2007 SEMA Show: Top Ten Hot Rods

Hot rod is used to describe anything with extra ponies under the hood. Unfortunately, there were so many cars fitting this definition at the 2007 SEMA Show, we’d never get a fair representation of them all. To solve the problem we broke things down into categories and this meant limiting the hot rod list to pre 1940 customs. So if you’re looking for you favorite Mustangs and Camaros, check out the  list. For the rest of you, here’s a look at some of the cool Deuces, highboys and coupes we were able to squeeze in.

by Vernon Heywood MyRide.com Associate Editor Photos Credit: Ron Perry and Oliver Bentley

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Deuces are wild and this held particularly true at the 2007 SEMA Show this year. One of the more popular hot rods to build since the end of WWII, it’s no surprise to see a fair number of the 1932 Ford coupes at a typical SEMA show. However, with the Deuce celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, it seemed you couldn’t turn around without bumping into one. We like this Orange ’32 owned by Troy Ladd and built by Hollywood Hot Rods in Burbank, CA. It was powered by a 392 Chrysler HEMI and a GM 200R4 transmission.

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With Henry Ford being the father of the American assembly line leading to such mass production by the time the 1930s hit that there are still a good number of them around today, it’s no wonder that Fords are the choice platform for so many builders. And Fords weren’t the only marque representing the Blue Oval line up at the 2007 SEMA Show, take this 1937 Lincoln Zephyr from Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada. On display in the DuPont Hot Hues booth and owned by Adam’s Rod and Custom, it was painted in “Hot Raspberry Candy” and was looking mighty sweet.

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Hey Chevys make great hot rods too! This 1937 Chevrolet coupe was also in the DuPont Hot Hues booth at the 2007 SEMA Show. Owned by Mike Hess of Malad, ID and built by Kindig-it Design in Salt Lake City, Utah. The paint is “Apple Red Candy” lovingly applied over “Pot of Gold” giving it a real deep shine. The grille work is kep simple and exterior chrome kept to a minimum to let the paint speak for itself.

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This Deuce is true Blue Oval inside and out and operates under the speak softly and carry a big stick principle. The “Radical ’32 Steel Coupe” on display at the 2007 SEMA Show has simply stated maroon flames on silver paint and leaves the real talking to the powertrain: 514 cubic inches of tire smoking Ford muscle and a C-4 transmission to get that power to an aluminum 9-inch Ford rear end. This 1932 Ford wasn’t just built by a Ford fan, but a Ford purist. Unfortunately, Ford doesn’t make tires, so they settled for BF Goodrich G-Force T/A KDWs.

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Ever hear of the Posies Driven Dirty Tour? Neither have we, but we love the idea. Apparently a group of friends all heading to SEMA gather their hot rods together in Hamilton, Ohio and then drive them cross country to the show. Show cars are nice, but what good are they if you’re afraid to enjoy them? This Lincoln powered 1932 Ford is called the “Dirty-Two Ford,” and after looking at the polished aluminum buckets with a meager 1-inch foam pad for comfort over the 1935 miles trek to the 2007 SEMA Show, this has to be the most dedicated motorhead ever.

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There are few better examples of simple elegance than this 1932 Ford convertible. But appearances are deceiving. This Deuce on display at the 2007 SEMA Show, owned by Mike Richards and built by Hot Rods and Custom Stuff is anything but simple under the paint. The 340ci Y-block mated to a Tremec 5-speed rests in a tube frame. The channeled body sports a hand uilt grille, raised and recontoured wheel wells and Frenched hood vents. The hood was also reworked to be hinged at the cowl. That’s a lot of work to highlight understatement, but keeps this ‘32 looking classy.

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Here’s another participant in the Posie’s Driven Dirty Tour, a 1932 Ford Highboy roadster with a supercharged Offenhauser engine. This rod named Double Exposure, sports different numbers on the right and left sides. 48 appears on the driver’s side marking the year that the Honest Charley Speed Shop started and 58 appears on the passenger side marking the year that Coker Tires started. The Daytona speed times are actual “pump gas” speed records set by “Honest” Charley Card. The car was built in 31 days for the 2006 SEMA show and has made the trip from Hamilton, OH twice now.

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A bus kids will actually beg to go to school on. In the ‘70s there was a funny car called the S’cool Bus. We loved it even though it was basically a yellow school bus on the outside, but we hadn’t met this beauty yet. Sure, it doesn’t have the dual Chrysler HEMI engines, but it makes up for the lack of horsepower with style and a killer flame job, plus, you can drive this 1932 Ford Bus on the street! Called “Bad to the Bone” it was built by Williams Street Rods in Humboldt, IL.

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We’d be remiss if we didn’t include a green hot rod on our 2007 SEMA Show Hot Rods list, and we’re not just talking about the color. Chevrolet brought an E85 burning 525hp 2.2-liter Ecotec Turbo Charged 1934 Chevrolet Coupe to the party. Chopped 6-inches and channeled 4, the coupe produces 435 lb-ft. of torque at 6400 rpm. The power is transferred to the ground via a 5L50E automatic with a Pontiac Solstice GXP torque converter and a Winters Quick-Change rear end. We just want to know how many miles per ears of corn this thing gets on the highway.

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Oh, were there wheels in this booth? Matte black paint and white walls was probably chosen to avoid outshining the wheels in this vendors booth at the 2007 SEMA Show, but we’re willing to bet that didn’t deter a large number of gawkers from checking out this beauty without even realizing what booth they were in…us included. We like the drilled out polished metal frame rails and the rake of the chopped top. Just goes to show you that you can save thousands on paint and still have a head turning rat rod.