Photo: Classic Auto Mall
There is no way we can count all the weird machines we’ve seen cooked up by more or less prominent garages across America over the years. Yet we’re pretty certain we’re going to remember this thing here, going forward.
What you’re looking at is officially titled 1938 Indian V8-60 Flathead, and it’s an yet unfinished project that could have just as well been named Ford, or Porsche, or Harley-Davidson. That’s because each of these companies contributed in one way or another to this thing coming together.
Indian is responsible for the frame, with a 1938 Indian Chief as a starting point. It was bred and welded with 1.25- and 1-inch tubing and paired with a Chief front end. The thusly-modified frame was needed because it had to accommodate the Ford V8 engine its builder saw fit to gift the bike with.
The V8 is of the flathead variety the Blue Oval had in its portfolio for a couple of decades between 1932 and 1953, which came with a power rating of 60 horsepower—this bike’s name is beginning to make sense now, right?
The engine used on this two-wheeler is a 1937 model year, packs a Stromberg carburetor, and is tied to a Harley-Davidson transmission and a clutch from the same bike maker.
Two fuel tanks, made to resemble pre-war Indian pieces, are located left and right of the frame, and we’re told they never got the taste of fuel in them. An Indian solo seat dangles precariously over the massive engine, there are 1946 controls on the handlebars, and even a Porsche 12-volt generator in there (not hooked up to anything yet).
The bike somehow works, as the current wiring on it allows the engine to start and run; we’re even told test drives taken so far have proved the Frankenstein Indian to be handling well.
The overall build was inspired by two similar projects made long ago, in 1946 and 1954, but for some reason, the one who started this is no longer able to continue. That’s why the 1938 Indian V8-60 Flathead is going on Classic Auto Mall.
The asking price? That would be $17,500. Not exactly cheap, but keep in mind no one else in the world has anything that comes even close to this.
Indian is responsible for the frame, with a 1938 Indian Chief as a starting point. It was bred and welded with 1.25- and 1-inch tubing and paired with a Chief front end. The thusly-modified frame was needed because it had to accommodate the Ford V8 engine its builder saw fit to gift the bike with.
The V8 is of the flathead variety the Blue Oval had in its portfolio for a couple of decades between 1932 and 1953, which came with a power rating of 60 horsepower—this bike’s name is beginning to make sense now, right?
The engine used on this two-wheeler is a 1937 model year, packs a Stromberg carburetor, and is tied to a Harley-Davidson transmission and a clutch from the same bike maker.
Two fuel tanks, made to resemble pre-war Indian pieces, are located left and right of the frame, and we’re told they never got the taste of fuel in them. An Indian solo seat dangles precariously over the massive engine, there are 1946 controls on the handlebars, and even a Porsche 12-volt generator in there (not hooked up to anything yet).
The bike somehow works, as the current wiring on it allows the engine to start and run; we’re even told test drives taken so far have proved the Frankenstein Indian to be handling well.
The overall build was inspired by two similar projects made long ago, in 1946 and 1954, but for some reason, the one who started this is no longer able to continue. That’s why the 1938 Indian V8-60 Flathead is going on Classic Auto Mall.
The asking price? That would be $17,500. Not exactly cheap, but keep in mind no one else in the world has anything that comes even close to this.
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