To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' Auburn
Fall event, 3 - 5 September 2020.
Estimate:
$35,000 - $50,000
- Offered from the Bill Akin Collection
- Original Henry Ford steel roadster body
- Built on a custom, fully boxed frame fabricated by Bill
Akin
- Powered by a rare 1960s Ford Indianapolis four-cam racing
engine
- Modified for ease of use on the street, including Weber
carburetors
- Equipped with a Doug Nash five-speed transmission
- Halibrand quick-change rear end with custom axle housings
- Koni coil-over suspension; rides on custom knock-off
wheels
- Mechanically solid through never cosmetically finished
- A superb canvas, ready to be finished to suit the new owner's
tastes
This custom hot rod was built using an original Henry Ford steel
roadster body with subtle modifications and mounted on a one-off
boxed and tapered channel section frame fabricated by Bill Akin.
The engine is a rare normally aspirated Ford Indianapolis DOHC
racing engine from the 1960s. In order to facilitate street use,
the cylinder heads have been swapped side for side to place the
intake ports on the top of the engine and the exhaust ports on the
bottom. The compression was reduced to 9.5:1, and custom adaptors
mount Weber carburetors in place of the fuel injection system
originally used in race trim.
The transmission is a Doug Nash five-speed unit and the rear end
uses a Halibrand quick-change with custom-made axle housings. The
front suspension uses Koni coil-overs supporting a unique front
axle Bill Akin fabricated from the center of a 1937 Ford tube axle
with the dropped axle shaped ends cut from 1�-inch plate and welded
in place. A typical four bar set up locates everything. Bill
machined his own designed wheel centers from aluminum billets and
then added Weld Wheel rim halves. They are mounted to custom hubs
and held in place by Corvette-style knock-offs.
Bill never cosmetically finished the car allowing the new owner an
opportunity for paint, plating, interior, and detailing to their
desired taste. It remains functional and has been driven to hot rod
and custom car events in the past. Interestingly, several
occurrences at those events caused Bill to park the car as-is and
move on to other projects. It seems that the unique Indianapolis
engine, which today is nearly unobtainable, proved its undoing.
Despite the engine having "FORD" cast in plain sight on the cam
covers, onlookers constantly frustrated Bill's unique personality
with the "who made that engine" query. To view this car and others
currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/af20.