In a word association exercise, if someone says “hot rod,” most people will say ’32 Ford — the “Deuce.” It’s easy to understand; the grille, the sweep of the fenders, and the proportions are all evidence of excellent industrial design.
In a word association exercise, if someone says “hot rod,” most people will say ’32 Ford — the “Deuce.” It’s easy to understand; the grille, the sweep of the fenders, and the proportions are all evidence of excellent industrial design. The ’32 helped establish Ford as a reliable, affordable luxury car.
In the early 1930s, the nation was well into the Great Depression. Automobile sales were declining, and the four-cylinder Model A Ford was losing sales to Chevrolet with its six-cylinder overhead valve engine.
Ford dealers kept telling the boss that the American public wanted something more powerful and luxurious than the Model A. Henry Ford eventually took their advice, but Ford was not one to play “follow the leader.” The only way to take the lead was to produce a car with eight cylinders, thereby trumping the Chevy six. However, the ‘32 Ford Model B was still available with a 4-cylinder engine.
Ford’s goal was to produce a V-8 with all eight cylinders cast in one block. His engineers though it was impossible to do so. Ford said, “Produce it anyway.” So they did. Ford’s famous flathead V-8 was introduced in 1932 with 221 cubic inches producing a whopping 65 horsepower. In 1939, the flathead was increased to 239 cubic inches; Ford produced the famous flathead through 1953.
When Kapa’a’s Tony Torres bought his flamed ’32 Ford 2 door Sedan in the early 1980s, it came with a colorful past. The deuce spent several years racing at the Half Moon Bay drag strip in California’s bay area. At some point, likely the early 1960s, its owner, George Rasmussen, decided to convert the car to a hot rod. The top was chopped 2.5 inches and finished with lead, not plastic filler. Legendary Salinas boy Rod Powell applied the classic flames. In the book, “Up In Flames: The Art of Flame Painting,” a list of Powell’s greatest achievements includes “George Rasmussen’s ’32 black Ford sedan.”
Torres’ Deuce is powered by a 327 cubic inch Chevy engine, with a beefy Turbo 400 transmission. The front axle, wishbones, and dash are all chrome plated. In classic 1960s style, the chromed, reversed rims are capped with baby moon hubcaps. The interior is upholstered in black vinyl. Several decades ago, the Deuce added a very impressive entry to its list of achievements: a “Best of Show” trophy from the Oakland Roadster Show.
The beautiful Deuce sedan remains unaltered. It’s hard to improve on a real winner!
