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Anyone have any idea what this car is?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by MrForty, Oct 20, 2011.

  1. MrForty
    Joined: Aug 31, 2011
    Posts: 83

    MrForty
    Member
    from Tustin, CA

    A fellow hot rodder had this stored for a few years in his garage. I stopped by to check the progress he was making on another project when I spotted it in the back. I remember seeing it a few years ago when he dragged it home. I convinced him it was time to pull it out and take some pictures.

    The story of this car as he was told. Sometime in the late 60's a long haul trucker was in Midwest when he spotted this body in a warehouse. The guy storing it wanted it out of the warehouse, the owner had not been paying storage on it for some time. He said it was a prototype sports car that Ford commissioned but all that was left was the body and a few other items. (I doubt this part but it was a good story to sell it to the trucker.) The trucker made a deal and brought the car back to California where it was stored for almost 40 years before my friend acquired it.

    Looking it over we found stored inside a set of Ford Flathead V8-60 iron heads. A 3 speed trans for a V8-60, the gas tank and a couple of lever action shocks. We could tell from the engine mounts, trans mounts and the hole for the shifter that a V8-60 had been in the car. It must have had a straight front axle and parallel left springs in front. The spring mounts and shock mounts are on the frame. I can't really tell what type of rear suspension was in it yet. A friend thought the frame was from a Crosley. It does look like it may have had quarter elliptical leafs.

    The body is steel, leaded with no bondo and has a tubular frame work. It was originally red but had been repainted blue. On both sides and on the front there are holes where badges had been attached. It looks like an id tag was mounted under the dash on the inside. A license plate must have been affixed to the back. driving lights were probably installed in the front opening. I really like the exhaust opening in the sides.

    Anyone have any ideas?
     

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  2. Bob K
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 5,772

    Bob K
    Member Emeritus
    from Antigo Wi.

    WOW, That is awesome !!!!!!!!!!!!

    Is he gonna do anything with it?

    B:eek:B
     
  3. 47 ford
    Joined: Oct 15, 2007
    Posts: 240

    47 ford
    Member

    that is sweet whats the plan??
     
  4. Cool! What is the approx. wheelbase/track?
     

  5. dana barlow
    Joined: May 30, 2006
    Posts: 5,115

    dana barlow
    Member
    from Miami Fla.
    1. Y-blocks

    Some one did a custom sports car,from body design and parts ,it looks like early to mid 50's:cool: as they say from Dr Oddveis.
    That is very cool though!
     
  6. MrForty
    Joined: Aug 31, 2011
    Posts: 83

    MrForty
    Member
    from Tustin, CA

    If we can figure out how it might have been originally built I hope to convince him to put it back together. Like it was back in the 50's.
     
  7. froghawk
    Joined: May 9, 2008
    Posts: 857

    froghawk
    Member

    Hard to tell what size it is from the pics but it does bear some similarity to a Crosley Hot Shot, but that body is a lot more rounded than the Crosley...
     

    Attached Files:

  8. MrForty
    Joined: Aug 31, 2011
    Posts: 83

    MrForty
    Member
    from Tustin, CA

    I'm not sure of the wheelbase and track. I was so excited to see it in daylight I forgot to measure it. When I get a chance I will post that info. Its pretty narrow the body might be 50 inches wide by 11 ft long.

    I've looked at as many old vintage race car pictures like HMod's but have not seen one like this. It's about the size of an HMod but with the bigger V8-60. It was probably a street car. Other than a dent in the right rear from storage it was never wrecked.
     
  9. jipp
    Joined: Jun 20, 2011
    Posts: 1,112

    jipp
    Member

    very cool car.. def gives you that British sports car vibe.. thaty was a happening in the 50s. very cool car. lots of chassis ways to ago about it too.. would be a fun project.. and looks like the hard part was done for you.. hammered out body.. and looks like wont take much body work to give you a flawless finish even if you choose black satin.

    cool find.
    chrsi.
     
  10. It should be shiny, red or dark green.
     
  11. MrForty
    Joined: Aug 31, 2011
    Posts: 83

    MrForty
    Member
    from Tustin, CA

    froghawk I agree with you on the Crosley and maybe the frame came from one. I know a guy that has a couple Crosleys so next week I will take a trip to look at the frames. Is that your Hot Shot?

    jipp The bodywork was all hand formed and only has lead at the seams. If you look at the dash picture you can see a feature line running horizontally across. I got my head under the dash to look at it and has no lead in it. It was hand formed in one piece with a small amount of brazing.
     
  12. troylee
    Joined: Jul 10, 2007
    Posts: 689

    troylee
    Member

    Lemans, I have seen somethimg close to that. Old endurance racing footage.
     
