I was right, it wasn’t there, but I got browsing and found an incredible raffle for an incredible item in the middle of waiting for it to load. I’m not a gambler, but I’ve bought tickets and even won something a time or two in my life. Never a house or a car or anything, but I do have some garage art that only cost me a five-dollar ticket. This is different, as the entry fee is high, tickets are limited, and the potential reward is huge. In my opinion, a Flathead Ford is a historic piece of speed equipment, but it’s nothing I’d ever run day-to-day or down the highway. They can run hot, all the coolest parts are incredibly expensive, they look best with multiples of one the leakiest carburetors ever invented, and the dollar-per-horsepower math doesn’t work out anywhere near where I want it. That doesn’t take away from the history, the simplicity, or the sound that they make. It just takes them mostly off my radar. Then, out of nowhere, this raffle popped up and reminded me that there was an intake manifold that I liked even more than the four Strombergs. In fact, I think my favourite intake manifold for every engine ever created probably has a belt-driven supercharger bolted to it. The G.M. roots blowers are my favourite, as the dollar-per-horsepower math works out in their favour the same way it does for a small block Chevy, but these little Italian blowers on an old flathead are an uncommon work of art.
Forever, I’ve loved the look of an old S.C.O.T. blower on a flathead. The shape, the size, the fin design, it’s all perfect. What I didn’t realize is the S.C.O.T. name came after the company did some sort of restructuring in the early-to-middle fifties, changing their name from Italmeccanica to Supercharger Company of Torino or “S.C.O.T.” This is one of the early versions, so it’s the rarest of the rare. It’s not seized up, but it’s been in storage for over half a century and needs going through. The pop-off valve is there, the top is set up for a pair of Stromberg 97’s or Holley 94’s, and it even has the early Ford fuel pump stand. It’s not shiny because it doesn’t need to be. It carries a history and a rarity that far exceeds the basic appeal that chrome has. How much is something like this worth? How much is anything worth, really? It’s only worth what the customer base is willing to pay, but that being said, I’ve seen decent examples of these go for around ten grand U.S. This one here is available in ticket form, one-hundred and fifty-five tickets at one-hundred dollars each. Partial proceeds are also being donated charitably. One lucky person is getting a blower for a hundred bucks, while a whole bunch of others are contributing to the cause by gambling at the chance to own a piece like this. Luckily I don’t have any use for it, as shipping is limited within the continental United States, and the border is still closed unless the border security is cool enough to deem an early S.C.O.T. blower a reason for essential travel…
Have a question or comment for Kelly? Post it at lmtimes.ca/kirk
