History Curtis Hardy & the Tappets Manchester NH Part 1

My plan is to post some images from Curt's photo album and get him to add the play by play descriptions. I met with him yesterday and he remembers well all the people, places and club gatherings. The first image is the Tappets plaque with his roadster on it from The Chicago Metal Co.



Metal tag on photo states " Most Popular Hot Rod... 11th Annual National Autorama ...State Amory
Hartford Conn. 1961 "



First plaques were hand painted. Curt's father was a sign painter

 

club pinic



August 1957

 

Cool slice of NH history, Rick!

 

Masabesic Park near Manchester NH 1957





some of the club members with their car.

 

I agree... After selling his SHOW roadster he headed for New England Dragway with this monster !!!





At Curt's shop you would see race cars & high end cl***ic cars.



and some very fast boats !!!

 

He recalls doing some custom work on Fred Steele's Mercury





autographs



Sanford ME

 

Early on

 

The real deal!

 

Thanks for posting these pictures...I know I have at least one color picture of the Tappets Street/ Roadster. I will scan and post it after NEHRR, I am still doing last minute work on my trailer. Please stop by the Brady & Mahan pit this weekend at New England Dragway.

 

Great post. This is why I come here. Nice history lesson.

 

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more please! Looks like fenderless , chaneled late 30s pick ups are traditional!

 

The hamb sure ain't dying with the new changes...


these are fantastic pics. Hotdam.

 

Wow Rick, you really scored up there! Thanks for posting all this!

 

Wow, some great history, thanks for these pics Rick!
Some where I'm going to find the one of Alan Berry's roadster.
Around 1967 or so, BBC w/three 2bbls.

 

Alan was in our club and, I'm sad to say,p***ed away before I got to meet him. I have hardly seen any pics of his cars and would love to see all I can!

 

Can we turn back the hands of time about 50 yrs ? GREAT pics

 

Plenty of East Coast coverage + 2 (California) Car Craft issues

Rodding & Restyling April 1960



Car Craft August 1962



Car Craft Dec 1959





How To Hop Up Your Engine May 1962

 

Hopefully Curt will get to the local library and post some text to this photo history !!
He sold the car around 1962 to the Snap On Regional Manager who lived in Hampton NH. I worked for a landscape co and would always check for a glimpse of the car when I drove by. Some years went by and it turned up in Exeter NH at the Cadieu Furniture store for sale. ****ie Edwards recalls riding with Frank in it ." He rode it hard ". I believe it had been painted purple metalflake by then, engine side panels gone, steering wheel replaced, lake pipes to megaphone shaped ones, front frame horns gone (most likely got wacked in the front) and different upholstery, valve covers changed, odd center air cleaner....other small stuff. Frank kept the car at his girl friends house and the price was 900.00... Curt believes he got 1500. when he sold it . I came up with 600.00 and borrowed 300.00 from my girl friend ( now my wife for 45 years)..Never did pay her back as she reminds me. I went in the Army and went to Germany for 2 years.. The roadster went in my dads barn. Long story told short.. My parents sold the farm and moved.. leaving the roadster behind which was ok to the new owners of the property as they understood I was overseas. Thing is at some point they wanted the storage space and the roadster didn't run so they pushed it outside with a plastic cover. New England winters are harsh and when I came home in 1970 it was NOT a pretty site. I was so pissed off I put an ad in the Farm Bulletin and sold it to 2 guys from Kittery ME for 500.00 . My wife was pregnant & we had just bought our first home..the roadster was not top priority at this point in my life. I believe the guys were in the service and stationed at Portsmouth Naval Base or Pease Air Base.. I've been looking for it since 1982 when I got the itch for an old roadster again. Haven't found it yet but my neighbor located an old roadster in 1983 ( built in 1959) with an Olds 371 J2 that made the itch go away for a while....but lately I've started scratching.

Oh Yeah...Curt is in his late 70s & still building... only scale replicas of Maine light houses.. He has done 30 different ones. When I got directions to see him he said "the house is on the right with the light house in the front yard." He has several photo albums of vintage Jags ,gull wing Mercedes ,Austin Martins , Cobras , 30s Cl***ic big Cads ..Bugatti , Real high end vehicles that had work done at his shop..