Hot Rods Lost - 1932 Ford Roadster

Ladies and Gentleman,
Thank You for taking the time to read this article.
We Need Your Help.
I am trying to help a Very Close Friend of mine find Her Father's 32 Ford Roadster.
The Lady ( Nanette Benanti ) Scottsdale, Az. would like to try and locate Her father's 32 Roadster.
We both know this is a shot in the Dark.
However, with the exposure of the HAMB and the Internet - just maybe we can help this
Lady find Her Father's Car. ( A Dream Come True for Her )

Here is the Story & Pictures of Her Dad and his 32 Ford Roadster :

This is a 1932 Roadster hand built by a Sam Benanti of Kansas City Missouri. The time of this car falls between early 1940's to 1953. The car was always in Kansas City and was originally built for fun to race on simple dirt tracks and compete within the hotrodders of Kansas City MO.
Sam Benanti operated and owned a Mobil Gas Station at 1401 McGee from 1935 to 2010 when it was taken by imminent domain by the City of Kansas City. He sold this roadster in order to purchase the first 1955 Thunderbird to be delivered to Kansas City Mo. The 32 was his love of his heart and Sam was a true and p***ionate lover of fast cars and hands on building them. It more than ran thru his blood and heart. He was gifted self taught mechanic and engine builder. His work was far beyond the time of the era, creative and excelled in craftsmanship.
He always had fun with his 32 and on weekends he would race it in Kansas City on local dirt tracks and at anytime anyone would want to challenge him and his 32. He was a avid lover of the INDY 500 and one of the pics is of him driving it to Indy to see the 500. He saw every race of the Indy 500 from 1932 until the year of his death in 1973. A.J. Foyt was and still is a personal friend of the family and dad would take off the entire month of May to head to Indy to be in Garage Alley. Jimmy Stewart, Mario Andretti and many legends know him and remember him from his presence and time there. He loved Indy and his true dream was to be a racecar driver.
Sam Benanti was born in 1907 and p***ed in 1977 leaving a legacy of history of cars and the DNA for hotrods in his Daughter Nanette Benanti of Arizona. The picture of the car with the baby sitting on the back while 2 parents hold her.....is of Sam Benanti, his wife Leona and the 'baby" is Nanette Benanti.
About 5 years ago, his Daughter Nanette had to sell the family home of 70 years and move everything out of the house, due to the death of her Mother. Upon packing up 90 years of a life, Nanette found a box of pictures. In the box were over 15, 8 x 10 professional pictures of the 1932 you see in this post. Nanette never got to see this car nor does she remember it as she was only barely 1 when the roadster was sold. She heard about it but never knew how totally amazing his Daddy's 32 was and how it is a true testimony to her Dad and the world of Hotrods.
She now has a 1932 Highboy Roadster she has found wrecked at SoCal of Phoneix and has spent the last year rebuilding and restoring it in memory of her Father as a Tribune car to him. His rosary, hat always are in the car and his tool box with some of his tools sit in the trunk of Nanette's 32.
We have posted these pics on HAMB in the hope and dream of finding her Dad's car again for Nanette Benanti. There is a hole in her heart from losing her dad as she was only 19 when he p***ed and the love of cars has never left as it is in Nanette. She has always held and owned muscle cars, cl***ics and owned so many from her day. Today she is 60 and SS Camero's, Trans Ams, Chevelles, have always been in her corral since she was 16. Now the 32 is her heart, soul and love and she would love to find her Daddies car again. To find this car of her Father would be more than a joy, it would fill the empty place her Father left and she would be beyond happy and comforted to see it again.
Thank you all in advance for helping us with this emotional and p***ionate request.

Old Photos of Sam and His 32 Ford Roadster.



A Special Note.
The Lady in the Roadster is - Nanette's Mother.
The Child in that same photo is - Nanette.
And of course, the Man in the Photo is Sam Benanti.

The Photo of Sam driving in Front of the Studebaker,
On his way to Indianapolis - ( Indy 500 )

Fast Forward to Today.
Nanette with her 32 Ford Roadster :




Any Lead or Information would be Greatly Appreciated.
You may reach either one of us at the following :
Thank You Very Much.

Nanette Benanti
Scottsdale, Arizona
Indy500girly@gmail.com
( 480 ) - 668 - 3340

Bernie L. Sievers ( Sievers Bros. )
Vincennes, Indiana
Free_lancer1932@yahoo.com
( 812 ) - 499 - 4824

 

Hope you find it but odds are the car has been rebuilt several times over the years and you might look at the actual car and never recognize it.

Never the less good luck. HRP

 

Hello and thank YOU for commenting on my post. I am on a mission to find my Dad's car. This is more of a emotionally mission where I would give anything to find Daddies car. I lost my Dad suddenly when I was 19 and I was the true little Garage Monkey and spend my entire childhood thru till 19 being out in garage with him watching him build hotrods and restore them. 3 1955 Tbirds. over 5 1947 Fords, 2 American Bantams, Camero's SS all my life, and on and on. When I found "my" 32 I knew I had found my Dad's spirit again....so therefore the mission to build it in tribune to my Father. Thanks. Thanks I will be at LA Roadster Show and also became friends with Carl Marzetti and my little roadster was at LA last June and was the FIRST EVER flat black roadster to be included and cause I was a woman Carl was anxious to have a lady make some noise ! Well I did and was so blessed to be honored
I just got off phone with Bernie Sievers and I told him you sent me a reply in regards to Dad's car and also knows Rick Powell.

