DIAMOND JUBILEE

The McGee-Scritchfield Roadster: A Legend 75 Years in the Making

- TIM SCOTT, TONY THACKER TIM SCOTT

Exactly 75 years ago, Bob McGee drove his red ’32 roadster in front of historic Bovard Auditorium at the University of Southern California and a photograph was taken that would become the cover of the October 1948 issue of HOT ROD magazine. Now, on a beautiful May morning in 2023, I was standing in the exact same spot.

When the same bright red ’32 roadster drove by, I had a brief notion of what it may have been like for a young Pete Petersen to capture this iconic photograph so many years ago.

As people strolled casually by, I heard comments of “Cool car!”, and “What is that?” as most people have no idea what this car is or why it’s important. In fact, I don’t think many automotive enthusiasts even realize why this is a car important enough to be on display in the Petersen Automotive Museum and on the cover of HOT ROD 75 years later. It’s just another ’32 Ford roadster, right? Well, it wasn’t in 1948, and it isn’t now.

The term “influencer” gets bandied about a lot these days with associations both good and bad. But this car was an influencer before anyone even knew what the term was. It was a step above that of a hot rod at the time, which was basically whatever wheels, chassis, and engine could be made to go fast as cheaply as possible–much like the young people in the vibrant tuner scene of today. Interiors, safety, and creature comforts were not a priority and only added expense, so these early hot rods were rough, loud, uncomfortable, and a shock to the public. The McGee Roadster was a step in the evolution of hot rodding–a car that your girlfriend would want to be seen in and that (hopefully) the police wouldn’t pull you over in just for being a hot rodder.