A famous hot rod has been unearthed by California dealer Galpin Motors after decades in hiding.
Called "Uncertain-T," the car was a fixture of the show circuit in the 1960s, and was immortalized as a Monogram 1/24-scale model kit, but it disappeared in the mid-1970s. Now recovered, it's slated for more public appearances, as well as a full restoration.
Uncertain-T hot rod
Uncertain-T epitomizes the hot rods and custom cars of the 1960s. Steve Scott was inspired to build it at age 17 after seeing a cartoon drawing by a high school classmate. He completed the car in his parents' Reseda, California, garage.
As was popular at the time, the car is loosely inspired by the Ford Model T, which is where the name Uncertain-T comes from. It was built entirely from scratch, with a fiberglass body and steel-tube chassis. It was completed in 1965 after five years of work.
Uncertain-T hot rod
Uncertain-T won numerous awards, beating cars built by legendary customizers like George Barris and Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, and toured the country. It sat in storage from the mid-1970s until just recently, when Galpin Motors CEO Beau Boeckmann pulled it out of a warehouse just blocks away from the dealer's main location on Van Nuys, California.
"Uncertain-T found me, I didn't find it," Boeckmann said in a statement.
The historic hot rod will be shown in its as-found condition at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California, Feb. 2-4, followed by the Detroit Autorama in March. After that, Uncertain-T will get a full restoration to its as-built appearance.