Saturday, December 22, 2007 - 32 Fords

Reader Bill Hitzel visits the Automobile Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan, for this event – "An exhibit of 'THE 75' Most Significant '32 Ford Hot Rods, as selected by a blue ribbon panel of experts." It was the 75th anniversary celebration of the 1932 Ford, "a legendary car with a celebrated engine" –

The 1932 Ford was a watershed vehicle for Ford, the automobile industry and American culture. Combining the innovative engineering of Henry Ford, in the form of the first mass-produced V-8 engine, with the design sophistication of his son Edsel, the ’32 Ford brought a new level of performance and flair to the general public. Years after its introduction, the ’32 Ford played a major role in another revolution – the development of the hot rod. Built from cast-off cars in backyards and small garages, and assembled by young enthusiasts with remarkable ingenuity and intuitive engineering, these cars performed far beyond their original capabilities and often rivaled the performance of the best in the world.

The exhibit started here in Pomona, with its famous drag strip, and is now in Dearborn.

The 1932 Tommy Foster Roadster –

It's a Southern California thing, by way of Detroit - 

According to the ancient automotive scriptures - you know, the car magazines of the early '50s - the hot rod was a California invention. Indeed, some of the writers from that era would have you believe that when Adam donated a rib to create you-know-who, he spent the remainder of that Saturday afternoon in the shade of the apple tree to build his first hot rod. That, of course, places the Garden of Eden somewhere in California, but that's another story, one we'll leave to the elders and scholars to confirm or deny at a later time.

We can verify right now that there was at least one disciple in 1950 who helped spread the word about hot rods to people east of California. That man was Tommy Foster of Detroit, Michigan, and he preached the gospel from the channeled '32 roadster… Tommy's car was significant in many ways, foremost because it won a rather large number of trophies in '52 and '53, making it one of the most successful cars on the show circuit at the time. Its resume of wins includes Most Outstanding Car at the '53 Detroit Autorama, and First Place trophies in '52 and '53 from the following events: International Motor Show (New York), Mid-America Motor Show (Cincinnati, OH), Speedorama (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN), and the Custom Auto Show (Dayton, OH). The Deuce roadster also scored a first when it ventured to the tip of Florida for the Motor World Fair at Miami in 1952, and it placed second at the '52 Motorcade of America in Chicago. An extensive list, to be sure, but we mustn't forget that when he wasn't on the show tour, Tommy drove his hot rod through the streets of Detroit, too. That included numerous cruises down the now-legendary Woodward Avenue. Know this, too: Tommy built the car himself, fabricating parts that he couldn't buy, and farming out very little of the finish work such as upholstery (stitched by, as Tommy said, "Lee somebody - I can't recall his name"). Tommy did the bodywork and paint, too. Moreover, he points out that he used minimal plastic on the sheet metal because "back then you shied away from Bondo. We used Quick Metal instead," aluminized lead filler that was rather pliable and easy to work with. He also says there is some lead filler in the body, too.

There's much more at the link (the front fenders were cut from a spare tire cover for a Mercury station wagon), and another account of the whole exhibit at Street Rodder. 

The Bill Breece 3-Window.  This was featured on the cover of August 1956 cover of Hot Rod magazine.  It's chopped. It's purple. It was driven from Ohio to the 1955 Drags in Pomona and raced here.

Photos Copyright © 2007 - Bill Hitzel

Also see his seven page series on the Vintage Grand Prix at Watkins Glen.

All text and photos, unless otherwise noted, Copyright © 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 - Alan M. Pavlik