History The Dick Flint Pictorial

I have seen this famous photo of Dick's beautiful roadster many times. The caption always reads,"..somewhere in Central California..". Well, being an old Fresno Boy, I thought you would like to see a "now photo" of this famous location, or maybe not. Anyway, it's at the corner of Clinton Ave. and Hwy 99 in Fresno. The motel is still there, so is the pool, which is now drained, and the fence is still standing. Pretty rough area though. I shot the photos from inside my car, today.

 

Not trying to make this off topic but the Mike Lopez purple roadster is owned by a HAMBer.

 

I have a color shot with the cycle fenders, I'll post it tomorrow.

 

Curious

One of my favorite cars but when was the steering changed to cowl steering?

FWIW
Bump steering was likely a real issue with the original geometry. Was it changed during the restoration? What box was used when it was changed to cowl steering?

 

From the Andy Southard book. FWIW, this photo is listed as having been taken in the early sixties, and the cowl steering is present.


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Great photo George.^^^^^^ And the exhaust can be seen protruding from
the side of the car. Absent after the restoration.

 

falcongeorge... Here's a couple more 'colours', maybe the same time frame?

 

I saw it at the L.A. Roadster when it was at the Great Western about 1964. $2400 and I seriously considered it. Another missed opportunity.

 

This pix would have been shot at the 1961-1962 Hollywood Bowl parking lot LAR show.----Don

 

Thanx for the restoration link. Man, that thing was in bad shape. But now it's pretty much a different car. Gary

 

I would agree, early sixties.

Yuppers! Good eye Don.

 

It has to be pre '63, that's when they changed to the black plates.

 

I love the Dick Flint roadster. I have the painting of it that Ruben Duran did and i look at it just about every day (the painting is a reproduction of the Hot Rod cover). Very cool car.

 

That hot rod cover has been on my list of the most memorable! What a great roadster

 

Gotta wonder, were the belled holes there originally, or are they a bit of over-restoration? Anyone know? Any period photos showing belled holes on this car?
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=746432

 

I think everything under the skin is over restored now. Sounds like it wasn't very pretty at all, structural-wise.

 

The pics on page 1 show the tank behind the axle. Since those are undated it's possible the car was changed prior to "restoration", but just as possible not.

Speaking of dating, the comments about the cowl steer/license plate are right on. Further, those two color pics show a pile of lumber on the ground, and apparently a new/expanding patio next to the car. In the background are garages that indicate a back alley access. As noted above, Flint's address on Woodlake had alley behind, so this is probably his back yard. The ad posted above of his seeking a sale was (IIRC) '59, and Kofoed ended up with the car in '60 or so, so all of that would imply as well it had the cowl steering in Flint's care.

 

The wire wheels were only on for the photo shut. Note where only on the right side.

 

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Valley Custom Shop family photo with the Flint Roadster.


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I agree. That's is absolutely amazing. Thanks for the shots Rod.

Only on the HAMB.

 

That's for sure! After Frank Mack and Dick Flint there really wasn't anything anyone could do to build a more beautiful track roadster.

 

Update on the Dick Flint roadter, it goes on auction in New York City with a handful of very rare Duesenbergs, Ferarris, etc. Here is the text:

Italian coachwork from the 1950s is exemplified by a 1955 Maserati A6G/2000 Spyder from Zagato ($3.5 million to $4.5 million). A very different expression of automotive art is seen in the so-called Dick Flint roadster, a 1929 Ford Model A hot rod that graced the cover of Hot Rod magazine in 1952 ($700,000 to $900,000). Many of the cars are one of a kind, like the 1956 Aston Martin DB 2/4 MK II Supersonic ($1.8 million to $2.4 million).

and the link to the whole story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/17/a...ion-masterpieces-of-the-drivable-kind.html?hp

 

Been there many times, two color pics and pile of lumber are early photos from
Kofoed house in Burbank. Lumber was for his new shop.

 

Tomorrow is the auction, does anyone know if Dick's roadster has a reserve?

 

Any of you history buffs know what intersection it was, where the shot for the May '52 HOT ROD cover was taken? I wonder how it looks today...?

 

I don't think it is an intersection. Look close the second white line
doesn't come out on the drivers side of the car. Probably props for
the shot. Maybe it was in front of Dick's house....

 

Just a kind of side story to the Dick Flint history. In the mid 80s Duane Kofoed came to Terre Haute to visit Old Rod and the three of us made a trip to Vincennes in. to see a clone of the Flint car being built there. The car was to have a Chev engine and had diamond pattern Firestone Ascot tires. The brothers had several other 32s as well as parts. In a rack were another pair of Firestones with square block pattern. I thought they would look great on the rear of my street driven sprint car so I asked if they for sale.
Yes they were for sale... $200. Well I didn't have $200 with me but Duane couldn't get his wallet out fast enough to lend me the money until we got home.
I now see from these pictures that the actual flint car had block pattern tires and not the diamond pattern tires.
I still have the tires that go between the sprint car and the new track roadster.
Yes I was influenced by Dick Flint.

deChrome

 

The Dick Flint Roadster just sold for $577,500 at RM's Art of the Automobile auction in conjunction with Sotheby's in New York.