A friend sent me the pics today. Can anyone identify or at least the parts? It looks like a Mechanix Illustrated / Popular Mechanics type of "build your own sportscar" from the late 1950's.
That looks like the illegitimate offspring of an Auburn roadster and an MGTD with Volkswagen somewhere in the woodpile . Some things ARE better left unrestored...
No, it is not. First up, change that nasty grill! Loose the top, shorten the windshield height, and steelies with trim rings needed. With these modifications, I thing that most people will then drive it.
What he said, chop 3-4 inches, new grille, new wheels. Just a wild guess but you may find a '39-'40 Chevy under there, the fenders are about right for one. Dash might be the biggest clue to what it is if it's an old stocker.
I was thinking the same thing RNY. I've seen/heard of a few chevy based sports cars like this. with the longish look to the hood I'm pretty sure this has a 6 hiding under it
I don't think I'd restore it as is, but it has potential to be neat with a lot of work. 1) Un-section it between the wheels and add about 3 inches vertically. 2) Re-do the doors to be more graceful. 3) Do something with the headlights to get rid of the 70's VW bug look....hideaways? ....and yeah, chop and lay back the windshield.
that is a serious section job. needs to lose the faux-wires and a new grill and a chop...like everyone else said.
That is NOT a healey ***-end as suggested. None of the AH roadsters had a separate fender like that. Besides, I think the guys that commented on early Chev (39/40) are on the right track. That grille is ugly homemade tubing and I just love those periscope turn signals through holes in the fender. The builder was looking for a Jaguar profile, but missed by a long shot. Could be ok with the previously-suggested mods - that windshield is just too high, and the door cutdown does appear to have been done rather poorly. The basket wires are typical of the era and just as gross as can be. The froggy-eyed look doesn't get it either. I'd see some Cord-style hideaways in those pods and a new grille going a lot toward cleaning this thing up. "It ain't ugly if it's yours" dj
The lines could be cleaned up a little, but I dont think its that bad. Compared to similar cars from that era... Some looked a little better, some looked a lot worse. Could be a cool car ( depending on what suspension, engine, etc, it has...)
Doesn´t take much to "fix" this thing, but it is what it is. I´d love to see a front mounted blower coming through the grille.
"Beauty is in the eyes of the beer holder" a lot of home built sports cars were built in the early 50's. very few looked this good. regardless of what drivetrain this has, I'll bet it could blow the doors off a MG TD as far as origin I'd check the frame and drive train first. here is a far less radical 39 Pontiac I recently put gl*** in. it is a true modern driver.
After that Photoshop it's looking a little better. If you chop the windshield off completely and put on something like a DuVall windshield pushed a few inches forward, I think it would look better too. That thick frame around the windshield looks cheezy. It might look cool to replace the bottom half of the grill with solid sheet metal, and replace the top part of the grill with one made out of polished thick wire stainless steel mesh with a polished stainless rim around it. Or just redo the whole front end. The front end is pretty fugly.
Actually, its amazing what a little imagination can do. The Photoshop doesn't do it itself! That car doesn't look too bad to me...even without the photoshop rework. Most Sports cars look like **** with the top on anyway. The top was always considered a necessary evil...not a styling accomplishment. Many used an ungainly windshield in the road versions as well, because the builders accepted that in daily use the protection and comfort offered to the p***engers made it a good trade off. Brits DRIVE the **** out of their cars...weather be damned. After all, once you hit the track you could always remove or fold the windshield and run Brooklands screens for less wind resistance. Look at most early Jaguar if you want to see an ugly windshield! These aren't Hot Rods and shouldn't be measured with the same stick. Beauty IS in the eye of the beer holder...absolutely. BUT...while we critically judge a Sportscar style "Special" that was homebuilt to a totally different set of rules, there are just as many cl***ic Sportscar enthusiasts with a warm Draft in their hands, wondering what the hell kinda contraptions those crazy Hot Rodders are trying to build out of rusty Model A's, V8's and junk...
I thought these were called speedsters in their day. Those look like 40 Lasalle guards, gotta love the asymmetry of the front on and cow catcher grille, it would be interesting to see what's underneath.
You could have a lot of fun with it if you have an ample sense of humor.You know,cap,pipe,muffler (around your neck) flappin in the breeze.While you decide just what to do with it.It could push some people over the edge (even here).
with the doors filled those fenders look real close to this 39 Pontiac with a couple inches off the bottoms. this 39 was rusted so bad he took a few inches off the bottom of the doors and moved the fenders up to the trunk line
Hey, There was an outfit in the Philipine Islands that built ''neo-cl***ic" type vehicles with this type of look in the 60s &70s. U.S naval officers were their biggest patrons. Most of the ones I've seen were built on Ford ch***is with 289 & 390 V8s, comventional frames, drum brakes. The body panels were built from 16 gage steel! S****ey Devils C.C. "Meanwhile, back aboard The Tainted Pork''
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