1941 Ford Pappy Wood Sprint Car

Henry Ford's production of over fifteen and a half million Model Ts from 1908 into 1928 gave early American racing an overwhelming Ford dominance throughout the US as home-builts in vast array were raced everywhere. During this time, auto racing rapidly became more popular than horse racing. Replacing the Model T was the Model A of 1928, then the Model B V8 of 1932 that was built as the high performer, along with the Model B 4-cylinder that was similar to the Model A (201 CID) but more powerful (also 201 CID but 50 horsepower).

This 1933 Model A homebuilt is a survivor from that time. Its engine is a Model A with a Model B head. This car was built by 'Pappy' Wood, a Native American who built four similar cars to race the dirt tracks of Maine and New Hampshire. He used as many Ford parts as were available that combined to make sturdy, durable, yet light weight cars. This car is mostly original as it ran in the 1930s and 1940s. Auto racing was immensely popular during this time of local tracks and owner/promoters who were after profits rather than accumulating records, so this car and similar cars of 'Pappy's' era ran events before sanctioning bodies established record keeping. Homebuilts were updated year-to-year and largely became junk in a few years when it was cheaper to build new cars. This survivor is a rare car from the homebuilt era.