Holy Grail of Hot Rods Dubbed ‘Uncertain-T’ Has Been Found

By Brett Foote - January 25, 2024

What most consider to be the best of the best when it comes to hot rods has finally been rediscovered after it was missing for 50 years.

Throughout the course of history, there have been many amazing hot rods that have graced this earth, as well as the pages of our favorite car rags, displays at car shows, and – of course – in our hearts. Thus, it’s somewhat difficult to claim any of them as “the best,” though many have tried over the past several decades, some even declaring certain builds as such. However, the one machine that may truly be able to claim such a lofty title was just rediscovered after it had been missing for quite some time – a custom hot rod known as “Uncertain-T.”

We can credit Beau Boeckmann – president and CEO of the legendary Galpin Motors – with this discovery, as he recently stumbled upon Uncertain-T in relatively decent condition after it had been missing for more than 50 years. The build – which is loosely based on a Ford Model T – rose to fame on the show car circuit in the late 1960s before it vanished in the mid 1970s, but many – including Boeckmann – haven’t given up on it since then. In fact, he didn’t have to go far to find it, as Uncertain-T was shockingly stored in a warehouse mere blocks from the Galpin dealership in Van Nuys, California.

The concept for Uncertain-T came about from a cartoon created by a classmate of Steve Scott, who was a mere 17 years-old at the time. When Scott saw the drawing, he set about building the car in his parent’s garage, a rather difficult task considering that this was, in fact, something that came from a drawing and required plenty of custom work to make it a reality. Scott formed the body out of fiberglass, and the chassis from steel tubing, then proceed to rack up an incredible amount of awards while beating out legends like George Barris, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth and Dan Woods on the show circuit.

From there, the legend of Uncertain-T only grew further, as a Monogram 1/24-scale plastic model kit of the car was later released, it was featured in several magazines, and is rumored to have inspired Tom Wolfe‘s first book, “The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby.”

Thus, it makes perfect sense that Boeckmann plans to team up with restoration expert Dave Shuten to return Uncertain-T to its original form and take it back out on the show car circuit, where a new generation can fall in love with it. However, in the meantime, attendees at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona can check out the iconic hot rod in its current state on February 2-4, followed by the Detroit Autorama in March.

Photos: Galpin Motors