Name: Harry Orpwood
Vehicle: 1932 Ford 5 Window Coupe

Nice original ’32 Harry, how long have you had it?
I must have had it about 11 years I guess. The guy I bought it off owned four ’32s.

It looks as if it just drove out of a ’70s hot rod movie. Did you get it as is or have you played with it?
I think it had been built in the early ’70s, and it was a goldy bronze two-tone colour when I got it. I bought it without a motor or gearbox and it had a Vauxhall Victor front end in it.

So it’s undergone a few changes, then…
Yeah, I put a Holden front end and a 305 Chev in it. I got it running and took it to its first event, which was the pre-’49 Nationals. I drove it like that for a while and then pulled the motor out and put a 350 in it, which was a 400-buck crapper, but it lasted quite a while.

It didn’t sound like any old crapper when you started it up.
No; about 18 months ago, while I was in America, I bought a Model A coupe that had a brand new 350 in it which had never been run, so a couple of months ago I put it in the ’32 and it’s pretty lumpy. I think it’s a bit too good for this car, so I’ll probably pull it out and put a 305 I have in it.

It must go pretty good with the 350 in it though.
At the moment it’s pretty hairy. The old 305 was good, you could just get in and drive normally, but that thing just takes off, and then it’s a bit flat until it gets on the cam and then it’s hold on!

So you don’t just pop down to the dairy in it?
I used to use it all the time, it was pretty much my main transport for a while. I don’t use it as much now but I still use it often. (more…)

“She’s still the prettiest ‘lil ’32 in the bunch~”

1932 Ford Coupe. That’s right, the ultimate definitive Hot Rod. Whenever someone mentions a ’32 or a “Deuce coupe” we instantly think of tough burly men with graying beards and leather jackets proudly showing off a rough, half-finished matt black paint job, custom body chops, or some outrageous looking “half breed” of a thing they have chucked together. Ok, so maybe not all of us think that, but you get the idea!

Everyone has their favourite car, whether it be a 1955 Chevy Bel Air or a 1968 Plymouth Barracuda. Pardon me for being horribly cliche here guys, but I adore the ’32 ford coupe. (Being a Ford girl also helps!). It could possibly be the fact that you can practically do anything to these babies and they will always look great!

I also would like to point the finger at Phillip Grimmer and his pretty ’32. To me, it was love at first sight. Everything about her caught my eye, her shiny glossy black paint job, big, fat Goodyear tyres, and immaculate engine bay, what wasn’t there to love? It was like one of those intense love affairs. I couldn’t turn away, my camera filling up with photos from different sides, angles, you name it, I have it. I just had to keep going back for more and more, I was in love. It was from there on I knew what I wanted to own.

It’s easy to see why these rods are so popular, they’re so easily customized, parts are readily available, they look good in any colour you dip them into and the overall result is one incredible rod that you can easily show off and be proud of.

So, what can I say, except for Henry Ford, you are a genius for creating one of the most iconic hotrods in history, and I plan to own one, whether I build one up or buy one already done up! (Whether it kills me or not!). The ’32 will always have a top spot in my love for cars; I even got a tattoo with the words “32 Roadster” etched in my back. Not bad if I do say so myself! That’s how much I stand strong for my love of these cars and that ladies and gentleman is dedication!

As the Beach boys once sung:
“And comin’ off the line when the light turns green, well she blows ‘em outta the water like you never seen. I get pushed out of shape and it’s hard to steer, when I get rubber in all four gears. She’s my little deuce coupe, you don’t know what I got.”

Coming up next:
Wild ride with Wayne Grimmer and his big Barracuda.