Text and images by Clive Branson
If you are part of the Baby Boomer generation, seeing hot rods on the street was de rigueur. They were like magnets for any individual with Castrol in their veins and greased under their fingernails. Low slung, exaggerated engine in a lightweight body and rear wheels reminiscent of wine barrels. But seeing a woman driving one was both uncommon and impressive. “And why not?” insists Celine Richter placing her fists on her waist. “I enjoy driving it.” And she can prove it. This is no walk in the park driving. The experience is a bit like driving a truck (the steering wheel is almost parallel with the floor) with the sensitivity of a go-kart, the torque of a mule’s kick, and the speed equivalent to air coming out of a whoopie-cushion. It can rattle your dentures just idling. The Richter’s 1923 Ford T-Bucket is nicknamed BUG ETR (Bug Eater) for good reason. They don’t have a chance to get out of the way.
Hot rods are about individuality fuelled by an imaginative vision (hand fabricated with few parameters). They stand apart from everything else, but it’s not just about being attractive, their power is almost nonpareil. There is probably nothing more exhilaratingly terrifying than a T-bucket. It’s a small, light chassis with a massive engine, and the driver gets the feeling of sitting on it rather than in it for that white-knuckle experience. Regardless, they are a thrill to drive. This may explain why there are as many hot rods today as there were in the mid-to-late-1940s when it began in earnest with the GIs returning home from WWII equipped with mechanical skills learnt in the service. And nowhere was this more popular than in southern California.
The iconic 1923 T-Bucket has the two-seater body of a Model T Roadster (The Richter’s model has the turtle deck and small pickup box). Other than the “bucket-shaped” body shell and the vertical windshield, not much remains from the original model. What’s left is up to the owner’s imagination. And that’s where it gets fun. They generally feature an enormous engine for the size and weight of the car, usually a V8, along with tough drivetrains to handle the power and exceptionally large rear tires to stick to the road like bubble gum on hot tarmac. It may seem unorthodox to house a Chevrolet engine in a Ford, but it’s a moot point, otherwise, as far as engine size is concerned, the sky’s the limit. “Yeah, it’s a 350 Chevy small block. It came with the car,” confirms Kelvin Richter. “Four-cylinder engines are common as well. Superchargers are also on the menu as are modern fuel-injected engines for more reliability.”
“I’ve had a T-Bucket on my Bucket List since my childhood,” admits Kelvin, a veteran mason and experienced mechanic. “I learned from a friend from a friend of a friend of mine (are you still with me?), that a T-Bucket was available for sale. The owner’s name was Bruce and my friend told him about my interest.” Kelvin visited Bruce and was offered a test drive. “My wife was with me and when I returned from the test drive, she saw it in my face how much I loved the ride. She then proceeded to tell me to do whatever I wanted at the time.” Those could be fateful words, but in this case, it was a blessing. “The car was in mint condition and only needed to be polished and cleaned off after being in Bruce’s garage for several months,” continues Kelvin. “It started immediately and the exhilaration of the rumble just spoke to me.” Kelvin has all the original paperwork that dates back to when Milton Maybee restored it from its original 1923 DNA. It has had three previous owners, each upgrading something to the car, Kelvin being the latest custodian since 2021 when it had already covered 30,000 miles.
No stranger to classic cars Kelvin has owned and restored a plethora of cars. “I’m a true Chevy lover and although this is a Ford, I always wanted a T-Bucket,” admits Kelvin. The list of cars seem to flow from his mouth like a Filofax, stirring fond recollections, including his first “hot rod” which was a 1956 Ford 2-door Post back in 1974 when he was only 15 years old in Alberta (I guess the law on vehicle ownership was different back then). He has since owned a 1967 Ford Fairlaine GTR, a 1927 Model T-Turtledeck, a 1953 Chevy pickup, a 1956 and a 1957 Chevy pickup, a 1985 S-10 with a V8, a 1970 Corvette Stingray, and a 1985 Ford Mustang. Currently, he is in possession of a rare 1955 six-gear manual Chevy Bel Air, a silver 2007 XLR Cadillac built on a Corvette chassis, and a 1969 C-10 Chevy Short Box pickup. “I built that from frame,” states Kelvin as we peer up at the pickup on a hoist. “It was purchased black and I stripped it to bare metal after several layers of colour in order to paint it blue. It took me 2 to 3 years in my garage to build and paint it as it appears now. The paint job looks like it came off the dealership floor. It is immaculate. I’m still modifying the rear end.” Kelvin has a penchant to accumulate as many of the vehicles on his Bucket List depending on time and budget, but he’s done well so far.
“My most memorable story about the T-Bucket is how my wife has adjusted to becoming a hot rod lover. Ironically, she never wanted to drive or own one,” amuses Kelvin. “It’s a salient point for she is only 5’1 1/2” tall and now the principal driver. She can fit into the hot rod much better than I can.” A caveat is that it is cool to look at, but not made for comfort. “It is a bit restrictive since I am too tall for it. My wife went as far as purchasing me an aviator leather hat with matching goggles to complete the look. She, on the other hand, compares the experience to riding a motorcycle without having to wear a helmet - a dream she has always had.” It seems dreams come and go and the T-Bucket has run its course. Not that there is anything wrong with the car, it’s just that Kelvin’s insatiable appetite for another hot rod is egging him on, and to answer that temptation, they need to sell the T-Bucket. Somewhere, there’s a new dream car to satisfy Kelvin’s Bucket List.
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