Vehicle Description
The body of this is a 1939 Plymouth Coupe, but the full package is
a restored dirt track racer. When we say "restored" it means that
the years of mud and muck from racing have been cleaned out, a
powerful stroker motor has been installed, and the right features
were added to be road legal in many states. But what they didn't
try to do is eliminate the fun racer feeling or style that is
ingrained in the history of this coupe.
There's something quite special about this car. It's a five-window
coupe turned into a Midwest dirt track racer dressed in white with
red and blue livery. So it has an all-American color theme and was
racing in the heart of America. The only way you can likely get
more patriotic is with a bald eagle in a cowboy hat playing an
acoustic guitar at Mt Rushmore.
While we don't have the race record of this one to confirm the
details, it would be hard to get something to look like this any
other way than earning it on the raceway. So the dents and dings in
the body are from muscling its way to the finish line. The details
we do have on this is that it was believed to have been built in
St. Louis in the late 1970s or the early '80s. By the time the
consignor caught up to the car, it was a tired but complete race.
So he gave it the right kind of restoration from 2020 to 2021. He
made sure the body kept its earned battle scars, but he fixed and
replaced all the components that got messed up from years on the
track. He also added features like proper headlights, tail lights,
and turn signals so that it could be registered and road legal in
many states. So just imagine the looks you'll get when taking this
out on the highway. After all, the redline race wheels, side
exhaust pipes, deleted fenders, exterior steel cage bars, and
sponsorship decals have the kind of style that will make people do
a double-take when they see a license plate hanging off the
back.
The interior gives a pure racecar first impression. Single molded
bucket seats, a racing steering wheel, a SafeQuip driver's harness,
and a B&M shifter look competition worthy. You even have a full
race cage and a fuel cell in the trunk. The dash is clean and
simple sheet metal with Bosch auxiliary readouts and a large Mac
Tools tach. But even with all this race-ready equipment, you also
see a few more of those road-ready concessions that make this one a
better driver. It includes a new/clear windshield and a GPS system
mounted on top of the dash for an easy speedometer.
The hood lifts off to see an awesome powerhouse within the custom
safety cage. This is a later Chevy V8 that's said to be a 383
cubic-inch stroker motor. It inhales deeply with an Edelbrock
four-barrel carburetor, and it exhales with a nice rumble from the
header-fed side pipes (there are even cutouts to really bring the
thunder.) There are even good supporting components like a new
starter, an HEI distributor, a new wiring harness, and an aluminum
radiator with electric fan. The three-speed automatic transmission
is another one of those sly upgrades to make this a better cruiser.
But it also never loses the race-ready feeling because the gearbox
feeds a classic James/Franklin quick-change rear end. And the power
steering and four-wheel disc brakes are part of the thoughtful
upgrades that make this true racer also a solid cruiser. In fact,
the consignor has comfortably driven this about 4,100 miles in the
last 18 months - that's a bit further than what you get going
around the dirt tracks.
The sale comes complete with a show board and a digital file full
of restoration photos. This is a unique bit of Americana that loves
to go places and tell its story. Call today!!!
