Exciting cars and the stories that chart their rich pasts are as old as the hobby itself. Over the years, many enthusiasts have been most particular in researching their cars past and have searched out past owners and interested parties, looking for every detail possible, so the history can be completed back to day one.

This car was famously found under a lean-to on the side of a Colorado barn. In rescuing this machine from a long series of storage lay-overs dating back to the 1960s, the roadster was amazingly intact for having been idle for so long. The ensuing research has turned up a photo dated from 1962 of the car in Colorado, but that is the oldest indisputable account of the car, which is thought to have been built in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Some theorize the car came from California originally, while others state that the hot rod displays traits that were utilized on East Coast builds of the same era. As of now, the exact origin of the car remains a mystery; hence it has earned the moniker, “The Unknown Roadster.”

“The Unknown Roadster” was extensively covered in Issue #61 of “Rodder’s Journal,” “Hop Up” Volume X, and it is the cover car for the book “Lost Hot Rods II” by Pat Ganahl. Presented as found, the roadster runs with a fresh Vern Tardel 286-cid flathead V-8 engine with Cyclone 3x2 intake, Cyclone heads, Mercury four-inch crank and Isky full-race cam. This unit is matched with a three-speed manual transmission. The carefully crafted roadster also features a deep-channeled body, cycle fenders, unique windshield treatment, 1940 Ford instrument panel and many more fascinating details. Those in the know regard this as a very special piece “that could have been the belle of the ball in its heyday. Whoever built this car poured their heart into it.”