This epic find came to light about ten years ago, a 1932 Ford roadster last registered in 1955! Now the former magazine-featured “deuce” can become the next life-sized Matchbox car in your personal hot rod museum. The practically untouched Ford comes to market here on Craigslist, where $60,000 puts it on your shelf. Aside from tires that hold air, freed-up brakes, and whatever barn dust has been knocked off, the mild custom has barely changed since being mothballed on a Eureka, California farm during the Eisenhower administration. Thanks to reader T.J. for spotting this amazing Dripping Springs, Texas time capsule.
This car’s interesting tale caught attention when the long-parked ride earned a magazine feature, and you can revisit that story and more pictures here on HotRod. After gaining a later flathead V8 and other tricks, the mostly stock Ford was put out to pasture in 1949 and served time as a farm implement until being squirreled away in a barn for 60-some years. Check out that wicked-cool column-mounted Firestone aftermarket radio!
Restoration would amount to sacrilege at this point, though the Internet seems to cough up more barn find stories than you would imagine possible, somewhat diminishing the car world’s astonishment at what would have been mind-blowing unicorns in the ’80s. The stock-height windshield rests on laid-back mounts, granting the roadster a slightly chopped look.
Appropriately, the ragtop spent some time at the Early Ford Store before migrating to Texas, and while the 59-A flathead V8 (1946-48) was not locked up in 2018, it’s so far dodged invitations for air and fuel to shake hands and explode within.
Eroded metal at the bottom edges of the rumble seat and valance recall fun repairs to a friend’s similarly distressed ’49 Cadillac. Hot Rod surmised the angle-iron bumper let the ’32 pull farm trailers around the ranch during its days as a substitute tractor. Dig the “55” sticker on that California black plate and the blue-dot tail lamps. Is this unicorn barn find too sacred to refurbish and drive?
Talk about something you hardly see any more! An original ’32 roadster with minimum modifications fits in that hen’s teeth category big time.
As much as I love the ’32 Fords l wouldn’t pony up 60K for it in this condition, but I’d really like to meet the person who did.
Is this a #5 condition car for $60,000? Rare as it is, what would the restoration cost be? Or could it be minimally “restored” and driven as a survivor for much less money? The Early Ford V-8 Club has annual regional meets and every-five-year meets at Dearborn, the Grand National meet. They have what is referred to as “Rouge Class” (after the River Rouge Ford plant). People who are restoring cars look to those in that class for unrestored examples of very small things even such as original fasteners. Judging for originality at EFV-8 meets can be extremely detailed, based on 1000 points. I have been a judge in the past, though I owned nothing like these in originality. Five years ago, I sold a 1953 F-100 panel delivery truck that I owned for 30 years. It had the original type flat V-8, but modified with dual carbs, headers and Mallory distributor. I had driven it from Philadelphia to Dearborn and back. There is a class for these too. Anyway, it was interesting judging in the truck division for originality when I had my truck in the other non-original class. Some owners took point deduction in stride as a learning experience and others became upset, as in a competition.
As outrageous as the price is, I’d still rather pony up that prodigious chunk of change for this car, than for the countless rust bucket Mopars that come up often here with equally outrageous prices. As for this particular car, what good would it be if you didn’t restore it or at least get it in running and driving condition? Even when you consider how much of the car nature has taken back.
Blow the Mopar comment out your ass dick head
Wonder if that price is negotiable…downward…would be a great project.
I remember the story and the car. What I don’t remember, is what poor condition it is in. I can’t come up with any reason to want to buy this car at 60 thousand dollars. If you wanted to improve it and restore it as a Hot Rod or an original car ,you could easily triple the buy in. It could be a very expensive piece of “Yard Art”.
No, like I said, I can’t see a total restoration, but it could be made into a condition #4 driver, or at least a driver from a trailer onto the show grounds. Even the original paint with the rusty areas could look better with some cleaning and maybe “shine juice”. But the sell price would need to be reduced substantially. Original Rouge class at V-8 meets. This would be an attention draw, more so than the many restored Fords.
Who besides Adam Sanders says “Wicked cool”? Of course 32 Ford Roadsters and coupe’s are the epitome of the hot rod world and have been for a long time. Like everyone else has said the price is extreme. Get what you can. Ask twice as much and hopefully meet somewhere in the middle.
God Bless America
Wow, this car is at the other end of the spectrum. There are cars that are eithier so over the top restored, or so ulta low miles that they aren’t driven in order to preserve their condition (value). This one would (if you agree with the price) would lose that specialness (did I just coin a new word?) that gives it its appeal and value, if it were given any more work than to get it running.
The only way this thing could be made usable, whether it was restored, rodded or just cleaned up and made safe, would be to say BS to the $60K, and pay what a #5 condition ’32 roadster is worth. Then you would have cool drivable car and not a display.
It’s a time capsule. It needs work but it is not all cut up!!
I recently sold a 1930 Model A that was one of the first AAA Service Cars used in Rhode Island. Lots of very cool history. Total barn find, had been stored in a Victorian era carriage house for about 50 years in downtown Newport.
It was all original to it’s AAA roots, it had been painted in the yellow and red paint colors of the Shell garage it was stationed out of. It was given a sympathetic “restoration”, by fixing the brakes, reupholstering the absolutely destroyed seat, getting the wiring back in order and getting her running.
The holes that were cut through the fenders so that chains could be run around the frame horns for pulling cars out of ditches and the makeshift work area/pick up bed oak timbers (installed where the rumble seat was) were left in place as part of it’s history. It was scooped up for close to $8000.
I’m not sure where this 32 roadster, albeit apparently original, would be worth anywhere near $60,000, except maybe at an alcohol and testosterone fueled Mecum style auction. I love old cars and the stories behind the barn finds, it’s what my business and website are all about, but there is no way I can see this kind of asking price unless there was some “celebrity” history behind it.. like it belonged to Bob Petersen of Hot Rod magazine and the Petersen Museum fame and even then I’m not sure it would fetch $60,000.
I’m one of the owners of Sun Kissed Classics. We are listing this car on consignment for the owner. The car is Actually located outside of Hamburg Germany and will likely be imported.