The year was 1932. Franklin D. Roosevelt won the presidency over Herbert Hoover in a landslide victory. Radio City Music Hall opened its doors for the first time in New York City’s Rockefeller Center and the Jack Benny Program hit the airwaves. In 1932, Babe called his famous homerun and the New York Yankees beat the Chicago Cubs 4-0 in the World Series. For automotive and hot rodding enthusiasts, particularly the latter, 1932 had a unique significance. It not only marked the birth of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, one of the key motivating forces behind Southern California’s “Kustom Kulture” and hot rodding in general, but it also marked the arrival of what would quickly become the foundation upon which hot rodding was built, the 1932 Ford V-8.
A revolution of automotive sorts, the ’32 Ford, also known as the “Deuce”, was the ultimate blend of style and performance, offering the world’s first mass-produced low-priced eight cylinder power plant, the Flathead V8. The engine, like the body – available in 3-window, 5-window, and roadster styles – was highly receptive to modification, a fact that the industrial-minded kids of So-Cal didn’t hesitate to take advantage of as they flocked to the dry lake beds north of Los Angeles in the late 1930’s looking to go fast. It was this time that many consider to be the infancy of hot rodding, but with a shift in worldwide events, it was a time short lived as America’s youth were called upon to take up arms in World War II.
The young Californian men may have had to put their passions on hold to serve their country, but with them they took numerous stories of their craft which they would enthusiastically share with all who were willing to listen. When the war came to an end in 1945, scores of hard fought G.I. Joe’s returned home, armed with a bravado and mechanical savvy greater than when they first left for war, targeting used cars to which they could apply their new skills. The result was a phenomenon that spanned from coast to coast, propelling hot rodding into popular culture, making it one of the fastest growing crazes of postwar America. This led to the establishment of Hot Rod magazine in 1948 and the National Hot Rod Association in 1951. And at the heart of it all was the ’32 Ford.
Today, the ’32 Ford is recognized as an American icon and the definitive hot rod. Over the years, it has been modified, raced, and immortalized in song and film, and is unquestionably one of the most restored and reproduced cars in automotive history with values reaching well into six-figure territory. Not bad for a car that originally sold for $500. 2007 marked the 75th anniversary of the legendary Deuce and Flathead V8, and in celebration of this milestone, Ford Motor Company and a committee of automotive experts came together to assemble a display of the 75 most influential and important ’32 Ford hot rods. It was an unprecedented gathering that premiered at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California (the nations oldest annual hot rod show) and has spread to other venues like the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles and most recently to the place where it all began, Dearborn, Michigan.
You’ll also find a hot rodding celebration of sorts going on within the Winder, Georgia based office of GMP, one of the finest manufacturers of 1/18-scale diecast replicas whose latest labor of love is a collection of affordable high-detail 1/18-scale 1932 Fords tagged the “Vintage Deuce Series”. This series is a perfect fit for GMP, whose founder and President, Tom Long, is a keen hot rodder in his own right. His passion and admiration for hot rods and the Deuce in particular are evident in the quality of workmanship found in the first release in this series, the 1932 Highboy roadster.
Presented in a flawless gloss black finish with a dark tan interior and matching up-top, GMP’s ’32 Highboy captures the classic fenderless look with spot on accuracy. The model’s brightwork has been executed with impressive subtlety, with attention paid primarily to the front suspension parts like the drilled I-beam axle and hairpin radius rods, as well as the frame and teeth in the stunning trademark grille. The Duval split windshield, also framed in chrome, adds a distinctive flair to this black betty, along with the shaved door handles, teardrop taillights, and finned brake drums with rubber brake lines. It all rolls on a set of big ‘n little blackwall boots mounted on color-keyed steel wheels with chrome deep-dish Ford caps, matching trim rings, and miniature valve stems.
One of the Highboy’s more attractive features is its louvered butterfly hood. Replicated in plastic, the hood features side panels that can be easily removed, revealing the Deuce’s 221-ci Flathead V8. The 21-stud mill is authentically painted and assembled with a host of period-correct goodies like ribbed aluminum Edelbrock heads and a polished metal intake manifold that mounts a pair of Stromberg 97 jugs, complete with chrome plated linkages and curved air scoops. The fuel pump and wired distributor are properly positioned and the large black generator, offset by the dual-carb arrangement, is accurately fastened to a bracket attached to the intake. Rounding out the vintage look are twin cooling hoses, coupled to the heads’ early style center water outlets on one end and the radiator core on the other, which to my surprise integrates a more modern style electric fan.
Like the exterior, the interior is an exercise of “less is more”. The tan skin tone applied throughout conveys a remarkable richness and warmth while the tuck ‘n roll pattern incorporated in the soft-to-touch bench seat has been exceptionally duplicated. The same pattern carries over to the door panels, featuring molded pockets and painted handles, which swing out on original exposed pin-style door hinges. The floorboards are covered in color-keyed carpeting, home to the detailed foot pedals and long throw shifter. The banjo-style steering wheel with its delicate photoetched spokes is a modeling work of art, as is the oval shaped instrument panel, with a balanced assembly of six precisely detailed gauges recessed in a beautifully machined faceplate.
GMP’s 32 Ford Highboy also features an opening trunk, fully carpeted with a painted panel on the underside of the trunk lid, all of which is color coordinated with the interior. Additional detailing is stretched out between the roadster’s diecast metal frame rails. Splashes of silvery metallic paint call attention to the motor mounts and manual transmission as well as the dual exhaust, mufflers, and accurately rendered quick-change rear end. You won’t find a working suspension, real metal leaf springs that flex, or a driveshaft that rotates on this replica (omissions that I’m not the least bit saddened by), but what you will find is a clever example of a working pitman arm that operates in conjunction with the steering wheel to turn the front wheels.
With an amazing MSRP of only $89.95, GMP’s 1/18-scale 1932 Ford Highboy packs a lot of bang for the buck and I highly doubt it’ll take long for the 3,200 limited production run to sell through. If you’re after a little more exclusivity, then check out GMP’s Tom’s Garage Deuce, dressed in black with custom white scallops, limited to just 320 copies and available to Tom’s Garage key holders only. The good news is GMP’s Vintage Deuce Series will be a comprehensive look at the 32 Ford with plans calling for different engines, transmissions, windshields, hoods, wheel and tire combos, and other trim options along with 3-window and Tudor sedan body styles, including fendered and fenderless variations. Even better news is the partnership GMP has established with Roy Brizio, son of hot rod legend Andy Brizio and owner of Roy Brizio Street Rods. GMP will not only have the unique opportunity of collaborating with of one of the most talented hot rodders in the world, but they will have the privilege of replicating some of Roy’s famous creations. In other words, the 1/18-scale 32 Highboy is the start of many great things yet to come. The Deuce may have hit the 75 year mark this year, but for GMP and diecast collectors alike, the fun has just begun.
Happy Collecting,
DetourDave
GMP
#G1805001 1932 Ford Highboy Roadster
Black w/Dark Tan Interior and Up Top
Photography & Review by Dave Nicholson
