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Rick Dore’s Melon 1926 Ford Roadster Shines on the Auction Block Once More

Had Henry Ford known the cars of his early years would become custom-builders favorites, he’d probably have bumped the price of the Model T by quite a margin.
Rick Dore 1926 Ford Roadster Golden Era 6 photos
Photo: Barrett-Jackson
Rick Dore’s Melon 1926 Ford RoadsterRick Dore’s Melon 1926 Ford RoadsterRick Dore’s Melon 1926 Ford RoadsterRick Dore’s Melon 1926 Ford RoadsterRick Dore’s Melon 1926 Ford Roadster
Diverse as it is, the custom car market undoubtedly has a thing for century-old Ford cars. There isn’t a big auction of such machines on the calendar devoid of restored, tuned or hot rod-ed Fords. And next January’s Scottsdale sale is no exception.

There are a few worth mentioning Ford hot rods on the floor for the auction, but one stands out in particular. It is the 1926 Ford Custom Roadster known as Golden Era, a throwback at the glory days of the hot rod industry of the 1960s.

Built in the early 2000s by custom car builder Rick Dore, the Golden Era is based on a 1926 Ford Model T whose wheelbase was extended to 106 inches. The wheelbase supports a Ford 351ci V8 overhead valve engine (OHV) with a four-barrel carburetor. Linked to a three-speed Ford C-4 automatic transmission, the engine develops 325 hp.

The Golden Era is visually stunning, and a hand in that have both the design of the hot rod, and the color chosen for it.

Long and low, with the wheels placed to the extremities, the car shows a Melon pearl finish on the outside, interrupted only by the partially exposed engine. Helping it look clean and simple is the pearl white interior contrasted by black floor mats.

Shortly after it was completed, in 2006, the car was purchased by John O'Quinn, a Texas trial lawyer whose car collection at one point comprised about 800 cars. After that, it entered the Sam Pack Collection, and was sold for $44,000 at an auction in 2014.

Now, the Golden Era is going under the hammer again during the Barrett-Jackson auction in January 2020, with no reserve, meaning it will go to the highest bidder.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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