By the 1920’s racing had become a serious sport. The guys that were building and racing during this golden age were fearless, if not a little bit crazy. Brake and tire technology was still primitive and even the roads surfaces of the day had it out to kill anyone daring enough to go try and go fast. Accidents were common, as were fatalities. We gained a lot of knowledge and technology as a result of their endeavors, but sadly very few of the cars that were built during this era have survived. Turns out longtime BF Reader George A has been holding out on his! He recently decided to sell his 1925 Ford Racer that he has owned since 2008 and thought Barn Finds was the perfect place to list it. Given how rare and special a find like this is, we are extremely excited to be helping him find a new home for it!
From George – Circa 1925 Ford steel body race car. I have owned it since 2008, and it has been stored since then. I have never started or driven it, but the former owner vintage raced it and drove it on a regular basis. The prior owner bought it from the original builder in 1969, and fully restored it in 1970, showing it at Hershey in 1971.
The car, when purchased in 1969, was stored in a building next to the old Knoxville, Tennesse race track. The car was built right there. It is an extremely rare steel bodied 100-inch wheelbase car. Very few original 1920s race cars with known history from new exist. It is a true capsule of the golden age of dirt and board track racing! After being built, it was raced across Tennessee, Indiana, and Atlanta. History is known from new.
I’m the 3rd owner and have all the history back to the builder. There’s a large original photo album! The 100-inch wheelbase steel body is powered by a Model T block, with Zenith Super Head (a continuation of Rajo BB head), a Whippet radiator and Buffalo wheels. This is the real deal!
This Ford really is a cool piece of automotive history! Hopefully, it ends up in a good home where it can be appreciated and possibly even driven. I wonder what it would take to make it street legal? That might be a pipe dream, but anything is possible. If you’d love to own this piece of history, be sure to message George via the form below!
Asking Price: $48,000
Location: Ocala, Florida
Title: Clean
If you have a special classic that needs a new home, please consider listing here on Barn Finds!
Nice race car.but I can’t believe he never
Started it or driven it. 😎
“I wonder what it would take to make it street legal?”
You would have to add lights, side markers, a windshield, seat belts, a muffler, mud flaps / fenders on the rear wheels, bumpers, etc.
Basically you would have to change everything that makes this car a unique piece of history to enjoy driving it on the street a few times.
Yeah, Erich, things have certainly changed from the time somebody (AJ Foyt?) put lights on a roadster and drove it to Indianapolis because he couldn’t afford to trailer it.
Interesting question on making it street legal. Would any other 1925 car without a title require all those safety features?
LAB3, the answer to your question will probably vary from one state to another. Here is PA it mostly would only need the safety equipment that it was originally manufactured with if you want to run Antique tags. We also have street rod tags and the rules are probably a little different for them but I am not up on those rules.
Fun car but too new, I am looking for a London to Brighton car…….has to be 1904 or earlier.
Thanks for posting, Josh!
There’s an event called “TROG” ( The Race of Gentlemen), Jersey, I think, where they race these old roadsters on the beach. Most aren’t near this nice, many are just buckets of bolts, but it’s the only place I can think of using this, and the price excludes many from that activity with this. Kind of a slim market here.
As an old modified driver I want this car soooo bad. Wife however says NO. This car is an old dirt racer too and deserves to be kept as is. I would love to run it in TROG though.
Having sold a dozen prewar “speedsters” , the market is best when they have been adapted for roadracing and hillclimbing .. so it would be nice to know more especially about the starter and brakes.
The 29T Boattail that we had with a Frontenac was pretty quick. We designed a Pertronix adaption for it, using a VW Bug distributor.
Video here… ‘gas can on a stick ‘
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Dave+at+OldSchool&qft=+filterui%3auserpage-oldschoolrestoration&view=detail&mid=A4F669CAFD75E98D5640A4F669CAFD75E98D5640&&FORM=VRDGAR