Hot Rods Traditional '32 Ford Hot Rods: Which ones are the Icons?

My short list of Iconic '32 Ford Hot Rods would also include "the inspiration" for my father to chop & channel his Deuce 5wd Coupe (my grandfather was a "Chrysler Man" and talked him out of the flathead):

Lynn Yakel's 1932 Ford Coupe
as it appeared on page 72 & 73 of the (1951) Hot Rods TREND BOOK NO. 102​

Here's some pics of the Yakel coupe at the Dry Lakes (late '40s - early '50s):

photographers unknown​

... a B&W shot in front of Montebello Senior High School:

photographer unknown​

... some vintage color photos Lynn's 5wd:

photographers unknown​

... and a colorized photo taken at the 1950 Hot Rod Exposition held at the LA Armory:

photographer unknown
image colorized by @Rikster Hoving​

 

Since many of my favorites are already posted, I'll bring up this all time great. Wayne Henderson's Vicky.

 

I'm not usually a jump on the bandwagon guy but my top three '32 roadsters are Doane Spencer's, McGee/Scritchfield's (even though it was red) and Tom McMullen's.

 

I believe this roadster has an extended frame, putting the front axle/tires further ahead than stock. It's still cool as all Deuces are, but just observing.

 

How about THE COLEMAN COUPE ?




Here it is when I owned it, in the process of getting a complete mechanical redo and freshen up.
And one more after I finished it.
I sold the car and it is back home in Denver area from my home in Connecticut!

 

Not well known but a great car. Marshall Krause 5W, completed in 1956. Built from a 19,000 mile original car. Original work done by Harry Westergard, paint by Dick Bertolucci, striped by Dean Jeffries. Flathead swapped out in 1956 with a crate Corvette 2X4 engine. Chrome firewall, etc. Current interior by Kenny Foster. On my short list, if not anyone else's.

 

From the East Coast The San Giovanni's roadster 49 years so far and still going strong.

 

Yep, that's the best Deuce of all time.

 

Looking at all these posts reminds me of this picture I took of Axel Izardis coupe.

 

Fred Steele drove his Roadster from the East coast to California to have it upholstered in about 1955 and back.

 

Don't know who built some of these but the like them just the same.

 

Ken’s old coupe.

 

The Norm Wallace roadster

 

One of the fastest deuces, over 200mph at Bonneville, first single engine hiboy to reach that speed, Tony Waters...here at Bakersfield, 1958

 

These do it for me, Pete Henderson, Joe Nitti, Hank Negley!

 

I can’t remember the name of the owner, but my pick is the blown, maroon, chopped sedan with the halibrand wheels and red grille from SoCal. Anybody remember who it was? I believe it was in Streetrodder in the ‘80’s.

 

There's one that I see just about every day that I really like...........

 

Joe Kissa's 3Window

 

As has been mentioned by 1-Shot. The Charlie Adams roadster. It was by far the nicest roadster in Dallas starting back in 1947. Ownership never left the Dallas city limits in all those years.
.

 

Jim Davis

 

I could not agree more, Mark. I had the opportunity to take this car for a spin a few years back ... it is an amazing hot rod.

 

Ray Brown 99c

 

Hello,

As far as icons go, the popular choices were the ones that always showed up in the magazines and other publications. Some had notoriety in car shows and others just were cool. Drags or street or both were our two choices. Yes, some of those magazine models were very cool builds, but for us a far away dream or two. With our weekly attendance of racing and just relaxing at our local Lion's Dragstrip, we saw plenty of cool cars in the parking lots, the pits and even racing in a class or two.

A curious teenager admiring the look, the build and the speed secrets we might use in our later builds. What was not to like about a 1932 Ford 3 window coupe? A chopped one with the look of going down the highway on those Friday/Saturday night cruising times?
Thanks, James...

That is some teenager watching all of the prepping going on for the next round of eliminations. My brother had taken this particular pit movie at Lion's Dragstrip. I just happened to be in the film, with my cool tripod for my movie camera and the flapping pit pass.
The cool 1932 Ford chopped coupe just drew our eyes and interest like no other...

This chopped 32 coupe was a good introduction to 1932 Fords. Not too many were on the street at the time and none were as chopped as this Altered Coupe. So, if it did not have the motor set back 25% as per rules, it would have been a cool modified custom 32 coupe for the street.

Plus, how can one not like the two front opening “suicide” doors? As far as the chopped top was concerned, my brother and I did not mind the chopped top. We knew it was only for “a quarter mile at a time…” and not a 100 mile one way hot rod cruising road trip. As cool as the chopped top was, it stood out in the pits with the red color, but it was the modifications that made this little deuce coupe popular and memorable.


Jnaki

My brother and I always liked the every weekend activity at Lion’s Dragstrip. Sure, we enjoyed looking at those 32 fords in the magazines and in posed cover shots at the edge of a swimming pools, but for us and 1000s of other kids, it was not real life. We liked what we saw on the streets, the drags and as a last resort, car shows.

My brother was already thinking what a cool coupe it would be for the streets of Bixby Knolls and the daily drive to high school, as well as the weekend races at Lions. I was just thinking a cool 58 Impala driving to high school, let alone a chopped 32 3 window coupe. His mind was always working the angles and narratives in auto mechanics. And for him, it was the next best thing in having a cool street legal, hot rod/drag racing vehicle.

As per rules for the street legal class, the motor back in its normal place with all street legal items would still place it in the Altered Class. Due to the restrictions of fenders, running boards, and lights. But, it would be a fast hot rod for daily driving and cruising. 10% set back + fenders= Gas Coupe And Sedan Class, whereas fenderless = Altered Class, 10% or not.

Cook and McCartney C/Altered Coupe

 

Inspirational, yes..."traditional" ? Subject to your viewpoint.
Don Thelen's bad-ass Vicky as it appeared in an HRM feature and made me lust after hotted-up Lincoln's (enough so that I have one stashed at Chip Quinn's joint waiting for a good car to stuff it in):


And one I just found - pure mid-'60s porn:

Luzader:

 

It’s Bob Bauder’s sedan. I got some of the details right.

 

Paul Beck's 32' roadster.. I didn't grow up in the 50's...so this is the most influential traditional hot rod of all time for me. First saw his son ripping it down a dirt road shooting rooster tails with it around 1998... He's drove the wheels off it, its as traditional as you will ever find...