Oh crap, I didn't even think about that --- You mean Blackie's black roadster, right? Edit - just noticed it's next to the Dick Williams roadster in those photos. It'd be cool if those were the originals!
Rear tyres and candy paint throws it off for me. Back to narrow steels and a solid colour would make me sleep better at night! Ha
This has always been one of my favorite roadsters, and favorite AMBRs. I knew that it was Blackie's, and that he showed it at Pebble Beach a few years ago. I only wish he would return it to its original color, rear wheels & tires!
I remember being in love with this car since I was a kid and saw it in a magazine. Always in the back of my mind but could never find any info on it. Not remembering who built it certainly didn't help and neither did my somehow thinking it now had a Mopar big block! Not sure how that thought came about!!! Glad this thread popped up. Made my day...and I'd run it with pride just as it sits! Awesome car!
HAPPY DICK WILLIAMS ROADSTER DAY EVERYONE! Now lets all crack a beer in celebration. Beautiful T by the way. My first time ever seeing this one.
Doesn't bother me a bit to see it in candy red with some wide rear wheels. At least it still exists and is in great condition. The next guy can paint it black and put skinny wheels back on.
I sure didn't either Ryan. Never saw the old version until today. My Dad's name was Dick, and he would have been 93 today. Some how this post is really special. It's a good Dick day.
And Blackie should know better! White lettering on tires does absolutely nothing for that roadster, same for wide tires. Just as repulsive as what Jim Street did to the Kookie Kar!
Happy Dick Williams' Roadster Day. That sure is a beauty and the drawings showing some of the details are just as special. Thanks for new Hot Rod Holiday.
@redo32 - It was Jim Vickery. Here's the Dick Williams Roadster in all its 1975 glory! ... images are from my ANDY'S 9th Annual PICNIC - August 1975 ... PICS!!! thread. images from @Tom Branch's "Street Is Neat" Instagram feed
Thanks Hemi32! Isn't it funny that everybody wants to give Blackie a bad time about the tires when the wide ones have been on it for 40 years & the skinnys were only on it for 20.
I had completely forgotten about this roadster--one of my favorites also, thanks for reviving the memories! Add me to the long list of those who hope it gets restored back to its original form, wouldn't take much...
I have always like the proportions of Dick Williams roadster, first time I saw it was in the Rodders Journal #8 then in the book Hot Rod Milestones by Dain Gingerrelli (1999). I later found the article in Hop up and then the May '53 Hot Rod article.
The orig version is hard to beat. Kinmonts in '53? I didn't realize they were around then. Badass. It needs to go back to the '53 rolling stock. What color was it originally?
I love the tabs that the hairpins are attached to. So clean. Neat car that I haven't seen before, and another one to take some inspiration from for my own '26 build. I wonder how hard it was to step over those pipes?!
Apparently it was painted a powder blue (I always thought it had been yellow). It should be mentioned that Dick clocked 123mph @ Bonneville.
Wonder when and why they put the rear hairpins outside the body? I do like them better outside though. I can only imagine the debate you would cause if you decided to build a ladder frame from 2 1/2" round tubes today!
I met Dick over here in Australia in the 80's I think it was.We stayed with Dick and his wife when we came over in 1990. Yes he started Poliform doing bodies and fenders. I recall in 1990 he went to work and drove off in a little T roadster but I don't think it was the one featured here. He also had his T touring sitting in the garage but needing some work. We saw him again in Australia around the mid 90's and he joined us for the Indy race at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast. He was badly injured in a Bonneville accident and I think it was at over 200mph? He has a lot of steel bits in him now.I bumped into him at Bonneville in 2010 and he had a stand selling Poliform bodies. Have his contact details somewhere. He used to live down near Santa Cruz but has moved north I think and with a different wife.I am guessing that Dick must be pushing 80+ now but he still looked good when I saw him in 2010.
I doubt any work will be done on this one. Blackie is slowing down. His friends have been working on him to get everything put in a trust and maybe even open a museum, but I doubt that will happen. I'm afraid his collection will end up getting auctioned off and scattered to the wind.
NOT the same Dick Williams. I met the Polyform Dick about 10 years ago and asked him if he had build the '53 AMBR car, and he said that no, it was a different Dick Williams. Somebody told me within the last week that Blackie had just acquired another AMBR car, and now had something like nine of them. That's exactly the number the Petersen has!
Somewhere I've got the magazine that first featured Dick's roadster. I can still remember siting and just staring at the pictues. It was just enough different (and cool, but I didn't know "cool" back then) that I was going over and over every detail. With the hundreds of fine roadsters built since it still stacks up well as a milestone build. Frank
Somewhere in my collection I have a copy of Rod Action magazine with a Garage Scene on the rebuild of this car in the early seventies. If I remember correctly, at the time the car picked up a four speed and open driveline which would have necessitated the rear hairpins and mounts. truth be told I have been so used to looking at the car with them since I was a kid that it never dawned on me that it probably had a torque tube originally and didn't have them. This ha d to be about the time it became candy red too.
The Jalopy Journal
