The Ronco Roadster

AACA Facebook pager/David Rodgers

The Ronco Roadster was the creation of Bunny Ronco, whose day job was engineer for Mac Trucks. In his spare time it seems that Buddy’s mind lingered on smaller, lighter things than trucks. After the war, he scoured local junk yards looking for parts to build a sports car of his own design. It took nearly four years but Buddy eventually crafted his finds into a nifty little roadster. The sleek body was formed out of two pairs of Nash 400 rear fenders, artfully welded to a surplus aircraft drinking water tank. The car was supported by a 4-wheel independent suspension, which was quite advanced for the day. It is also said to have used a salvaged Volkswagen engine and transmission. This raises questions, however, since VWs didn’t appear on these shores much before the early 50s. If the 1949 Ronco was indeed Dub-powered, that would suggest it received an engine swap somewhere along the way.

And whatever that way was will remain a mystery, as Buddy only built one car, and it no longer exists.