look at this car..can anyone ID it's builder? The only clue I see is on the rear bumper,says Henney...I believe they built hearses and ambulances in the 40s and 50s http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1936...0608569?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item232a2032b9 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3Zck2ymuNPo
Read through listing... ummm, "VERY RARE and VERY ORIGINAL"??? Looks like someone personalized his repro Auburn with a funky tail and a period bumper, but, other than that, it's far from rare OR original.
Hood ornament looks like a Dodge Ram.... The lettering on those gauges looks familiar, too... For sure it's a Mutt, but looks like it was nice in it's day.
I don't think it's a replica.....at least not the fiberglass ones I've seen. The body is definitely steel per the rust and the shots of the wood frame with sheet metal over Could be a cool ride
Looks pretty butchered to me. plumber's strap on the gas tank, rough lumber for framing? Spring perchs? Wiring? Rear brakes? Yikes. Yes, it's one of a kind.
Honestly,I think the Auburn has always been one of most beautiful automobiles with the sexiest of lines,,IMHO,this recreation is uglier than a mud fence!
It has that South American maintenance look to it, someone with the correct missing parts could restore it. Bob
The only thing "original" on that car are the headlamps (original to a 1933 or 1934 Chrysler), the steering wheel (original to a 1946-48 Chrysler) and the hood ornament (original to a 1946-48 Dodge). The rest looks to be a fabricated piece of crap.
The guy making the video seems to give a very honest description of it. The only thing that raised an eyebrow for me was him saying "Its been in a barn for 40-50 years..." I'll bet that's just what the owner told Earl. My thought is someone in the early 70's that had some metal working skills built themselves a replica out of an early Plymouth. If it WAS in Arizona maybe the builder couldn't get it titled/licensed and it sat... 30 years? It sure was nice of Earl to show us behind the seat but I wanted to see under the hood and the chassis. Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app
Thass an UGLY baby! It's also the epitome of the rod which dares not speak it's name - early Cad and all. jack vines
Was,nt Mr Henney the guy that was allways selling overpriced junk to Eddie Albert & Gza Gza in "Green Acres" ?
Nah, that was "Mr. Haney" Eustace was his first name. He was played by Pat Butram (originally one of Gene Autry's sidekicks). I met him once in the bar at LAX between flights. He could really put down those scotch and waters! KInda looks like it came from the same place as the Hoyt-Clagwell tractor Haney sold Mr. Douglas.
"All steel construction with a wooden frame" That pesky steel is just too hard to work with... It should handle real nice on the freeway.
I bet it was a hand Built car at one time.. the would frame is probably the Bucks to form it too.. theres a Older gentleman up here that has done a Chrysler Copy of the Atlantic.. a Awesome craftsman .. and he also did a Duesenburg Copy.. Nice Builds Sorry there Not HAMBie . but it looks like over the years some have created cars that look pretty good without using Fibreglass..
I think this is a "coach built" knock off of an auburn. fairly well done for what it is, but far from the real deal. I'm guessing the whole platform is from the cad that supplied the motor. wonder if he's sell the valve covers separate--sure would look nice next to my edelbrock 3 x 2
This looks very much like a car I saw in the 70's. What really looks familiar is the ugly flat area at the back base of the tail, that stuck out in my mind. I believe the guy told me that it was built on a full Hudson chassis. The one I saw wasn't painted, so the tail part looked kind of made up of smaller pieces and strips of metal, maybe galvanized. Are there any pictures of the inside of the tail section? The same guy was fond of saying that 2 inches of paint covers alot! Any idea what chassis is under this one? Bob
There are a few real auburn bits on it. I like it but certainly not close to a real speedster. The tail is not really executed.
Beer barrel steering column...gennie type shifter...overused vintage style gauges... All the stuff that kills otherwise noble efforts at 'resto-retros'.....
It wasn't/isn't an actual Auburn except for a few body part and maybe the fenders. Ford Y block engine from the mid 50's and someone can probably tell what the chassis is from the rear spring hangers. I'd think late 50's early 60's build that someone put a lot of time in on even though he didn't have the patience to do everything right and cut a lot of corners. It would be a project but it would sure be nice if someone took it and built it into what it should have been when it was first built. Slick, straight and scab free with a real Auburn dash rather than the wood plank with ?? gauges.
I'm too lazy to read all the replies, but I've been around Auburn replicas for a long time and I'm betting the farm that this is a hand made job. If you look at what would be every distinctive Speedster feature you will see that it really bears only a fleeting resemblance to the real (or replicated) thing.
I'm going to get grief for this, but, other that a less than appealing ass end, which is fixable, I fail to see the ugly. As to the wood framing in the body, it was good enough for Derham, Coach Craft and most of the other high end coachbuilders. The door jambs and sill plates look very nice and well finished. Loose the hearse bumper, round off those flat panels at the back and make a better looking dash and it would be a stunning car
Something about it I like. It seems to be the work of someone who spent a lot of time creating this body out of steel over wood, and he was a better body builder than a mechanic. The transmission crossmember and that angle iron bracket under the steering column are not the best work I have seen, but he really must have spent a lot of hours creating that body. The windshield frame is amazingly nice as is the grille shell and grill. Even that rear bumper has an over rider to protect the tail, and the headlights and tail lights look like they belong. The wood dash smacks of kit car, but aside from that the car appears pretty well done. I just can't find too much to hate about it. Don
should be posted in the ugliest customs ever thread. just proves that not all old customs were well built or planed but I bet the builder liked it and was proud anyway...... that motor would look good in my merc.
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