Frank Maratta's 1930 Ford

A photo of the Rake taken at the 1958 NHRA Nationals in Oklahoma.

Another photo of the Rake at the 1958 NHRA Nationals in Oklahoma.

The Rake at the Championship Drags in Sanford, Maine in September of 1958.

Photo courtesy of New England Hot Rod and Kustom Historical Society.

Photo from the Joe Kizis Photo Collection, courtesy of New England Speed & Custom.

The Rake at the Roanoke Dragstrip.

Photo courtesy of Dean Schimetschek.

Photo courtesy of Dean Schimetschek.

Photo courtesy of Dean Schimetschek.

A photo of Frank's coupe dated July 1959.

A photo of the coupe taken in front of Frank's shop.

Frank with the coupe and a the matching 1954 Ford pickup.

An ad for Maratta's Speed Equipment from 1960.

A photo of the Rake taken in 1961. Photo courtesy of Dean Schimetschek.

Photo courtesy of Richard Toonkel.

A photo of the "Maratta's Missile" version. Restyled around 1962-1963, this version featured skillfully narrowed fenders front to back. Photo courtesy of Dean Schimetschek.

Dean Schimetschek of East Haddam, Connecticut bought the old hot rod in 2015. In 2016 he got it back on the road again. Photo courtesy of Dean Schimetschek.

Photo courtesy of Dean Schimetschek.

Dean with the coupe at the 2016 Dover Reunion. Photo by Keith Hudak.

A photo of the coupe taken at the Connecticut Dragway in 2016. Photo by Joe Lajoie.

Photo by Bob Warenda, courtesy of Hot Rod Hotline.

Photo by Bob Warenda, courtesy of Hot Rod Hotline.

Photo by Bob Warenda, courtesy of Hot Rod Hotline.

Photo by Bob Warenda, courtesy of Hot Rod Hotline.

1930 Ford Model A coupe owned and built by Frank Maratta of Hartford, Connecticut. Frank's coupe became known as "The Rake," and it was instrumental in Frank's quest to establish the Connecticut Dragway in 1961.

Maratta's Rake

Frank built the coupe early in 1958. He bought it for $35, and spent $4000 and six months rebuilding it. It was called "Maratta's Rake" due to it's steeply inclined stance. In an effort to help the cause of getting a dragstrip, Frank's car had to be the best in safety, performance, and style which he succeeded in. Once completed, the car was painted Gold Metallic with white scallops. Frank also built a matching 1954 Ford pickup hauler. Both cars ran Moon discs. According to later owner Dean Schimetschek, the truck belonged to Carl Debien of Deb's Automotive. Frank borrowed the truck, painted it to match the Rake, and used it for a few seasons before returning it to Carl.

FTW

The Rake won 1st place show trophies throughout New England and was very competitive on the strip. The engine was a full house 283 Chevrolet stroked and bored to 352 cubic inches. It ran 6 Stromberg carburetors. The output was around 360 horespower, and it's best time was 12.6 at 114mph. It was two time A/Gas New England regional champion, and it competed in the 1958 NHRA Nationals in Oklahoma, where it just nearly won A/Gas.

Hot Rod Magazine October 1960

The Rake became one of the most well known hot rods of New England. It appeared in several magazines, and it even landed a featured story in Hot Rod Magazine October 1960. By the time Connecticut Dragway opened, Frank had added a chrome straight axle, mags, moon tank, and drilled the visor.

Maratta's Missile

Around 1962/1963 Frank skillfully narrowed the fenders on the coupe 6" front to back before he Frank repainted it Blue Metalflake. He also swapped the carbs for an Hilborn injection, and re-named it "Maratta's Missile". The car raced at the Connecticut, Sanford, Orange, Charlestown, Dover, and Roanoke Dragstrips among others. While attempting to break the A/Gas record at Connecticut the engine blew and the car was set aside.

Sold

Frank sold the coupe in Hartford around 1965, and it bounced around through a few owners.

Street Rod

In 1971 Frank's old coupe was owned by Alan Lisee. Frank put it on the street with a stock 283.

Parked

Sometime in the 1980s the old dragster was parked. It was parked until circa 2010 when the owner he brought it to a friend's house to begin working on it.

Back on the Road Again

Short on funds, the old hot rod was advertised for sale at a car show in Massachusetts in 2015. In 2017 Dean Schimetschek of East Haddam, Connecticut told Kustomrama that he came across the ad: "It was advertised only with a few pictures on a board. I called the gentleman up and told him to hang onto the car until I could see it in person. The next morning we drove out and bought it. I put it back on the road this past spring."

Magazine Features and Appearances

Rods Illustrated February 1959
Custom Rodder March 1959
Rodding and Re-Styling March 1959
Rodding and Re-Styling June 1959
Rodding and Re-Styling November 1959
Rodding and Re-Styling December 1959
Hot Rod Magazine October 1960