 

Great story, sure hope your '32 turns up, looks like it was a top shelf build back in the day. Cars this nice are most likely still around but as HRP said it may be a full fendered stock height car today. Good luck with the search see you in June at the LARS. Bob

 

P***ed away in 1977 but ran a gas station until 2010?

 

Good luck with your search, Nanette, but like HRP has said, the car may have gone through many re-builds over the years or who knows, perhaps destroyed in some fashion. Those are a lot of years. Great story and looks like a very nicely done car (heavy channel) from the photos. The least I can do is bump your thread up again.....and welcome to the HAMB, by the way. I think you'll fit right in here...............Don.

 

A WORTHY QUEST

Welcome to the HAMB Nanette!
I grew up in the family business too. Hung out there on most Saturdays and after school. My dad was there all the time - you had to be there just to make a living! I now appreciate just how much he taught me. Some of it actually sank in!
He's gone now and I keep a pic of him, taken just before WWII, standing beside his 40 Ford convertible. Yep, I've dreamed of finding that car someday!

I understand your p***ion. Yours is a worthy quest.
Good luck I hope you find your car......................

 

Nanette, good luck finding any information about your dad's car. You have some very nice photos to remember it by.

 

Good luck in your quest.
-Pat

 

Nice roadster I hope you find your dads!!....Welcome!

 

Yes he p***ed in 1977 but we kept the Mobil Station and I hired on a great mechanic and he and I ran it. Was located in prime downtown Kansas City MO until 2010 when the City took it from us by calling it "blighted" (emminet domain) and for 2 years I fought them and finally sold it (two entire blocks) to them to build the Sprint Arena. Upon his death we had 3 1947 beautifully restored Ford (327hp chev) 2 1955 Tbirds (one with 23,000) miles, a Grand Tornio, Smokey/Bandit TA .......so yes my Father "lives" on. My mom and I were forced to sell it in 2010. Any more confusion, I'd be happy to clear it up for you.

 

Thank you so much.

 

Thank you for stopping by

 

Thank you for your kindness.

 

Thank you for the Welcome and kindness. Much appreciated.

 

Thank you very much and I hope so too. Yes, the photos of my dads car is why I built mine. In memory of him.

 

Thank you for the well wishes. Glad to be here !

 

Thank YOU for the post and well wishes

 

Awwwhhhhhhhhhhhh great story and memoires !! Thanks so much for sharing. GREAT PHOTO.

 

Thank you so much. Glad to be here!

 

Looks like the apple didn't fall very far from the tree. Hoping you are successful in your quest.

 

BTT

 

Hope you find your dads 32.... I read a thread on here last week from a hamb member who had a 32 coupe when he was 15.... His first car....he traded it against a 40 coupe when he was 17.....and managed to get his 32 coupe back after 56 years. Look up that thread and read it......it will give you hope.....two nice roadsters by the way....your dads and yours....Bob in Scotland

 

Hello and thank you so much for this great story and wow.....after 56 years he found his first car. I can only hope this kind of karma comes back to me. Thanks again for your support.

 

19701E="lothiandon1940, post: 10825083, member: 33625"]Good luck with your search, Nanette, but like HRP has said, the car may have gone through many re-builds over the years or who knows, perhaps destroyed in some fashion. Those are a lot of years. Great story and looks like a very nicely done car (heavy channel) from the photos. The least I can do is bump your thread up again.....and welcome to the HAMB, by the way. I think you'll fit right in here...............Don.[/QUOTE]

Thank you Don for the kind words and welcome. I sure love these 32's and it's a fun world to be getting into. I'm sure it's going to be hard to impossible to find Dad's car. He sold it back in 1955 to buy the first 55 Ford Thunderbird that was delivered to Kansas City. I had that car till about 7 years ago and sold it, only 23,000 miles on it to buy my own dream car.......1970 SS Chevelle 396 Big Block (after Mom died and we had it all those years) I then found the 32 here in AZ wrecked on So Cal Parking lot in sad shape and bought her and have been restoring her back to "the day". I'll be in Pomona in June at LA Roadster Show with my 32 hope to meet you there.

 

Thank you Don for the kind words and welcome. I sure love these 32's and it's a fun world to be getting into. I'm sure it's going to be hard to impossible to find Dad's car. He sold it back in 1955 to buy the first 55 Ford Thunderbird that was delivered to Kansas City. I had that car till about 7 years ago and sold it, only 23,000 miles on it to buy my own dream car.......1970 SS Chevelle 396 Big Block (after Mom died and we had it all those years) I then found the 32 here in AZ wrecked on So Cal Parking lot in sad shape and bought her and have been restoring her back to "the day". I'll be in Pomona in June at LA Roadster Show with my 32 hope to meet you there.[/QUOTE]

 

BTT