February 2023 Hot Rod of the Month

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The roadster is named the “Pyle Special” after its builder and owner Ray Pyle. Ray used theroadster as a dual purpose vehicle post WWII and raced it from 1947 to 1949 in the South GateGaters SCTA car club. After departing the SCTA, he briefl y raced it at the early Santa Ana dragstrip at the Orange County airport in California. The roadster has been family owned since theearly 1940’s. Ray’s cousin, Ken, worked on the roadster as a young teen during it’s racing days,and fi nally purchasing the roadster from his cousin Ray in 1964/5. The roadster remained in drystorage until 2007, when Ken’s son Chris (me) did a slight restoration to the brakes andelectrical system with a fresh rebuild of the 4-banger motor. In 2022 I did further restoration toget to the original color and slight body work completed to eliminate the usual rust spots on anA roadster. It’s a time capsule of early Hot Rods, with a deep history in Southern Californiaracing of the era.