65BLUES CLUB
Chad Adams’ ’32 Ford is dark and
smoky, with pops of chrome and flash.
The midnight blue of the body carries
over to the valve covers.It’s hard not to think about
the cost when strolling by the
displays. The money spent on
show cars these days is comical
to Jim Govro, who bought his
first ’32 roadster for $20—which he had to borrow. Nowadays you’d have to
add three zeros to that. After selling the car in 1962, he found it again in 2012,
and with help from friends, family, and a local shop, it’s up for AMBR almost
70 years after he first built it. If it was America’s Best Back Story Roadster, his
yellow Tweety Bird would have it wrapped up—but add
that to the list of what it isn’t.
“Everything evolves,” says Govro, gesturing to the other
AMBR cars. “When I was a kid, it was mainly putting
overhead-valve engines into flathead cars. There were no
CNC machines. I never had one-off wheels. This is
just a homebuilt car. But we aren’t here for trophies.
It’s just great to be in here with the rich guys.” He gets
choked up, and his son Jimi pats him on the shoulder.
“We’ve won just by being here,” Jimi says.
A magazine cover from 1958 shows a much
younger Govro, in a cowboy hat and a big
smile, behind the wheel of Tweety. He guesses
my question before I ask it. “It feels the same,”
he says. “I’m not the same—I got the furniture
profile: my chest fallen into my drawers—but
in the car, I feel 22 again.”
Across from Govro’s car is another ’32 Ford.
This one is subtle, with a sleek black paint job,
minimal chrome, steel wheels, and a flathead
Ford behind a louvered hood panel. For Cory
and Ashley Taulbert—both in their early 30s
and two of the youngest AMBR entrants—
hot rodding’s early days appeal to them the
most. “We lean more toward the traditional
car,” Cory says. “It’s more attainable, more
affordable.” Like the Govros, the Taulberts
don’t expect to win this year. “We just wanted
to be in this building with the AMBR cars. It’s
prestigious. Mostly we did this for the road
trip.” Last fall, they piled into the roadster