Just about every hot rod we get our hands on has some sort of story. Some of them have a history that kind of kicks the crud out of most everyone else’s story.  Robert Hoffman of Point Ridge, California has a car that truly has an amazing story, even on up through to when Hoffman got his hands on the car.

Hoffman is a car enthusiast that generally has cars that are untouched and original. That was true up until he laid eyes on this 1932 Ford on eBay. In a matter of two hours, the car had garnered around 200 responses and within the next the listing was removed. Figuring the car had been snatched up by someone “with deep pockets,” Hoffman called to have the broker keep an eye out for any similar cars. Luckily for Hoffman though, the car had not been sold yet after all. The brokerage team pulled the listing down because they realized they had undervalued the car.  Within moments, the deal was done and the car was set to ship from New Jersey back to California where it had been originally built.

The car that Hoffman stumbled upon was purchased by Jack Kukura in 1940, in Southern California. Kukura was from the city of Bell, of Bell Helmets fame. Kukura shipped off to war and returned in 1945. In 1946, he began hot rodding the car out. That first year, Kukura ran the car in Bonneville. The car had a Ford Flathead with Stromberg carbs and gained recognitions from the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) for reaching 97 miles per hour. Kukura ran the car every year after that until 1960.

Each year, the car got lighter, faster and finer tuned, eventually ending up with a 1956 Chrysler HEMI 454 cubic-inch V8 with a supercharger. The first year with the HEMI, the car hit 163 miles per hour.  1957 and 1958 were 171 and 183 miles per hour respectively. That last year, 1960, Kukura and his now 28 year old Ford reached 200 miles per hour on the salt flats. Unfortunately though, the car spun out after passing the speed trap. Kukura kept his foot on the accelerator until the car ran out of nitromethane fuel, subsequently avoiding rolling the car. Kukura declined to take the second pass of the run, which would not give the car an official speed record.

Before his passing in 2005, Jack Kukura took the time to chronologically note down every single thing that he and his crew ever did to the car. 65 years worth of updates, modifications, and maintenance so the legacy of the car was never forgotten.

Robert Hoffman may not have intended on ever purchasing a non-OEM original car, but when a car like this comes around, it can trump just about any other plans you have. Hoffman does admit that the car can be a bit dangerous to drive in certain scenarios. It is a purpose built vehicle, though. The car is specifically built to be loose so the car travels straight at 200 mile per hour. The down side is that it was a very wide turning radius. But since the car is licensed in California, Hoffman does take it out occasionally to go meet up with some car enthusiast buddies in his home town.

Check out the video above for a ton more information!