While car shows are places you can expect to see fancy modified classics, clean restorations and some crazy builds, every once in awhile, we run across a car at a show that not only surprises us because of its lack of modern modifications, but floors us because of it’s story. This 1932 Ford roadster we recently came across at the Rocky Mountain Auto Show is such a car.

Decked out in its original “as raced” patina, we just couldn’t help but fall in love with this car and its unique history!

A Hot Rod with History

This vintage racer looked right at home among the rest of the cars showcased at the Rocky Mountain Auto Show during Thanksgiving weekend– especially flanked by other vintage finds from DeLuxe Speed Shop and their vintage garage backdrop.

Owned by Deluxe Speed Shop owner Scott McCann of Westminster, Colorado, this 1932 Ford roadster may just look like a used up American hot rod but if you look closer, you can almost see the history oozing off its flanks and brightening its story. After all, this car is not only a vintage racer, it has also been preserved in its as raced condition from the 1950s.

As it turns out, this particular hot rod was raced a quarter mile at a time on Denver area tracks from the late 40s through the early 50s. During that time, it was entered to race at the Bonneville Salt Flats, running 117.18mph, a fact that McCann only recently came across.

“This car raced at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1952 and also at quarter-mile tracks in the Denver area from 1949 to 1953,” McCann explained. “It was then put away in a warehouse for a long nap until 2012. That’s when I bought it. At that time nobody knew that it had racing history because the sides of the car had been painted over with a dull looking brown color. I liked how the paint on the deck lid and top part of the car looked, so I started removing the top layer on the sides and found the original race numbers still there. Then, with the help of some long time hot rodders in the area, some history started coming in. We found it listed in the 1952 Bonneville program and also some photos of it on the Salt Flats in 1952.”

Having found a true diamond in the rough, McCann did what any hot rod history enthusiast would do–he vowed to keep the car in its as raced condition for himself, and others, to enjoy. That meant removing the rest of the layer of paint that hid the car’s race numbers and getting it in working order again.

While the race cars of today have plenty of high-tech gadgets to push them to the limits, this race car is fairly bare bones, just as you’d expect from an early 1950s competition vehicle.

” Though officially a shop, DeLuxe Speed Shop is more of a beloved hobby than a job, McCann told us.

Under the hinged hood, now sporting the logo for the shop that McCann runs with his son, you’ll find a 1946 Ford Flathead engine complete with an Edelbrock double-carb hi-rise intake manifold, two Stromberg 97 carburetors, open headers and Navarro heads. This setup is still backed by a 1939 Ford transmission and a 1932 Ford rearend.

According to McCann, the owner and original 1949 builder of the car was Dale Young, the man who raced the roadster back in the day.

In addition to the engine and authentic patina, the car also features vintage 16-inch, yellow-striped wheels with V8 stamped steelies wrapped in Firestone rubber. Inside the close-quarter cockpit, the ’32 features its original seats, as well as a ’32 dash wrapped around Stewart Warner gauges.

“The best thing about the car is it is just the same as it was in 1952,” McCann told us. “The owner then was Dale Young. I’m proud to own it now and I will keep it just like it is with all its character, scrapes and patina.”

Can you imagine racing on the salt or dry lake beds with a wheel and tire combination like this? It may be a bit old school, but that certainly didn’t stop McCann from enjoying his adventure to Bonneville with this vintage racer!

Having always been fascinated by cars and being really into hot rods for more than half his life, McCann wouldn’t take on a project vehicle unless he intended to enjoy the car once it was finished. So instead of covering the ’32 up in his garage or trailering it to shows, McCann actually drives his hot rod. In fact, he told us that he drives the car most days, keeping it tucked away in the garage only during inclement weather. McCann also drives the hot rod to shows and competitions, and even picked up the V8 class win at the 2013 Race of Gentlemen, an old-school racing event held on the beach in Wilwood, New Jersey.

And yes, for all of you wondering if the car has been back to The Salt, McCann has also taken the car there too. Unfortunately, due to modern safety regulations, the car was not able to formally compete at Bonneville, but McCann assures us that the car still got a taste of the salty goodness while out in Utah.

We’re used to seeing extreme builds, over-the-top customs and pristine restorations at shows we cover, and the Rocky Mountain Auto Show was no different, with its previous Ridler Award winners, SEMA Show cars and area show-winners on display.

But out of the whole mess of cars we came across at the convention center in early December, it was this very special ’32 Ford salt racer that showcased the hot rod charm and character that got most of us interested in the hot rod scene to begin with. While there’s certainly a place in this industry for all types of hot rods, it’s nice to see that real traditional hot rods still strike the fancy of some enthusiasts, so much so that they are willing to share their rides and their unique stories with us!

Thanks goes out to McCann for sharing his vintage ride and to all the folks at DeLuxe Speed Shop for so warmly welcoming us into their show space at the Rocky Mountain Auto Show. 

Check out more of McCann’s hot rod in Rod Authority’s exclusive gallery below!