SALINA — Roger Morrison, of Salina, approaches his hot rod hobby as if he were an automotive archaeologist.

 He loves digging up old cars, tracking down their history and putting them back to original condition.

 Morrison owns an extremely diverse stable of cars, ranging from elegant classics such as a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost to a nearly original 1940 Ford coupe.

 One of his treasures is the 1929 Ford Model A roadster originally built by John E. “Bud” Neumeister of Puebo, Colo. Neumeister’s car appeared on the cover of Hot Rod magazine in May of 1954 as the subject of a two-part article on building a conservative hot rod. 

 In the magazine, Neumeister explains that he bought the car for $100 in the early 1950s after finding it parked in an alley. His goal was to build a car that looked stock on the outside, yet one that was fast and handled impeccably.

 Using suspension pieces from various Fords, Neumeister built a chassis with “late model” brakes, a 1939 Ford transmission and a 1950 Ford flathead V-8 with an Edelbrock dual-carb intake manifold, racing clutch and Iskenderian camshaft.

 After completion, Neumeister, a charter member of the Pikes Peak Sports Car Club, raced the Model A in local club events. He won the Pikes Peak Pentathlon, a series of five events, for over 3-liter cars against competition from Jaguars and Austin-Healeys. He also won his class at the Mount Buckhorn Hillclimb.

 Neumeister sold his Model A, but in 1997 he discovered his remarkably complete car at a salvage yard despite having 10 previous owners.  He bought it, but put it up for sale again in 2002.

 Dave Crouse, owner of Custom Auto in Loveland, Colo., saw the car and called Morrison, for whom he does a lot of work. Morrison bought the car sight unseen after Crouse’s description over the phone.

 Crouse, in consultation from Neumeister, brought the old car back to life. The upholstery and most chrome plating is original. Crouse’s workmanship and attention to detail is exceptional. So much so, that when Morrison exhibited the Model A at the Grand National Roadster Show in 2004, it won first in its class.

 Morrison invited Neumeister, now 84, and his daughter to be at the show. For the first time in 50 years, Neumeister met Wally Parks, the legendary former editor of Hot Rod and the man who printed the story on the construction of the car.

 Roger Morrison is one of a handful of enthusiasts who understand the value of preserving significant hot rods from the 1950s. Thanks to him and his restoration partner, Dave Crouse, cars such as Bud Neumeister’s Model A are able to resume life as if nothing had changed in 50 years.