Editor’s note: This is the 24th in a 30-day sponsored series featuring cars to be sold January 23-31 during Barrett-Jackson’s 45th Scottsdale auction.
The Alex Xydias Center for Automotive Arts, a division of the Learning Center at the Fairplex in Pomona, California, was established by hot rod business owners and car enthusiasts offering a two-year program to prep students for a career in the automotive industry.
In collaboration with L.A. Roadsters, passionate expert volunteers donated their time and worked with the students to build this 1932 Ford roadster as a tribute to America’s most iconic roadster, the quintessential Bob McGee Hi-Boy.
This particular vehicles sale is to benefit the Alex Xydias Center for Automotive Arts. It is slated to be sold at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 30, 2016.
The tribute evokes the sport of the original, with modern safety and comfort items added.
The car features a Brookville Roadsters body and C-notched frame, Winter’s banjo rear, So-Cal Speed Shop ladder bars and shocks, Speedway Motors split wishbone, Vega cross steer and 1940 Ford brakes. The ’40 Ford steering wheels tops the LimeWorks column.
The car has a 12-gallon fuel tank that sits in the stock position and the Wheel Smith wheels are wrapped in Firestone rubber. Chrome rings finish off the wheels to give the car a very polished look.
When it comes to under the hood, H&H Flatheads were supplied to the requisite 24-stud 1940 Ford flathead motor, featuring Navaro heads with 8:1 compression. The block is topped with a Wieand 2×2 high-rise manifold and two Stromberg 97s covered with Stellings air cleaners. Headers and exhaust system are custom-built. Also features a Powermaster alternator with Spal fan and Mattson radiator, a T5 transmission with Cornhusker Rod & Custom clutch and a floor-mounted shifter.
Like the original, the roadster has hidden hinges, a three-piece hood, a filled and peaked grille, and louvers in the hood and sides. The extended dash is custom-built by Chris Comacho, featuring five Classic Instrument gauges and Painless wiring.
A Sid Chavers Bop Top with 2-inch chop tops the windshield frame. The interior uses a movable Glide Engineering bench seat and is finished in leather by Ron Mangus. The body was finished off in PPG Flame Red at LGE-CTS Motorsports by AXC Program Leader Theresa Contreras.
Barrett-Jackson’s 45th Anniversary Scottsdale Auction, January 23-31 at WestWorld of Scottsdale, will feature over 1,400 vehicles, most selling at No Reserve. For information on becoming a bidder, visit Barrett-Jackson.com/bid or call 480-421-6694.
