Well, this Just sold yesterday! For $577,500
This Roadster was one I liked through late school, most Hot Rod fanatics will tell you that the cover of HOT ROD in MAY 1952 was the Iconic Ride everyone wanted.
Remember, I was in the UK and we knew about Dick Flints Roadster and it went on the chopping block yesterday.
Here was Rodder Journals write up before it sold.
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Dick Flint Roadster – Soon to Hit the Auction Block with RM Auctions
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| The Dick Flint roadster is one of the iconic hot rods of the 1950s. It has a storied history that includes one of the most memorable Hot Rod Magazine covers and served as Duane Koefed’s L.A. Roadsters transportation for decades. It was restored by noted collector Don Orosco before its class win at Pebble Beach. |
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| On Thursday, November 21st the Dick Flint roadster will be offered at RM Auctions and Sotheby’s “Art of the Automobile” sale in New York City. It’s one of the most significant roadsters in our sport’s history, combining performance and craftsmanship in what’s become an icon of post-war hot rodding. It’s clocked over 140 mph at El Mirage, graced the cover of numerous magazines from the ’50s and today, and taken home the gold at Pebble Beach. Now it will cross the block at one of the most prestigious auction houses in the world. |
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| The beautiful track nose is the work of famed Valley Custom in Burbank, California. |
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| Flint fabricated the nerf bar, which perfectly house ’39 Ford taillights, and the original block-cut Firestone “Ascot” rear tires are super rare. |
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| We featured the Dick Flint ’29 Model A back in TRJ #16, not long after it was restored by hot rodder Don Orosco at his DBO Motor Racing (now Monterey Speed & Sport). Dick, a member of Southern California’s Glendale Sidewinders, built the car after returning from WWII. The driveline is like a blueprint for traditional hot rods: a 276-inch full-house 59AB flathead hooked to a ’39 toploader and Halibrand V8 quickchange. It was enough to turn an impressive 143.54 mph at El Mirage in 1950, earning Dick an SCTA timing tag that’s still affixed to the dash. |
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| One of the highlights of the interior is the full Auburn dash with an insert fitted with early Stewart-Warner smooth and back-mount bezel gauges. |
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| The 276-inch 59AB flathead is equipped with a Merc crank, Eddie Meyer finned-aluminum heads, three Stromberg 97 carbs and a Winfield cam. |
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| But horsepower wasn’t his only concern, and he enlisted Valley Custom to help him create a roadster that was as beautiful as it was fast. Together with Neil Emory and Clay Jensen, and the help of part-time Valley employee Dean Batchelor, they re-styled the Model A, crafting an aluminum track nose and three-piece hood reminiscent of pre-war Indy racers. A full belly pan followed, seams were welded and filled, and the feature lines were modified to resemble those of a ’32 Ford. Dick finished it off with a beautiful chrome-plated horizontal grille and trademark nerf bars. |
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| The well proportioned track nose flows seamlessly into the full belly pan. |
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| The roadster famously graced the cover of the May 1952 Hot Rod cover as well as issue number 16 of The Rodder’s Journal. |
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| Dick owned the car for a little over 10 years, during which time it appeared in Hot Rod,Hop Up, and Popular Mechanics Hot Rod Handbook. L.A. Roadsters member Duane Kofoed bought the roadster in 1961 and owned it until the late-‘90s when Don Orosco took ownership. No expense was spared as Don and his team completely and accurately restored the roadster to its early-‘50s configuration. And their efforts were rewarded when Don won Best of Class and the Dean Batchelor Memorial Trophy at the 2001 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It’s not often that such a significant piece of our sport’s history becomes available, and it will be exciting to watch it cross the stage at Sotheby’s renowned New York auction house later this month. |
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