An exceptiolly beautiful roadster built on a 1928 chassis is sold at auction. Despite the retro bodywork of the 1920s, it refuels with modern fuel.
When the word “CNG” is mentioned, you probably think of a company car from the company’s lower magement fleet. Although they are slowly getting smaller. But that seemingly boring fuel also works on this hand-built “Magnolia Special” roadster with an interesting history.
It was built by motorcycle designer J. T. Nesbitt in his own New Orleans workshop between 2009 and 2011. As a basis, he chose a solid 1928 Ford chassis with a wheelbase of 2946 mm. It had an aluminum case painted black with blue decorations made for it by hand. Polished aluminum fenders and door sills create a beautiful contrast. The entire body is connected by brass torxes and is literally strewn with decorative orments.
Opening the center-hinged hood reveals a completely rebuilt 4.2-liter inline-six engine from the Jaguar XK. The block, cylinder head, crankshaft and connecting rods were machined by Simplex Automotive Machine of New Orleans. During the restoration, the engine received forged pistons, stainless valves and high-lift cams. We can also admire the polished intake manifold, aluminum radiator and custom downpipes. The fil tuning took place in Alabama with Lee Hurley. The engine is adapted to operate on compressed tural gas, which is filled in five pressure tanks built into the chassis.
The electrical installation was carried out by Max Matern, who sat in the vigator’s seat during the long journey, which ended in October 2011. The route ran from New York to Los Angeles and lasted 89 hours. The expedition tested drivetrain reliability, including a Wilwood all-wheel disc brake, a Tremec T5 five-speed manual transmission, and a Ford 9-inch limited-slip differential. The front axle has a multi-link pushrod suspension, and the rear axle has a four-link Panhard rod suspension. Both axles are fitted with 20-inch wire wheels wrapped in Excelsior Competition tires that complement the matching spare.
The car has spent the last five years in a garage and has been meticulously serviced and fully refurbished before being sold. The odometer shows 6700 miles.
The bespoke interior reflects the 1920s in a modern retro concept with a range of polished features. The metal steering wheel is in harmony with the pedals, polished instrument panel and gear knob. Alarm clocks for the speedometer, tachometer and other operating indicators have an unconventiol blue background. The rest of the cockpit, including the bench, is upholstered in premium brown leather with tol carpeting. There is also a fire extinguisher in case of an emergency.
The Bring a Trailer auction ended on Thursday, May 25th. The car was sold for $81,000, which is about 1.8 million crowns.
Source: E15