The 1932 Ford is one of the most iconic vehicles ever conceived, and single-handedly helped the hot rod/street rod movement become a phenomenon for decades. That hasn’t changed in today’s world, as the 1932 Ford – in both coupe and roaster form – remains an incredibly beloved entity, prompting the Petersen Automotive Museum to celebrate its 90th anniversary just a couple of years ago with a very special display. Now, one legendary 1932 Ford is set to hit the auction block this coming January, too.
That special machine is what’s known as the 1932 Ford Tommy Foster Roadster, which was built by the noted hot rodder way back in 1949 over the course of 15 months in his own garage, even doing the paintwork himself. Now, it’s set to be auctioned off at Mecum’s Indianapolis auction in January, looking just as good as it did back then. The old school hot rod features a channeled body that’s been completely smoothed over, front fenders made from the spare tire cover of a Mercury station wagon, and a 331 cubic-inch Cadillac V8 underhood (Foster was a GM employee for 39 years, after all) mated to a Ford top-loader gearbox.
Foster’s amazing ride became quite famous thanks to an appearance in the August 1952 issue of Hot Rod magazine, and it went on to win “Most Outstanding Car” at the 1953 Detroit Autorama, first place at the 1952 Motor World Fair in Miami, place at the 1952 and 1953 International Motor Show in New York, the Mid-America Motor Show in Cincinnati, Ohio, Speedorama in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, and the Custom Auto Show in Dayton, Ohio.
Years later, the 1932 Ford was named as one of the 75 most significant such hot rods by The Blue Oval itself in 2007, and was featured in a special display at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California. It has passed hands numerous times over the years and treated to a full-blown restoration some time ago, and now, it’s looking for a new home. Given its historical prominence, we have no doubt that will happen, either.
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SWEET piece.