All images courtesy Goodguys
George Poteet's vehicles have been winning awards for many years, but of the few accolades they haven't received, the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster trophy at the Grand National Roadster Show and the prestigious Goodguys BASF America’s Most Beautiful Street Rod honor stand out. This year he closed that gap in his list of awards with his “Three Penny” '36 Ford roadster built by the team at Pinkee’s Rod Shop.
The BASF award is a prestigious one. Each year, the Goodguys Rod and Custom Association selects the vehicle they deem to be America’s Most Beautiful Street Rod. The competition is fierce, and only the most meticulously built and maintained autos receive this great honor. The "Three Penny" roadster is in good company.
While years of planning and work went into this beautiful build, you wouldn't guess at the effort involved based on the clean, elegant lines of the car. The Pinkee’s team collaborated with artist Eric Black on the car’s redesign, which included extensive modification, though it's still recognizably a roadster. This is a delicate balance, and the "Three Penny" strikes it flawlessly.
The front fenders were stretched 3-inches and frame a leaned-back grille. The top was chopped, the cockpit stretched 2.5 inches and the doors built from scratch. A ’39-Ford-style deck lid joined peaked rear fenders, hand-made running boards and custom hood sides to give the car a flowing aesthetic.
There are more than 500 one-off machined parts used in this incredible roadster. One unique piece is the frame, which was custom fabricated at Pinkee’s and incorporates an independent front suspension and a ladder bar rear with coil-overs.
The engine, a comparatively conventional 351c.i. Ford small-block, is incredibly well-detailed and looks quite exotic due to the 8-Stack Autotrend EFI system topped with fabricated air cleaner assemblies. One-off machined valve covers incorporate holders for the cloth plug wires fed by an MSD ignition. A manual Tremec TKO transmission tops things off.
More hand-crafted and custom-machined pieces gleam from the interior, including the dash and gauge bezels, which were filled with custom dials by Classic Instruments. The steering wheel and shifter were both machined in-house at Pinkee’s. Sid Chavers stitched the bench seat and other soft parts using tan Relicate leather in a timeless pleated pattern.
The car’s name was conceived when Eric first described its custom-mixed paint color to George. He said it looked like chocolate milk, and George recalled that he used to pay three pennies for a carton of chocolate milk as a kid. The "Three Penny" name stuck after that. Stunning chrome by Sherm’s Custom Plating sets off the deep, rich paint color.
If you want to catch more of the amazing auto artwork showcased at Goodguys events, check their 2019 schedule to see what's running in your area.