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Showing results for tags 'Norman E. Timbs Buick Special'.
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Here is one you most likely haven’t seen before. This is a one-off custom roadster designed by a very talented mechanical engineer, Norman E. Timbs back in 1948. Norman worked with Preston Tucker (Tucker Auto Fame) and on a few Indy 500 winning race car teams. This Streamline Special is powered by a Buick Straight 8 power plant. It was built on a wooden buck, like the Cobra Daytona Coupes. The body in hand formed and welded aluminum panels. This car was sold after 3 years to an Air Force Captain in LA. He repainted it white and drove it around LA for a few years. The car disappeared and was not thought about until 2002 when it was discovered in a junkyard in the California Desert. The car was sold at auction for $17,000 and after an extensive complete restoration, it made its second debut at the 2010 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in a class reserved for Motor Trend Cover Cars. To see more pictures from before and after, follow this link to Rik Hovings Fotki site click here where he has a large stash of photos, both before and after the restoration. Based on the measurements in an article in the Hot Rodders Journal, I laid out the dimensions in scale. From that I made a foam master and from that I vacuumformed the body. So far I have opened up the front wheel wells and attached all of the underbody inner flairs. I obtained a resin Buick Straight 8 engine from Kitchen Table Resins, which by the way is a very nice multiple piece casting if you are in need of one of these engines….Ken offers a number of “not your run of the mill, mills” so check them out. The chassis will be scratch made from aluminum tubing and styrene supports, the wheels and tires and hubcaps have been ordered form The Modelhaus, so that will look great. The fuel tank and all of the plumbing will be scratch made as well as the interior. The paint as you can tell is a deep Burgundy with a fine gold flake for highlights. The first time I saw this car, I thought it was a little strange, but over the months it grew on me and the other day the idea hit me to build it……..it may not be a practical car, but you can’t deny the beauty of its long flowing lines. I have no idea how long this will take to complete, but I will complete it. I will begin the scratch built chassis next.