Photo: Mecum
If you are a speed junkie and you've never been to the Bonneville Salt Flats, then you're probably not speed junkie enough. Or you maybe are, but you never had the tool to go racing over the troublingly white surface in the state of Utah. If that's the case, look no more, as here comes the perfect ride for you.
The various auctions that regularly take place across America are always unending streams of incredible machines. But it's not every day that one such event spews out a salt flat racer that looks right out of some Mad Max movie.
For some reason, that's the first vibe I got when looking at the highly modified 1935 Ford sitting before you now. That's maybe because it's black as night and just as retro-looking as something only people living in a post-apocalyptic world would drive.
The vehicle is titled a 1935 Ford because that's where the frame it is built on comes from, but the truck body is a bit younger, an all-steel affair that Ford rolled out in 1940.
I said earlier that this thing is a salt flat racer, and that's not only in terms of how it looks. The vehicle was a constant presence in the C/TO class of the Bonneville National Speed Week at the beginning of last decade, something that's clearly inscribed on its doors.
You may be wondering, then, why is this truck so shiny, as if it spent most of its time in a climate-controlled garage. The reason is simple: it hasn't raced in a decade – but it could, if you really wanted it to.
That's because the engine under the hood and its extra components are more than up for the task. I'm talking about a 383ci powerplant with Edelbrock cylinder heads, a custom Holley carburetor, and an automatic transmission that are, as per the seller, "unchanged from when it ran at Bonneville."
The truck, however, did lose some of the gear that made it race-ready back in the day, and we're mostly talking about the safety equipment: there are no more roll cages, fire suppression, and parachutes. Other parts that made the Ford a salt flat racer are still on but have been replaced since the truck was retired in 2014, including the wheels, tires, and rear-end gear.
On top of it all, the interior now looks more like what you'd expect to see on a custom show truck: an elegant black bench seat that also happens to be heated, a custom Autosound radio in the dash, and Classic Instruments gauges.
The 1935 Ford salt flat racer is the work of a New Mexico crew called Jamie Johnson Hot Rod Haven, and it is presently listed for sale during the Mecum Tulsa auction taking place on June 7.
There is no mention as to how much the owner expects to fetch for it, but last time this truck was available, in 2022, an $17,250 offer for it was declined.
For some reason, that's the first vibe I got when looking at the highly modified 1935 Ford sitting before you now. That's maybe because it's black as night and just as retro-looking as something only people living in a post-apocalyptic world would drive.
The vehicle is titled a 1935 Ford because that's where the frame it is built on comes from, but the truck body is a bit younger, an all-steel affair that Ford rolled out in 1940.
I said earlier that this thing is a salt flat racer, and that's not only in terms of how it looks. The vehicle was a constant presence in the C/TO class of the Bonneville National Speed Week at the beginning of last decade, something that's clearly inscribed on its doors.
You may be wondering, then, why is this truck so shiny, as if it spent most of its time in a climate-controlled garage. The reason is simple: it hasn't raced in a decade – but it could, if you really wanted it to.
That's because the engine under the hood and its extra components are more than up for the task. I'm talking about a 383ci powerplant with Edelbrock cylinder heads, a custom Holley carburetor, and an automatic transmission that are, as per the seller, "unchanged from when it ran at Bonneville."
The truck, however, did lose some of the gear that made it race-ready back in the day, and we're mostly talking about the safety equipment: there are no more roll cages, fire suppression, and parachutes. Other parts that made the Ford a salt flat racer are still on but have been replaced since the truck was retired in 2014, including the wheels, tires, and rear-end gear.
On top of it all, the interior now looks more like what you'd expect to see on a custom show truck: an elegant black bench seat that also happens to be heated, a custom Autosound radio in the dash, and Classic Instruments gauges.
The 1935 Ford salt flat racer is the work of a New Mexico crew called Jamie Johnson Hot Rod Haven, and it is presently listed for sale during the Mecum Tulsa auction taking place on June 7.
There is no mention as to how much the owner expects to fetch for it, but last time this truck was available, in 2022, an $17,250 offer for it was declined.
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