Kirk F. White 1932 Roadster Doane Spencer Engine
Kirk F. White has collected and raced exotic cars for decades. In the early 1970’s he campaigned a Ferrari 512M with partners Roger Penske and sponsor Sunoco. In 1971, the car won pole position at the 24 Hours of Daytona and finished second. It won the pole again for the 12 Hours of Sebring that year and finished sixth despite being involved in an accident. Part of its success can be attributed to the ace mechanic responsible for fine-tuning the Ferrari’s 600hp engine, a hot rodder named Doane Spencer.
In the hot rod world, the name Doane Spencer is legendary. In the late 1940’s he built a 1932 Ford roadster with an eye toward running in the Carrera Panamericana Mexican Road Race. Well engineered, understated and beautifully crafted, this dual-purpose street/race roadster significantly raised the bar for Deuce hiboys of the time. In mid-90’s the car was acquired by collector Bruce Meyer and underwent a meticulous restoration at the So Cal Speed Shop. In 1997 it placed first in the inaugural Hot Rod Class at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Kirk White and Doane Spencer became friends and, many years later, White had Spencer build him a high-performance five-liter Ford motor. According to White, he “really liked to build these motors” and, in true Spencer fashion took the project to “11/10ths.” It would be the last engine Doane Spencer built before his passing.
This was a significant motor, and White wanted to build a fitting car around it. He approached Pete Chapouris at So Cal and together they developed plans for a car that would truly honor the Spencer heritage: a Deuce roadster engineered and styled for the Carrera Pan Americana.
The Spencer 5.0 was was fitted with a rare factory forged crank, Carrillo rods, heavily ported and polished Yates heads, and huge titanium valves. A Yates single-plane manifold and 600cfm Holley feed the fuel. It was wildly powerful – and had to be dialed down to make it manageable on the street. It next went to Ed Pink, another legendary engine builder, who replaced the original 11.5:1 pistons with 9.7:1 versions so the car would run on real-world gas. Ed also replaced the wild racing cam with a milder mechanical roller tappet version so the car would idle. Even with the Pink’s detuning, the engine still makes 385hp with 350lb-ft of torque.
The transmission, a Saginaw Super T-10 4-speed, fits the build perfectly. Asked why he didn’t choose a more contemporary five-speed, White remarked “it’s because I’m so bloody old-fashioned.” With its tall 32 inch tires and long-legged Currie 9 inch, 3.20 rear end, the car really doesn’t need any more gears.
The front suspension features a 5 inch dropped tube axle, batwings and hairpins, all chromed. The rod ends are mounted through the frame rails, much like the original Doane Spencer roadster. The rear is hung by a ’40 Ford-style transverse leaf spring and chrome ladder bars. Front brakes are So Cal’s New Traditionalist discs. Fully-polished, they combine the look of traditional Buick drums with the performance of modern-day discs. Rear brakes are Ford with Buick-style finned drum covers.
The roadster owes much of its unique look to the sports cars of the past. The stock mounts for the windshield on the steel Brookville body have been shaved and the cowl fitted with a rakish, DuVall frame. The frame itself has been heavily modified to eliminate its “elephant ear” look and to lower the top profile. The wheels are one-off 16 and 18 inch polished aluminum Halibrands, reportedly the last to come out of the company before its demise. The tires are classic Dunlop Racing. The springs are wrapped in leather. The headlights are vintage Guide with integral turn signals. And like many vintage road racers, a pair of Lucas driving lights are mounted on the frame horns.
Gabe Lopez trimmed the cockpit in supple dark gray-green leather, providing ample storage in the door panels and behind the seat. Collector Terry Seaholm provided the 1932 Pierce Arrow engine-turned instrument panel, and filled it with restored, period-correct Stewart Warner gauges. Kirk White provided the steering wheel himself: a wood-rimmed Nardi from his own first Ferrari, a California Spyder.
The body was artfully prepped and painted at So Cal by Tim Beard in Spencer’s favorite color: black. While never meant to be a clone of his car, this roadster is indeed a tribute, and a fitting home for Doane Spencer’s last engine. Like all cars offered at Canepa Design, it’s been meticulously detailed both cosmetically and mechanically to ensure it meets the expectations of collectors that drive their cars.
