Uncertain-T: Wild ’60s Custom Car Uncovered, Ending 50-Year Mystery

One of the most memorable show rods in the custom car world has been unearthed and will be restored to its former glory by Galpin Motors’ Beau Boeckmann.

“Uncertain-T,” a wildly proportioned hot rod that debuted in 1965 and made the car show rounds for several years before falling off the map in the 1970s. The fiberglass-bodied car was built on a custom chassis by Steve Scott, who started the build in his parents’ garage when he was just 17 years old. Strangely enough, the car, which was built in Reseda, just a few miles from Galpin’s dealership headquarters in North Hills, California, was rediscovered nearby.

“This time, the Uncertain-T found me, I didn’t find it,” said Boeckmann, president and CEO of Galpin Motors. ”While this historic hot rod has been a worldwide phenomenon, with its whereabouts unknown for so many decades, I love that it was built and found in the San Fernando Valley right down the street from Galpin Ford.

“What makes it even more sentimental is the connection between the previous owner, Dick Nickerson, and my father, who all worked on the Mach IV four-engine Mustang Funny Car together in 1969.”

Started in 1960 and debuting in 1965, Uncertain-T was an immediate show-winner. Show promoters paid Scott to have the wild car on display at shows, knowing that it could draw a crowd. Its forward-canted cab looked like a cartoon come to life and its absurdity resonated with custom-car fans of all ages. It was on magazine covers, spawned tribute cars, and even became a Monogram 1/24-scale plastic model.

As with many of Beau Boeckmann’s historic hot-rod finds, the restoration will be managed by Galpin Speed Shop guru Dave Shuten, who will be tasked with returning the car to its show-winning 1965 configuration. While he certainly has his work cut out, the car appears to be rather complete: It still has a Buick Nailhead V-8 with mechanical fuel injection as it did when it debuted in 1965.

The restoration process will kick off this spring. In the meantime, the car will be presented in its as-found condition at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California from February 2–4 and at the Detroit Autorama from March 1–3. Hopefully, it will return to those venues in the near future looking as fresh as ever.

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