I found a picture of this coupe and I want to see if anyone knows anything about it. It's simply bad ass! Thanks Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Hot Rod Mag Sept 1957 Hello, Our first car we were going to modify was a Model A Coupe. So, it was our dream car. We both read the Sept. 1957 Hot Rod Magazine from cover to cover and afterwards, talked only about the Ted Cooper Model A. We knew we could build one for the street, but that altered Model A gave us inspiration for “the look” and mods. We looked all over our neighborhood for a Model A We used to drive by this old house with a bunch of weeds growing next to the garage. This old Model A was sitting in the backyard overgrown with weeds. We knew the older lady once had a husband, but we had not seen him for quite some time. When we asked if the car was for sale, the older lady told us that if we took it away that day, we could pay her and she would be done with it. Well, we broke out the long rope we had in the trunk of the 51 Olds sedan and paid the lady on the spot. My brother could not get his wallet out fast enough. She was asking a whopping $2.00 for the car. She wanted it out of her backyard and gone, that is why she asked the low price. We surmised that the husband was gone and that car reminded her of the past. It took us a while to finagle the car out of the weeds, but the car looked a little rusty, but intact. Everything was there under the tarp that covered the Model A. There was enough air in the tires to roll it to the neighborhood gas station to completely fill the tires. Finally, after the terrible tow incident (crazy stories towing thread), we arrived at our house and looked at what we had just bought. These are not the actual photos, but ones from the internet. The Model A looked very similar, but with more faded paint and rusty surfaces. Even the left rear fender had a dent in it. The Model A was a perfect car to get started in hot rodding. We cleaned up the whole car, and tried to start the engine. After changing the oil, water, gasoline, and spark plugs, it actually fired up and ran well. (months before, we had seen the old man driving the Model A around the neighborhood.) Obviously, we took it for a spin around the block. It smelled awful inside, but ran well enough to get us around several more blocks. When we got back to our house, we kept looking at this starting point of a car and though about what we wanted to do to make it go fast. I had dreams that since my brother already had his 51 Olds, this would be my first car. I was looking forward to building something nice and fast. Flathead, 3 carbs, finned heads, Moon Discs, etc. Well, since my piggy bank was nil, dreams did not last very long. Within three weeks, my brother had already changed his/our dream hot rod, race car build into getting a new 1958 Chevy Impala to use at the drags and as a driver to get to and from work/school. He had tons of money saved up and wanted to sell this Model A to add to his cash reserves for the new car. Well, there went my 13 year old kid’s first car dream… It was fun driving the Model A around the block. We sold the Model A for $150 and that was that. Jnaki It was not the first time I had driven a car around the block ! There were plenty of other times driving our neighbor’s 55 Mercury around when she was busy working in her home business.(55-56 Mercury thread)
@wbrw32 you're right it is! Here is the only other picture of it! Would love to find out more about it and a rear picture of it. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Ted Cooper from Imperial Beach, CA, carbureted Lincoln...headers once ran over the front of the engine, made the cover of HRM, but heating issues caused them to be rerouted as in this shot...sort of a light metallic blue. From the H.A.M.B. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
@jnaki thanks for the information . Cool story also. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
One of Ted's friends Mike sent my friend in Gig Harbor some info about the car. Ted has passed before locating the car...His name is Mike and his wife's name is Sue who are getting me the info. This is what he just text me while they are trying to get me info.... "He built that car in Cali.He owned a body shop at Imperial Beach south San Diego in the 50s and early 60s.Sue and I were good friends with him and his wife.He was in Hot Rod mag. again in the early 60s with a BA Fiat Topolino!" Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I was taking photos at the 1957 Texas State Championship drag race when suddenly everyone went “Wow!” as Ted Cooper’s gorgeous Lincoln-powered Model-A coupe “Pipe Dream” rolled through the gates at Caddo Mills. It was a west coast car that had been featured in Hot Rod Magazine a couple of months before (the race was in November) and here it was, showing up many miles and several states away down at the old World War ll military training field in Texas! (I heard later it had been sold to someone in Oklahoma, the reason for its journey down into Div. 4 land.)
When you first posted this picture on another thread, I think it was the one about North Texas/Caddo Mills history, I wondered if it was sold to some one in Texas. I wonder if it is still in Oklahoma. One if my favorite cars and have thought many times about cloning it.