.
Lars

 

Thanks Rik. What a great chapter in this cars history. I am looking forward to your future updates. You rock Rik. Slim

 

Interesting that it looks like it had chromed 1969 Mustang Mach 1 wheels under those hubcaps. Cool car. Please keep us all updated regularly on thne progress.

 

This is and was one of my favorites stylewise. It always hurt to see the abuse that it suffered over the years, but that's over now and it looks like it is back where it should be, in the hands of someone who cares.

 

Great to know that Jack's car is still around and is going to be treated with the respect it deserves. I remember him telling me about this car and the fact that he had heard about the train wreck. Apparently he was shocked to see the car at the '72 Street Rod Nats!

 

cool story, you guys should have trown another car in that container, hahaha
nice score.

 

Hi Rik!
thanks for your company all day! it was a fantastic day! i was home at 2100..i almost fell into sleep over the wheel, at 180..but after two bockwürst and 2 Red Bull around Bremen, i was like a newborn!
and yes i feel i stole the car..it needs a full resto, but it is the real thing!
it will be build like in the early days, and like Rik says..we are looking for all the stories we can get! with the help from OLD ROD here on the Hamb..i got Bob Drakes info, and will get back when i talk to him!
Did Rik sit in he car!??...we had to drag him out..otherwise he would had bin in denmark by now!
i am a lucky SOB...i know!
im gonna hit the sack! thanks for now!
-palle

 

What a great car and story. Congratulations!

 

How cool is that!

 

That thing is HOT....