Words: John Gunnell      Photos: John Gunnell and Christa Haley

The 1932 Ford roadster is one of the most iconic hot rods ever produced. With sleek lines and an overall simple design, the “Deuce” became a go-to model for hot rod builders everywhere. Eventually, the supply of original steel ’32 Ford bodies began to dry up and original steel cars grew hard to come by.

Companies started manufacturing 1932 Ford bodies out of fiberglass, and this became the way to go when putting one of these hot rods together. Everyone building their own version of this car soon knew where to get a fiberglass body. The cool thing was that any two cars built this way rarely looked alike, because creativity was unleashed by the easy availability of bodies.

This particular award-winning fiberglass-bodied ’32 Ford is unique because of what it has for an engine. Power here comes from a flathead V-12 engine pirated from a 1948 Lincoln Continental. This iconic engine is fitted with a very rare pair of Hogan aluminum cylinder heads. Also nestled in the chassis, behind the “Hot Rod Lincoln” motor, is a Ford T-5 manual transmission.

This car was constructed in 2003 using a Downs fiberglass body. Up front is a drilled Super Bell axle with Buick finned aluminum brake drums at each end. At the rear of the car is a Winters quick change rear end that’s polished like a fine piece of silver. It has a posi-traction rear axle and Aldan coil over rear suspension. The black sidewall tires are set off against red disc wheels with chrome trim rings and chrome-plated “doggie dish” hubcaps.

Inside, this “Deuce” has a red interior that stands out against the yellow body paint. Driver and passenger sit on red bomber seats and Stewart-Warner gauges line the instrument panel. When we snapped our photos, the car was in the Gateway Classic showroom in Kenosha, Wis., with a  $35.000 price tag. We asked sales rep Zach Hannula how Gateway comes up with prices, and he admitted that hot rods and modified cars are the hardest ones to put a value on.