Man I remember that pic with the chute from back in the day, i was just a kid, thought it was the coolest thing ever.
I was wondering where the second car (Moser car, in the ad above) is now. But while I'm here, is the original car selling at Monterey (lot number ??) or just there building interest for a later auction.
It may be at Monterey, but just to drum up biz. They have it as the feature car for Anaheim in Nov. http://www.mecum.com/auctions/top_picks.cfm?AUCTION_ID=AN1112
That explains why I couldn't find it in the listings from Monterrey even though some said it would be auctioned there (and Dallas). It says for Anaheim "Featuring the McMullen Roadster", so does that mean it will be sold there or again just a drawing card?
I'm not a follower of the whole auction side of the hobby. I would guess that since the auction is the biz, and that it says Featured, it would be on the block there. They do not have listings for that auction yet. I also looked through the current listings and didn't find it. That's when I went to the main page and found the page I posted.
I think the most important thing to remember about this roadster is that it is really part of hot rod history with the flames, radical motor, everything about this car spelled hot rod. It was one of my favorites for sure. _____________________________________________ "You only got one shot with me, and then I was looking out my rearview mirror."
I guess he had moved to another house later on because this reminds me of when I met Tom in Columbus at the NSRA Nats. I think it was '90 or '91. I'm at the host hotel on Thursday afternoon using the complimentary water hose to wash off the bugs & grime after the 1,000 road trip. As I'm about done scrubbing, none other than the infamous Mr. McMullen pulls up next in line in his flamed '32 tub. Of course I quickly recognized the car from the magazine build and then realized it was the man himself behind the wheel. We strike up a conversation about the next couple of exciting days ahead and then he starts telling me about his difficulty with real estate back in CA. Tom was complaining that he just couldn't find a buyer for his home. I asked what he thought the problem was and he smiled and said "it's difficult to find someone who wants a 2 bedroom house with a 7 car garage". We both laughed and I started drying the sedan while he started washing the tub. He seemed like a really neat guy. We lost a real hot rodder when we lost Mr. McMullen. As for the highboy, it may not be everyone's idea of the perfect roadster...but I know I got lost in it as a kid. I used to dream about having a hot rod just like it when I grew up. I'm sure it will do very well at the auction. I wish I could afford it, but I'm trying to save up for a few more garages myself. Sent from my iPad using TJJ app
The second car has been in Westchester, New York for a good 15 years I believe. the Moser engine is with it, but the car is powered by something a bit more common. Bob
It may have some warts and maybe it doesn't look as good in real life but it screams HOT ROD to this Kansas boy. An icon if you ask me.
Yup, this is The Don Hudson-Tom McMullen,Richard Lovesee,Albert Baca,Don Orosco & Jorge Zaragosa 32 Highboy Roadster, I think I covered everyone from about 56 to present . IMHO this is one of the deuces that made me think HOT ROD!"
I almost bought this roadster back in the late 60's or early 70's for $5000. When Tom had it in Hot Rod Magazine for sale.Before I could get enough money he had sold it.It also had a trailer full of extra parts to go with it. I'm still sick over it after all these years lol.I love this car !!!
Mecum posters in Monterrey are advertising McMullen's roadster going up for bid in November at their auction in Anaheim.
Ed Roth drew the the flames out, Tom painted them, Ed then striped them. Over time and successive paint jobs, the flames and striping got rather outlandish, the wheels on this car became a change in tastes as well. 1963-64 saw it with unpolished American 5 spoke = timeless, in 1965 polished Americans w/wider rears as seen on "The Astronauts" cover. Kind of a tacky sort of 5 spoke, made by a friend of Tom's found their way on the 32 in the famous parachute deployed shot with cop tailing not far behind, finally "dish mags" in the 5 slot vein ended up on the car when Richard Lovesee ended up with the car in Riverside. The engines in the car varied as well, they're well documented esp here on the HAMB, mostly a small block 301 with a 4.71:1 GMC blower is what I feel made that car, but some would say that the wicked 427 ford made that car move. It and Tom used to cruise Harvey's Broiler (Bob's Big Boy Broiler) back in the early 60's, I only wish that since it's in town that it got a chance to cruise on in before it gets sold to a museum or private collection that may not bring it out to socialize. It's also funny that it is being sold near where TRM Publishing was and by being sold helped Tom get much needed capital to start Street Rodder Mag. I even heard that before the Moser pwrd 32 (which is what most of us may remember on the cover masthead) that Tom tried to buy it back for like $10k which was alot of money in 1975, He was rebuffed and looked at many steel roadsters that needed work and built a "continuation" of where he possibly would have taken the 1st 32 direction wise. Tom was a guy all his own, he built what he felt were cutting edge cars, I never had his taste with egg crate grilles and rectangular head lights. The white Vicky and a dark colored vicky ragtop tub come to mind, his Tom's Tub was fine as seen in Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher' Video. I think when he built the 3rd roadster to wear that paint scheme, he was headed back to his Hot Rod roots. Wheels can be changed, he choose gifted Halibrands, I personally would have done Americans in order to give the car the look we all remembered, The body was glass and his brother in law Tony ended up with upon Tom & Deanna's untimely death. I think that if Tom would have survived, A Brookville 32 would have found its way (if the original still wasn't within financial reason) on the 3rd chassis or a 4th built by his hand vs the magazine =(EDITORZ), shown in a above post.
that roadster spent most of it's early life on the road. my most vivid memory of it was in a driveway in Eagle Rock torn down and parts laying on the lawn for best part of a week while getting another engine swap. Had to be late 1959. I went in the Navy feb of 1960 and it was before then. about the time I ran into the side of his 56 ford PU when coming out of an alley
Funny thing, these guys were viewed as hoodlums in their day. Now a guy covered with Tats and a chain wallet driving a car like this would be main stream. Clean cut and botton downs to scare old ladies!
First time I saw that car and met Tom was in about 1964.Jim"Jake" Jacobs and I who were founding members of the Early Times would organize Saturday nite cruises to Hollywood from Oscars Drive in in Long Beach,CA.27 of us gathered one Saturday nite and Tom had heard what was going on.In comes Tom just before we left with his deuce.Blew all our minds. Needless to say Tom being the little Napolean he was said I am leading.28 of us turned right on PCH then thru the traffic circle down Lakewood Blvd to the 405 and on to Hollywood.A few heated up (no fans) while on the crowded Hollywood Blvd.We ended up at Norms for eats,
for what its worth, the car will have a heavy reserve on it at the anaheim auction, so we'll see if it actually "sells". I would think $600K to $750K would get it. as for the different cars, it was (1) the original (the one at auction), (2) the Moser (Tom's update of his original), the third (Tom's clone of his first), then the magazine clone (built by Lobeck), then the magazine clone of the Moser car (another one Lobeck built). And Tom was married early on when he lived in CT (in the Navy--in a submarine). Rose was his second wife and Deanna his third. Mike was Tom's son, but died in the late 80s/early 90s in a motorcycle accident.
I seem to remember hearing that when he came to California. As I recall, his first wife was a plus size woman.
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