During the 1950’s, motorsports really began to take off in America as talented hot rodders turned their skills towards competitive racing. This led to a slew of performance car enhancements, as well as hundreds of unique, custom-built race cars. The builders of these cars sought to eek out every advantage they could, and decades later these one-off cars demand a huge price premium on the collector car circuit.
Up on eBay is one such unique racer, which was built for Illinois’s first official Jaguar dealer, Wally Troy. But while the styling may be European, under the hood is a good ol’ American small-block V8.
Featuring a handcrafted aluminum body that borrowed its design from the open-wheel racers popular with European drivers, the ‘59 Troy Roadster was light and nimble. Troy, an avid collector of cars, had this unique vehicle crafted and went on to drop a 283 Chevy V8 under the hood, making an estimated 150 horsepower. The front disc brakes were also borrowed from Chevy, though the rest of the suspension, including the 9-inch rear end, are from Ford.
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This custom-built roadster mimics the Euro-roadsters of the time, but is powered by a small-block V8
Alas, the original 283 engine was long gone, so during the restoration it was replaced by a 350 V8, topped by a period-correct Corvette manifold and 4-barrel carburetors. This new engine makes an estimated 300 horsepower, versus the original 150, which is a nice added bonus. This car has been listed on numerous auction and sale websites, though it failed to meet its reserve on eBay, despite climbing over $50,000. For this one-of-a-kind roadster, what would you pay?
