Bob White has been a car aficionado since 1967, when at the age of 15 he bought his first car—a 1951 Chevy. He says his appreciation for old cars “escalated from there.” He had that car for several years, and then as time passed, he bought other specialty cars including an old Corvette, a ‘37 Chevy Pick-Up Street Rod, a ’51 Chevy Sedan Delivery and a T-Bucket.

“And, I just bought a ’37 Chevy 2-door Sedan last week,” he says. Bob estimates that he has owned around 20 collector cars in his lifetime.

He adds that his 30-year-old son has a garage-full of collector cars, as well. (Bob says that he has pictures of his son, in diapers, sanding fenders!) And, he further adds that it was his father who introduced him to old cars and explains that this hobby runs deeps in the family.

“I used to help my dad with older model Chevys,” he says. “They were really nice Pick-Ups, but not show cars.”

And, with that special appreciation for Chevy Pick-Ups, which dates back to his days of helping out Dad, Bob says that he particularly loved driving his ’37 Chevy Pick-Up Street Rod all over the country.

“I drove it everywhere,” he says. “I had put 150,000 miles on it since I built it. I had it on the road for 12 years, and it had never been hauled.”

But, a day came, some time in 2003, when Bob put the Chevy in a trailer. He says that with suspicion, his wife asked “Why aren’t you driving it?”

Bob says that he knew he had to “redo or freshen up” the Pick-Up, but he had realized that he would rather trade it for another collector car, even though that Chevy had been in the family for a long time.

So, while getting ready for the 2003 NSRA Louisville Street Rod Nationals, Bob says the car went into a trailer, and he had every intention of selling it; he had hopes of finding a Model A to replace the truck.

At the show, he found a Model A Coupe and negotiated a deal to trade his car with the owner of what was going to be his new collector vehicle.  Bob says that the owner of the Model A wanted a car to fix up, and the Pick-Up was a good fit for him. The two gentlemen talked about the price difference and “shook hands on the deal,” says Bob.

But, little did Bob know what was in store for him that day….

Bob explains that every year NSRA gives away a new Street Rod in Louisville. And, that year, it would be a 1932 Ford Coupe, built by Street Rods by Michael out of Shelbyville, Tenn.

“Different builders donate time to build the car,” he explains. “And, I’d say that 80 per cent of the parts and labor are donated by the sponsoring companies that build the parts.”

He goes on to say that “on Saturday night, all registrants need to be in the auditorium to see what number is picked. And, that year, there were about 12,000 cars that were registered at the event.”

Bob and his son attended the drawing, to see who would be the lucky participant… And, it was there that his son turned to him and confessed that he was hoping to buy Bob’s ’37 Chevy Pick-Up, even though he had already negotiated a deal with the owner of the Model A.

“I turned to him and said that if he wanted it, it was his. The deal was off,” says Bob. “And 30 seconds later, my number was called.”

Bob had won the giveaway car.

His son would get his ’37 Chevy, and Bob was now the owner of a magnificent ’32 Ford Coupe.

And while Bob says that he has had many great memories with this car since that day, he says that that very day, when he won the car, is probably the most special one.

“It was a great day,” he says.

Bob says that he loves the “smallness” of the interior of his Ford and adds that it “fits him like a glove.” He also loves the fact that it is an open-wheeled car—something he had always wanted.

“But, when I got the car into Pennsylvania, driving fenderless was illegal,” he explains. “I couldn’t title it in P.A. So, I went on a one-and-a-half-year-long crusade to get the laws changed in the state.”

Bob explains that he played a major role in building support for the Street Rod bill that would call for the allowance of fenderless Street Rods in the state of Pennsylvania. Act 124 of 2004 became effective in February 2005.

An excerpt from the Act states: “Vehicles registered as Street Rods will not be required to be equipped with bumpers, fenders or engine coverage as originally manufactured. If the hood, top and sides, or both, are removed from the vehicle the engine fan must be enclosed with a shroud designed to protect the fan from accidental contact from the outside.”

Today, Bob enjoys driving his fenderless ’32 Ford Coupe. He says that he attends at least four large national shows and around 40 local shows, each year. Bob also serves as NSRA’s West Pennsylvania State Inspector.

For details on the build of Bob’s ’32 Ford, visit: http://www.2003.srbymichael.com/

Story by: Becky McLaughlin

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