History A Roadster at Bonneville

No clue, but it is a rad hotrod!

 

Something funky going on with the cowl top. Looks kinda like there was a V windshield that was removed for the race day. The front shock mounts should be easy to recognize in other photos too.

 

Yeah the cowl has been shaved down good catch. With those shock mounts I’m curious if this wasn’t also regularly a fendered car.

edit: it actually looks like a chromed fender brace on the p***enger side is visible.

 

I don't think those are fender mounts, they look like headlight mounts to me.

It is remarkably similar to the norm car, but I agree its not the same.

 

Yeah could be. They do stop a little shorter than a stock fender brace would but I have seen them cut short when they car is low and the tire starts hitting them.

what a good mystery car/ photo to dig into

 

Could the builder have used the original fender braces as upper shock mounts? And cut off the top portion that would be useless on a fenderless car?

I only say this as I had once wondered if they were strong enough to do so on my full-fendered sedan....

Also, could it have started life as a sport coupe? Cowl looks odd for a roadster.

 

It looked like to us that they were using the cl***ic F1 mounts for uppers in the front, but the headlight mounts could be modified fender braces I guess.

I think the doors and how they roll into the cowl would rule out the sport coupe theory.
It was a common mod back then to weld the dash rail and cowl/under windshield piece together into one smooth part.

 

And the posts being gone and the rail missing is how you’d do a Duvall Type windshield. There’s a spot on the cowl top that could be a little bolt for the windscreen. There’s gotta be more pictures out there.

 

@brett4christ ive seen even fendered cars with the upper shock mounts located in the fender brace. Even with the headlight bar off like @Rand Man ’a coupe

 

Does that approach work well? If so, I may go that route instead of fabbing top mounts.

 

He’s been driving it for a decade and haven't heard him complain about it. I plan on using the 28-9 forged front fender braces for my shock mounts on my A but I also plan to keep my headlight bar in tack in effect bracing them against each other.

 

Roadster was Lawrence Brocchini's and believe that photo was 1950.
@stillrunners did a thread on his uncle Lawrence here -> https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/my-uncles-stuff.1078729/

 

9 hours for ID, you guys are getting slow. The power of the HAMB.

 

I would have ID'ed sooner but I was asleep, original post was 1:11am I was reading threads with my morning coffee when I posted

 

This was Semas/Brocchini's effort in 1954

 

Of course @Jimmy B knows the car

 

Man what a great link/thread! the car did have a v shapped windshield, they are head light mounts and it did run fenders at one point! Hot dang!

 

1950, Don Waite roadster photo in background you can see the Brocchini A and Semas '37. along with Justin George tracknose T, and Downey Bros. T

 

Of course my mate @Jimmy B beat me to it!

I read @J.Ukrop 's TJJ Blog this morning and immediately remembered the roadster . . . but was at work and couldn't reply . . . I just got home after a 3 hour commute (Californians don't know how to drive in the rain ) . . . Anyway, here's some pics of (@stillrunners uncle) Lawrence Brocchini's Model A Roadster I found in my archives:

Under Construction



At the Dry Lakes



Heading to the 1950 Bonneville National Speed Trials






On the Salt at the 1950 B'ville Nats



Home from the 1950 B'ville Nats




Thunderbolts Auto Show (aka Sacramento Autorama) - November 1950
​

 

It’s on a deuce frame though, right?

 

Wow thanks for sharing that. Incredible!