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Help ID this strange handbuilt 1950s roadster! See Photos


George Albright

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Dear Friends I have been offered this strange handbuilt rear engined car,built from who knows what parts. Kinda looks like a 1955-6 T Bird,except smaller. Anyone have any idea who built it,the history,and what originally powered it.(Maybe a Crosley?) Thanks,George Albright,Ocala,Fla. email gnalbright@gmail.com PS The center grill may be Nash,but look at those nice front and rear bumpers! What are they off of?

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None of the visible parts look like Crosley.

There has been several Packard Crosleys made over the years. I'd have to look for pictures but this doesn't look familiar.

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Good Question as to if its front or rear drive! The owner says its rear drive. I will try to get him to take a photo of the front engine compartment,and also of the area right behind the seats so we can try to figure that issue out. Hey a 1957 Studebaker Silver Hawk drove by me yesterday,and it appeared the cowl vent was identical or similar to the ones on this car. Maybe the side panels or body is a narrowed 1953 to 1957 Studebaker speedster of some type. You guys thoughts? Geo.

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Good Question as to if its front or rear drive! The owner says its rear drive. I will try to get him to take a photo of the front engine compartment,and also of the area right behind the seats so we can try to figure that issue out. Hey a 1957 Studebaker Silver Hawk drove by me yesterday,and it appeared the cowl vent was identical or similar to the ones on this car. Maybe the side panels or body is a narrowed 1953 to 1957 Studebaker speedster of some type. You guys thoughts? Geo.

THAT'S where I have seen that side vent before!

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This may in fact be the car James Nance commisioned to be built for his small grandson in or around 1955. Rumor has it that Dick Teague worked on it personally with the help of Studebaker Packard employees??

It seems a bit crude to be associated with high rollers like Nance and Teague. Whoever built it didn't even have access to a tube bender. Look at the flex tubing used around the cockpit. It was someones homebuilt dreamboat, I'm almost certain. I does have a certain ugly charm. It deserves to be finished

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  • 1 year later...

Judging by the short hood and louvers behind the seat it was meant to be a mid engine sports car. There were many home made sports cars built in the fifties. Some of them were even finished. This looks like one of the other ones.

My question is how was he supposed to connect an engine and transmission direct to the rear axle, and still allow the axle to move up and down for suspension movement? I suspect this stumped the original builder too.

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Chassis appears to be an English or European import from the late 40s or early 50s. If you held a gun to my head I would say English just because they sold a lot of cars in the US in those days.

Rear suspension is unusual trailing arm with 1/4 eliptic leaf springs, appears to be home made.

Engine may have been a big Vtwin harley or indian mated somehow to a small car transmission and a very short drive shaft. There appears to be a pair of exhaust pipes or mufflers under the deck that bears out the Vtwin hypothesis. I might be able to figure out more if I saw the car in person.

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Interesting to see this thread come back into life. Re Rusty's comments about it being English; most of the smaller English cars went to various forms of semi-monocoque construction post WW2. This is obviously something earlier with a separate chassis. The first pic with the Model A in the background hints that the wheelbase is about the same - around 103". The only prewar American car I thought of was Willys - which I see was between 100" and 104" during the period 1937-'42. The wheels look right too. The position of the steering wheel and the vents behind the seat suggest the builder was aiming for mid engine. All we need is a Willys expert to confirm the appearance of the chassis components.

Still doesn't answer who built it, when and why.

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Guest prs519

Looks like a good cellmate for your Batmobile, George. !! I have a nice Packard grille

like that one if it is the right year.

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Guest Bob Call

Looks like an unfinished 50's project. Not well planned or executed. Salvage the grill, headlights and tail lights and let mother nature comsume the remains.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Foggy norm

A real collection of parts. Appears the entire top of the rear nash fender was sacrificed to accommodate the tail lights, I suspect trunk deck also. The same thought would apply to the front fender and lights. Sorry to say, the vents look as tho they came off a furnace. The bumpers are chopped in the middle, what a variety of parts they are. Can't imagine all this work being done without advance knowledge of what was going to power it. I think it had potential.

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