Norm Wallace’s ‘32 Roadster

Norm Wallace was president of the “Torque Masters” car club of Dover, NH during the time he was snapping up trophies at car shows throughout New England.  At a single event, the 1958 Hartford Autorama, Norm’s car took awards for “Best Show Rod”, “Best Workmanship”, “Best Car in Show”, “First Place Radical Street Rod” and “Most Popular Car”. The beauty and workmanship of his car made an impression on everyone, particularly a 19-year-old Larry Hook. 

Larry first saw this car at a car show, years after Norm had sold it, and was impressed enough to take several photos of it. Norm’s car never left Larry’s mind and at age 36, he became determined to find that beautiful car that was etched in his memory and try to buy it. In the days before the internet, it took quite a while to find it, but by networking through friends, Larry was able to track down someone who once owned the car, and this gradually led to the person who owned the car. Remarkably, Norm’s car was still very much in the same condition as Larry first saw it and excepting the interior and a paint job, much the way it was when it appeared on the cover of September 1958 Hot Rod Magazine. It took Larry two years of persistence and negotiating to purchase the car, but in 1994 Larry prevailed and became the next caretaker of the Norm Wallace roadster. To Larry’s astonishment, the car came with a plethora of magazine articles, early photos, trophies, and other memorabilia that traced the cars history. Ironically, one of the photos a prior owner kept in a photo album showed the car with a young Larry Hook in the background admiring the car.  

Larry was one of the earliest hot rodders to recognize the significance of these first-generation hot rods and was determined to bring the car back, exactly as it was when Norm Wallace built it. Several minor changes were needed to make the car reliable, safe, and historically accurate. Presenting the car just as Norm had it was important to Larry and that necessitated completely recreating the interior as Norm had it, thankfully, detailed photos existed. It was also fortunate that the complex dash and rare Stewart Warner gauges that Norm had installed remained with the car when Larry bought it. Since Larry bought and restored the car it has been shown at Amelia Island, Pebble Beach, and many other significant car shows, it never fails to attract an admiring crowd.  

On loan from Larry Hook

Specifications:
Engine: 276 C.I. Ford V8
Engine Modifications: Iskenderian camshaft, Johnson tappets, Jahns pistons, Edelbrock manifold
Drivetrain: 1941 Ford automatic, 1948 Ford Columbia rearend
Body Modifications: Chevrolet taillights, Model A rear crossmembers, metal work and paint completed by Jean’s Auto Body of Salmon Falls, NH