1932 Fords...

The 1932 Ford is regarded as being definitive hot rod, and has been since the birth of hot rodding as we know it back in the Thirties. The Deuce's popularity is easy to understand. In 1931, the Model A was still very close to Henry Ford's heart. Sales were slipping, and the stubborn Ford thought his dealers were the reason. When some of his staff were able to convince him that the Model A had become obsolete in a marketplace where people wanted more luxury in their cars, he had no firm plans for a new car or its engine. Model A production was stopped in the United States and work on a completely new car began. In addition to the greater comfort the public wanted, the design goals for the '32 Ford included more power and more elegant lines. What reached the showrooms was a milestone in a number of ways. It was faster, more comfortable, more refined, a masterpiece of industrial design, and yet still affordable. Henry Ford and his design team got it right. The introduction of the 1932 Ford was, like the release of any new Ford in those days, quite an event. Some dealers displayed cars with special clear hoods that allowed customers to see the new flathead Ford V-8 engine. Although it was customary for a particular design to remain in production for two years, the  following year brought another complete redesign. The 1932 Ford represents the end of an era,  with American cars growing noticeably more aerodynamic in 1933. That same year also saw the introduction of the Chrysler Airflow, and virtually all cars were given sleeker lines. Windshields were laid back, fenders continued to wrap around more, covering more of the chassis, and the process of building cars longer and lower continued. Among hot rodders, the popularity of the 1932 Ford has always remained strong. Back in the Forties, a Deuce roadster was easy to find and inexpensive. Hundreds of Deuces were recruited for racing on dirt oval tracks and dry lakes. Being simple cars made them easy to  strip down and modify. Even stock, the '32 frame provides substantially greater torsional rigidity than the 1928-1931 Model A it replaced. Since 1932 was the year of Ford's first production V-8, installing a later V-8 wasn't as much work as it would have been otherwise. Another thing that makes the Deuce easy to modify is that the following year saw the introduction of separate inner fender panels on all Fords. Due to the way the bottom of the 1933 hood mates  to the top of the inner fenders, rather than to the top of the frame rails as it had in the past, it's a lot harder to run a fenderless car with a full hood. The Deuce is also the only car Ford ever made that had the sides of the frame rails exposed. People love the 1932 Ford because it's just plain beautiful. Considering what else was being done at the time (and the fact that it was not a prestige car but a car for the masses), in terms of both practicality and aesthetics, it stands as a masterpiece of automotive design.

There are currently more 1932 Fords on the road than there were when the car was new. In fact, as of several years ago, there were currently more 1932 Fords registered just in the state of California than Ford ever built. But that doesn't mean you see them every day. And even if you did, we will probably never get tired of them.