Galpin Auto Sport recovered the lost and forgotten 1956 Ford F-100 of Ed Roth in an Oklahoma barn. Photo from Galpin Auto Sports.

Galpin Motors, Southern California’s Los Angeles based automotive dealer group, made the stunning announcement of a major discovery on August 23rd. The auto group, which has been servicing the Southern California area since 1946, claimed to have found the famed and long lost Ed “Big Daddy” Roth custom 1956 Ford F-100 Pickup.

A shot of the truck as it was driven by Roth. Photo from www.kustomrama.com

The pickup, which was the first noteworthy custom truck done by Roth, was originally used as advertising for Roth’s pin-striping business and featured a Packard V-8 engine. Completed with Roth’s signature red flame pinstripes, the truck also sported a mural on the tonneau cover and a host of chrome-plated parts. The truck had been sitting in a barn in Oklahoma for over 30 years when the former owner contacted Galpin Motors.

The Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) team made a three day road trip to purchase and retrieve the truck, for its eventual restoration by the in-house crew. “We pride ourselves on finding orphan rods, the ones that seem lost forever,” said Beau Boeckmann, President of Galpin Motors. “There’s something so incredibly special about bringing a major piece of automotive history back to life and we couldn’t be more thrilled to restore the Roth truck like we have done with so many others. For now, we invite enthusiasts to come down to Galpin Auto Sports and check it out as is – it’s truly a legendary sight to see!”

Photo from www.kustomrama.com

According to legend, Roth sold the truck to a small used car dealer in the San Fernando Valley sometime in the 1960s. Somewhere along the line it was purchased and driven to Oklahoma, painted green, and used as a farm truck for a number of years. At some point it was determined that it was no longer useful as a farm truck and was stored in a barn for the next 30 years. The owner, who knew Galpin already had some of Roth’s customs, reached out to the custom shop and asked if they’d like to purchase it. The owner, realizing the value of this vintage truck, felt Galpin could do the best job restoring the truck and giving it a proper home.

You can follow the story on Galpin Auto Sport’s Facebook fanpage at GalpinAutoSports.