‘Holy Grail’: Iconic 1960s Hot Rod Rediscovered

The “Uncertain-T” earned a place as one of hot rodding’s wildest and most memorable custom cars of the 1960s show-car scene, appearing at events across the country for a five-year span before disappearing in the mid-1970s.

“‘The Uncertain-T’ found me,” said Beau Boeckmann, president and CEO of Galpin Motors. “This historic hot rod was a phenomenon; its whereabouts were unknown for many decades.”

The importance of the “Uncertain-T” lies in its impact on automotive culture. Its design was inspired by a cartoon drawn by a classmate of Steve Scott.

The abstract concept was built to emulate a Ford Model T. The fiberglass body featured a steel tube chassis and it won many awards, beating out creations by George Barris, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth and Dan Woods along the way.

Promoters paid Scott to tour the car around the country. Following multiple cover features in custom car magazines, the custom cemented itself in automotive history.

The fate of “Uncertain-T” had been debated for half a century. Multiple clones were built in tribute over the decades.

Then, the recent discovery of this “barn find,” reportedly in a small side shop in the San Fernando Valley of California, sent shockwaves through the hot rod community, solving a decades-old mystery.

Boeckmann plans to restore the car with restoration specialist Dave Shute to its original 1965 configuration and return it to the show circuit. The duo documented the extraction of the relic from its resting place and will record the restoration for posterity.

Uncertain-T will be shown in its “as found” condition Feb. 2-4 at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California, and at the Detroit Autorama in March before undergoing the restoration.