The Story

This 1930 Ford Model A roadster is a genuine post-war dirt track racer with a remarkable family history spanning three generations. On December 7th, 1941, the seller's grandfather was 16 years old when he lied about his age to join the Army. Shipped off to the Pacific for the duration of World War II, he island-hopped his way to occupying Japan for a year. Through it all, he dreamed about one thing: turning the 1930 Ford sitting in the backyard into a race car.

When he returned home in 1946, that's exactly what he did. Built with Ford, Chevrolet, and surplus Sherman tank parts, this roadster was purpose-built for dirt track and mountain racing on Friday nights after work. From 1946 until 1969, this car competed regularly and won frequently, filling the garage with trophies. Through several iterations over the years, the original four-cylinder was eventually replaced in 1958 with a 1954 Ford 230ci I6 from the grandfather's pickup truck. The combination proved successful on the track for another decade.

The seller inherited the car in 2003 when his grandfather passed away. Fourteen years ago, he made it street legal by adding headlights, turn signals, and gauges, and upgraded the three-speed manual transmission to a Mustang T5 five-speed. It's a blast to drive and gets a lot of attention, frequently getting stopped for photo ops. Shortly after completing the work, financial necessity forced him to sell it. Four years ago, he bought it back. Now, he must part with it again, this time, he fears, for good. This will be the second time the car has left the family.