Solved - NEH 281: 1940 Coachcraft 'Yankee Doodle Roadster'

[Carnut]

What's this for 1 point?

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Way too nice a car to let this one go on...

This was probably Coachcrafts' first solo effort for a 17 year old Seward Allen in 1940.  Built on Allen's Hudson Essex center section with grafted-on Ford front and rear (built in his high school shop class), it was bodied by Coachcraft's Rudy Stoessel for a mere $1,500, which Allen never did tell his parents about.  When he went overseas with the U.S. Navy, it came with him and was nicknamed "Yankee Doodle".  It is still available for sale, if you can scrape together the original $1,500 plus about $400,000 interest...

So, it's best known now as the Coachcraft Yankee Doodle Roadster.

[Carnut]

Way too nice a car to let this one go on...

This was probably Coachcrafts' first solo effort for a 17 year old Seward Allen in 1940.  Built on Allen's Hudson Essex center section with grafted-on Ford front and rear (built in his high school shop class), it was bodied by Coachcraft's Rudy Stoessel for a mere $1,500, which Allen never did tell his parents about.  When he went overseas with the U.S. Navy, it came with him and was nicknamed "Yankee Doodle".  It is still available for sale, if you can scrape together the original $1,500 plus about $400,000 interest...

So, it's best known now as the Coachcraft Yankee Doodle Roadster.

Absolutely right.  This is another one I thought looked so good it should get an airing on this site!