  13. TomP64
    Joined: Dec 10, 2008
    Posts: 429

    TomP64
    Member
    from Vancouver

    Looks like it might be a rebodied Crosley. Compare the floorpan and rear inner wheelwells .
     
  14. electromet
    Joined: Mar 19, 2011
    Posts: 151

    electromet
    Member
    from Tucson, AZ

    The cowl resembles the MGTC, which also had parallel leaf springs, front and rear. Any "MOWOG" logos anywhere? Great find!

    Mike
     
  15. Hellfish
    Joined: Jun 19, 2002
    Posts: 6,626

    Hellfish
    Member

    It has a lot of elements of many mid-50s SCCA cars... Cooper, Ferrari, Cunningham

    64 Cooper
    [​IMG]

    Cunningham
    [​IMG]
     
  16. JONNYnoJOB
    Joined: Oct 20, 2011
    Posts: 4

    JONNYnoJOB
    Member
    from upland

    its real steal cool. I had one but it was fiber glass a kit car out of england had all cobra kit parts, same body though i had it 6 years and never knew what it was
     
  17. scootermcrad
    Joined: Sep 20, 2005
    Posts: 12,382

    scootermcrad
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Holy crap! That is awesome! I love stuff like this!! Subscribing to see what you come up with.

    Someone needs to build that thing like it was intended. Nice project for sure!
     
  18. Hellfish
    Joined: Jun 19, 2002
    Posts: 6,626

    Hellfish
    Member

    OleMuleSkinner's dad found a Cooper half buried in a field. It was v8 60-powered and looks similar to this, but it had a full aluminum body. Maybe he has some pics for comparison.
     
  19. pregrid
    Joined: Jan 8, 2009
    Posts: 176

    pregrid
    Member

    Very cool!
    Subscribed.............
     
  20. -Brent-
    Joined: Nov 20, 2006
    Posts: 7,349

    -Brent-
    Member

    Metalshapes may know. This thing looks to be right up his alley.
     
  21. Hellfish
    Joined: Jun 19, 2002
    Posts: 6,626

    Hellfish
    Member

    Seret may have an idea, too.

    None of these are right, but they point to the right era

    55 Cooper Bobtail T39
    [​IMG]

    53 Ferrari
    [​IMG]

    54 Cooper T33
    [​IMG]

    53 Cooper T25
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  22. SOCAL PETE
    Joined: Oct 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,204

    SOCAL PETE
    Member
    from Ramona CA

  23. scootermcrad
    Joined: Sep 20, 2005
    Posts: 12,382

    scootermcrad
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    So it appears that the headlights would have been embedded in the grille itself? Really bizarre up front.
     
  24. 40FordGuy
    Joined: Mar 24, 2008
    Posts: 2,907

    40FordGuy
    Member

    Devon, perhaps? I think they made similar looking bodies in the 50's,...early 60's..... Whatever it is,..it's totally cool !!!!!!!!!!

    4TTRUK
     
  25. Atwater Mike
    Joined: May 31, 2002
    Posts: 11,625

    Atwater Mike
    Member

    Devins were all 'glass... but I thought of their line when I first saw this.

    Kellison made some similar ones, everybody just remembers the 'Astra-Kellison' Coupe, but there were a number of roadsters also.
     
  26. tommyd
    Joined: Dec 10, 2010
    Posts: 11,948

    tommyd
    Member
    from South Indy

    Pregrid........that is a creepy avatar you got there....sheesh!
     
  27. propwash
    Joined: Jul 25, 2005
    Posts: 3,857

    propwash
    Member
    from Las Vegas

    those rear wheel wells sure wouldn't make for quick pit stops - dash is reminiscent of the shapes for early MGs...TC,TD,TF...

    Protoype Ford race car story just doesn't wash - too much amateurish design elements and it's really (in spite of the curves) quite a lump. I know a bit about early racing cars (1940s to 1970) and nothing like that was ever fielded by anyone of note - steel is not a lightweight material, even Balchowsky built finer stuff than this.

    That being said - making an attempt to finish what's been started would be a great project, and the result would certainly cause a few 'double-takes'

    dj
     
  28. Verminator
    Joined: Mar 27, 2007
    Posts: 813

    Verminator
    Member

    headrests look like reworked 40's headlight pods
     
  29. sololobo
    Joined: Aug 23, 2006
    Posts: 8,378

    sololobo
    Member

    Easy I.D., its a BADASS!! Wow, is that thing cool. ~sololobo~
     
  30. metalshapes
    Joined: Nov 18, 2002
    Posts: 11,138

    metalshapes
    Member

    Very cool...

    No idea what it is.

    But I love stuff like that. :)
     

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