Sure would like to find some old film of this roadster.Wonder if anyone with a movie camera filmed it back in the 60's ? I used to have Dick Scritchfield's e-mail and it changed.thought he might have some.
In the late 70s or very early 80s there was a two part series in Street Rodder by Tom M. called "A Rodder's Auto-Biography" or the like. My copies got tossed many years ago, but there is some info on the roadster (it mentions how quickly they repainted the green metalflake - it didn't turn out so good) as well as some shots of a 50s Chevy pickup, the twin engined Austin, a chopped 33-34 tudor etc. Maybe worth looking for.
Is it just me,or did every version of the car get worse looking?Of course having the magazine,I'm sure he was trying to stay somewhat cutting edge.Of all the pictures posted,the one with the wide whites,black steelies and full hood speaks to me.
Thank's Phillips !!! I have those issues.Great pictures and story.I think I have every magazine and record album it was in or on.
Tom told me that in the Street Rod Pictorial picture where his is sitting behind the engine.He had a cast on his broken leg from his motorcycle wreck.
That was a Saturday tune up run. We lined up together because I knew Tom when he was in the Road Runners. He knew his roadster wasn't a serious drag car, but he had hooked up with "Wild Rose" and she wanted to run it. I won. It wasn't even close.
Nice tribute to an cool iconic gent, I have loved this car since seeing it as a kid in early mags and event publications. It is great to hear more about this great guy Thanx so much, Roy B. did a wonderful resto of the iconic hot rod. ~sololobo~
I Have a Bubble Gum card from the 60's called the Flaming Special that is real cool.The roadster has full drag gear with the roll bar & fenders on it.
I hope someone does a book on Tom's life sometime.I bet it would sure be a great story to tell.I know he told me more stories than I can remember about his fun with this roadster.He told me when he first got it finished with the flames he had about $2000 in it.
I know it was in The Life of Riley - Lassie - and 77 Sunset Strip tv shows.Anyone know of any other shows that it was in ?
I remember those old pics with the chute and bike cop from a magazine back in the day, I also remember the little austin, would like to see that again. Did he not also own AEE choppers back in the 70s? There was also a really trick twin engine trike, but I don't have any pics, maybe someone else does?
AEE = Automotive Electric Engineering. That's the business Tom owned when he got into the Scooter deal. So I've read.
i guess i will chime in. When i was in high school and finishing my 32 (i lived in whittier not far from Tom) i got a wirring kit from him(aee = auto electric engineering), that later became aee choppers. Anyway he also helped me by allowing Dave Bracket to built the headers on my car and add some ladder bars. Dave became his right hand man for research and engineering for all the aee chopper parts. When Tom cheged to the 427 and disk brakes he gave me his 40 ford front brakes chrome and all. They are still ion my 32 that is being restored so i can say the brakes on the restored Tom 32 are wrong year and not original to it! I know big deal! I also have pictures of my 32 next to Toms 32 being upholstered at the same time. He also helped me chop and modify a new 750 honda when they first came out and it ended up in one of his street chopper guide issues. Thats my 2 cents, there are other stories but only stories.
Hey All, FYI...I got my McMullen Roadster from Danbury Mint today and it is "Kick Ass"!!!! I'm sure many of you are on the list. The detail is incredible as always from Danbury. Murph
Just got mine also. It is killer. Loved this car since 1963. Always wanted to build a model of it, but I knew I could never do the flames and pinstriping in scale.
I had heard a story from one of us here about Tom prowling in a green metallic car before it became the icon picture Heard it held it's own when it was prowling. Not my story, but a friend was there in the Fresno area.
Hey There Jim, Very cool story about the MM32 with some shots that I wish that would be w/o obstruction. The firewall that I bought from you went into our Cyclone 64c Roadster that is very much inspired by Tom's 32. I have followed this car as well as Pete's CA Kid since I could remember=both very iconic Hot Rods! It's said that one refers to the MM32 as being a restoration when infact the only thing left from the original car was the body (w/o dash),axle,split bones and mounting brackets. At Chuck Lombardo's CSR, Mrs. Richard Lovesee took the disassembled car for a build, the frame was deemed too modified so it wasn't used, the dash had too many gauges for her taste so that too wasn't used. I don't know what hapened to the rest of the parts but when it emerged from CSR in like 82 it was a full on street rod that still would have qualified as a L.A. Roadster Members car. I guess that she built it to sell,cuz after awhile it became Baca's 32 and it cruised around to all of the local So Cal shows. I kept wishing that someone would end up redoing the car as it once was. Enter Don Orosco, I think that it was listed around $115k, don't what was paid,but I presume that Jorge saw this and the Calori 36 at Don's and just had to do them. I'm glad that he did and that Roy's Crew did such an impeccable job on it. I was floored when I saw it at the LARS right after it's debut, What a Hot Rod!
Here's Tom & Deanna's new "clone" at Roadster Roundup in Visalia, Ca. about '76-78 era. There are lots of good stories while crusin' with Tom & Deanna!!!!!!!!!!
toms roadster is being auctioned off at the BJ Vegas auction this month, hope the new owner takes good care of it
I think it's the Mechum Auction in Anaheim in November. It will be interesting to see what it brings.
I saw this car in Pismo in the mid '60's at an LA Roadster's get-together. Car looked nice in its day. Body was beautiful. But, not anywhere near as nice as any of today's builds. There's people speculating the car will bring a lot of money at auction. It would have to be the first build. We'll just have to wait and see? Former San Luis Roadster Member. " Real hot rods don't have fenders "
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