Voiture Ford T-Bucket 1915 a vendre

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To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' The Boeckmann Collection | Online event, 4 February 2027.
Offered Without Reserve | $20,000 - $40,000 USD

Featured in 1970s Hurst ads with famous automotive spokesperson Linda Vaughn
Built circa 1973 by the legendary hot rod builder Richard Graves of Long Beach, California
Custom phaeton-inspired T-Bucket fiberglass bodywork
Turbocharged 2.0-liter Ford Pinto inline four-cylinder engine; Ford C4 three-speed automatic transmission
Black with yellow flames over a black, button-tufted, two-bench interior equipped with a deep-dish steering wheel
Opposed coil front suspension, Jaguar independent rear suspension, Airheart disc brakes, and Hallcraft wire wheels

Hot rod builder Norm Grabowski’s heavily modified Ford roadster, completed in the mid-1950s and called the Lightning Bug, is widely credited with inspiring the hugely popular “T-Bucket” hot rod craze that would last for decades and spawn innumerable, inventive kit-car-based one-offs. Grabowski’s trend-setting formula centered around a cut-down 1925 Model T grafted onto a modified 1931 Model A frame, with a heavily altered Cadillac V-8 stuffed between the radiator and cowl, fully exposed for all to see.

It landed on the cover of Hot Rod magazine’s October 1955 issue, but true stardom struck years later when it appeared in the television series 77 Sunset Strip and famously became known as the “Kookie Kar,” driven by terminally cool Gerald Lloyd “Kookie” Kookson III—played by Edd Byrnes—with greased hair and pocket comb always at the ready. Various speed shops started offering kits comprised of custom frames paired with affordable fiberglass body kits so anyone could build a Kookie Kar look-alike with the running gear of their choosing and less of an investment and effort than modifying a vintage original. This new riff on Grabowski’s formula was a huge success; even as 77 Sunset Strip’s popularity tapered, interest in T-Buckets mounted. The craze reached a fever pitch by the show’s final season in 1964, with some shops prominently featuring the “Kookie Kar” name in period advertising—as Speedway Motors did for its Iron-Glass body kit. “Buy the two-piece kit, build up the basic car; as for additions, let your imagination be your guide,” the black-and-white ad said. As the sixties gave way to the seventies, ever more creative and outrageous T-Buckets hit the road.

The example offered here comes straight from the imagination of noted hot rod builder Richard Graves and is well-known for appearing in 1970s Hurst advertisements alongside famous automotive spokesperson Linda Vaughn, often called the “First Lady of Motorsports” for her prolific ceremonial involvement in IndyCar, NASCAR, and NHRA events. Graves is said to have started building the hot rod around 1973 in his 1,000-square-foot home garage in Long Beach, California. In the true spirit of hot rod culture, Graves riffed on a riff to create this T-Bucket’s unique phaeton-style bodywork: He combined two fiberglass kit bodies by cutting one at the cowl and seamlessly joining it to the back of the other.

Everywhere the eye lands on this T-Bucket, a fascinating peculiarity emerges. The engine is a modified 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder from a Ford Pinto, chosen because of severe gas shortages stemming from the 1973 Oil Crisis. The wood-rimmed steering wheel brings new meaning to the expression “deep dish,” with spokes that extend to the floorboard. The front, horizontally opposed coil suspension somewhat resembles the pushrod setup of current, purpose-built racing prototypes, while the independent rear suspension was sourced from a Jaguar, a common tactic for T-Bucket builds of the day.

Being a Hurst marketing vehicle—pun intended—the car is equipped with Hallcraft wire wheels and Airheart disc brakes, both products within the Hurst portfolio. A Hurst ad in the November 1975 issue of Street Rodder shows Linda Vaughn perched on the back seat, flanked by two other “Hurst Golden Shifter Girls.” Back then the engine was equipped with sweeping, polished headers, attributed to builder Ted Brown. Today, the inline-four has been modified with an AiResearch turbocharger in place of previous twin SU carburetors and features a different header and exhaust system. The radiator is said to be a desirable Model T-style brass unit custom-fabricated by Jim Babb.

Beautifully executed flames envelop the sleek phaeton-style bodywork, while the seats are finished in black button-tufted upholstery. After Graves parted with his T-Bucket, it changed hands several times and then reportedly remained out of the public eye for more than 30 years. Now offered from The Boeckmann Collection, this one-of-a-kind T-Bucket by a well-known and highly respected builder presents a unique opportunity for the discerning collector own a truly unique build that perfectly embodies hot rod culture’s endlessly creative spirit and to carry on the fantastical T-Bucket tradition, perhaps even sparking a new craze with a new generation.To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/bc27/.