Designer, builder, innovator, driver

Stroppe once joked he was “a can-opener engineer,” alluding to his slender formal training. But a sharp and inventive mind made him one of the top builders of his time. Stroppe began a long association with Ford after winning the 1947 Henry Ford Memorial Regatta with a Ford flathead-powered boat. Stroppe Lincolns finished 1-2-3 in the stock car class at the ’52 and ’53 Carreras Panamericana. His Mercurys won early ‘60s NASCAR races, the 1963 Pikes Peak Hill Climb and a ‘64 USAC title. But he made his greatest mark in the desert. First, he convinced pal and inductee Parnelli Jones to go off-road, garnering national attention for the sport. Then he built a series of Broncos that set trends and records, he and Jones winning consecutive Baja 1000s (1971-72). Soon Larry Minor, Rod Hall, James Garner, Walker Evans and others were lining up at his door, resulting in scores more SCORE victories. Stroppe even built a Bronco for the President. Stroppe was inducted into the inaugural Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame class in 1978.