This ’32 Ford is a fiberglass-bodied roadster that was built in the 1990s by land-speed racing specialist Steve Davies for use in Street Roadster-class competition. Its next owner, hot rodder Tony Thacker, campaigned it with driver Jimmy Shine, who later founded Shine Speedshop in Orange, California. Equipped with a 427 stroker small-block, the car was street-driven from southern California to Bonneville, where it ran over 180 mph. David Freiburger, Editor-In-Chief of Hot Rod, also drove and documented the exploits in the December 2002 issue. In 2006, the car was outfitted with a 302ci Chevrolet V8 built by Bill Mitchell, and a Littlefield supercharger was installed along with an Enderle fuel-injection system. The setup first propelled the car to an average speed over 200 mph at Bonneville that year, and soon thereafter it was sold to Steve Van Blarcom, who set a record of 216 mph during Speed Week in 2009. Since Wayne Carini’s acquisition in 2016, the car has continued to compete, and an air-shifted Liberty’s Gears five-speed manual transmission was installed in 2021. This custom Ford roadster is now offered in Connecticut with SCTA and LTA logbooks, time slips, extra wheels, and a California title listing it as a 1932 Ford.
The fiberglass bodywork is mounted to a boxed steel frame with tubular crossmembers. The car is finished in black with white lettering, and a Mooneyes fuel tank is mounted ahead of the grille.
Louvered hood panels are secured with Dzus fasteners, and other details include a parachute, an external cutoff switch, quick-release trunk latches, and teardrop taillights. Corrosion and dings on the steel rear fenders can be viewed in the gallery along with other imperfections around the car.
Steel wheels wear aerodynamic covers, and the 18” rear wheels have Mickey Thompson tires. The drilled front drop axle is supported by a transverse leaf spring and hairpin radius rods, and a stabilizer has been added to the drag link. The live rear axle has ladder bars, a Panhard rod, and QA1 adjustable coilovers. Braking is handled by rear disc brakes with cross-drilled rotors.
A wraparound windscreen is attached to the hinged tonneau, which pivots upward to access the cockpit. A roll cage surrounds the Kirkey racing seat, and a fire-suppression system has been installed.
The steering wheel sits ahead of AutoMeter instrumentation consisting of a 200-mph speedometer, a 10k-rpm tachometer, and gauges for fuel level, oil pressure, coolant temperature, boost pressure, and voltage. The car does not have an odometer.
The 302ci Chevrolet V8 was rebuilt in 2021 by Carlquist Competition Engines of Oakville, Connecticut using a World Products engine block and cylinder heads as well as a Callies crankshaft, Eagle rods, JE pistons, and a Crane roller camshaft. The engine is further equipped with a Littlefield supercharger, an Enderle bug-catcher fuel injection system, an MSD 7AL-2 Plus ignition module, and four-into-one headers.
A fuel cell and multiple batteries are mounted in the trunk.
An air-shifted Liberty’s Gears five-speed manual transmission was installed in 2021 and sends power to the rear wheels through a 9” rear end. A scatter shield surrounds the NASCAR-specification multi-disc clutch assembly, and a safety loop encircles the driveshaft.
SCTA and LTA logbooks, time slips, and other documents accompanying the car are shown in the gallery.
Two Bassett 15” wheels with Mickey Thompson ET Street tires are also included in the sale.
The car is titled as a 1932 Ford using the VIN 18869011. The frame stamping is shown above.