SUMMARY

Built by Detroit Street Rods in 2009 / Featured in the April, 2010 edition of Hot Rod Magazine
Won Best of Show honors at the 2009 SEMA show / Award included with the car's sale
3.5 liter Ford EcoBoost V6 / 400 horsepower
Tremec TKO 5-speed manual transmission / Ford 9-inch rear axle / 3.90 gears
Custom interior / Modern air conditioning
Experi-Metal Inc. all-steel body / A combination of gloss and matte clearcoat
Roadster Shop chassis / Polished Heidts suspension
15-inch Wheelsmith artillery wheels
Wilwood 4-wheel power disc brakes
Rack-and-pinion steering

You'd be forgiven for glancing at this car's lead image and assuming it's just another fiberglass street rod. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, as the hobby is flush with awesome resin customs that continue to raise the bar for style and performance. With that in mind, all-steel Fords are becoming the exception rather than the rule. And all-steel Fords that are one-of-a-kind showstoppers pretty much define the word 'exclusive'. Looking over this '34 coupe, it's easy to understand why it's a magazine-featured SEMA award-winner. There's a sense of timeless style that's conveyed by classic aesthetics. A custom cockpit ensures occupants arrive in stylish, air conditioned comfort. And torquey EcoBoost power, taking the form of 3.5 liters of twin turbo V6, puts a fresh spin on traditional hot rodding. If you're looking for an innovative classic that's cool, classy and delightfully unique, take a minute and get to know this killer Ford!

BODYWORK/TRIM

When building a top-notch showstopper, you have to start with an excellent foundation. And in the world of modern street rodding, it doesn't get much better than several hundred pounds of Experi-Metal Inc. sheetmetal. That stock was shipped to Carolina Beach, North Carolina's Detroit Street Rods to be prepped, blocked and sanded in to a svelte fuselage that's fit for display. Since a profile that nice deserved to be seen and celebrated, it was bathed in smooth blue bases, dashed with red and pearl stripes and finished in a trick combination of gloss and matte clearcoat. And, roughly six-figures later, this coupe stormed the Vegas strip to win Best of Show honors at SEMA 2009!

Officially a joint venture between Detroit Street Rods, Ford Motor Company and OE stampers Experi-Metal Inc., this custom was constructed to promote the 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6 that powers the current-generation Ford Taurus SHO. And, given its timeless appearance, it's easy to see how the car fits right in with Ford's swathe vision of attractive, customer-specific mobility. Up front, a polished, "Ford" branded grille hangs a custom "V6" emblem between dual-mode headlights, a polished radiator topper and a quaint bumper. Behind that grille, a custom Rootlieb hood runs polished trim toward a tinted greenhouse, which centers tight vinyl over a tilting windshield, a rolling backlite and polished hot rod mirrors. Beneath those mirrors, unchopped doors hang traditional handles and traditional hinges above padded running boards. And at the back of those boards, old school DuoLamps illuminate a polished fuel cap, polished nerf bars and a pinstriped deck that's finished with a polished trunk handle.

ENGINE

Circa 2007, Ford introduced twin turbocharger propulsion, dubbed TwinForce, that was designed to couple V8 performance with the efficiency of a 6-cylinder. Production of the newly named EcoBoost engines began midway through 2009. And today, EcoBoost adorns a full range of 4 and 6-cylinder powerplants that motivate everything from the Ford Focus to the Ford GT. The V6 nestled between this street rod's fenders, installed by Ford itself, was the first EcoBoost powerplant that, thanks to Livonia, Michigan's Technosports, was adapted for use with rear-wheel drive; not an easy task considering the engine's transverse design. At the top of that all-aluminum mill, color-keyed cowl induction funnels wind in to free-breathing tubes, which feed factory Honeywell turbos. Behind those snails, a large-diameter tube feeds a FoMoCo throttle body, which fronts a color-keyed intake manifold. At the base of that intake, color-keyed valve covers frame modern coil packs, which spark a steady stream of fossils that's provided by factory direct injection. Those fossils combust through ceramic-coated headers. Charge is provided by a Ford accessory drive, which spins a fresh alternator opposite a fresh AC compressor. Cooling comes courtesy of a tall Be Cool radiator that's complete with a polished cap and large electric puller fan. And, according to Ford Powertrain, the 458-mile engine is good for an even 400 horsepower and a stout 400 lb./ft. of torque!

DRIVETRAIN/SUSPENSION

Under this impressive custom, a requisite hydraulic clutch jerks a tough Tremec TKO 5-speed, which twists power to a proven Ford 9-inch that's fitted with big, 3.90 gears. That axle rides a Heidts triangulated 4-link suspension, finished with polished control arms and adjustable QA-1 coil-overs. Opposite that clip, a Heidts Superide front-half sandwiches two more adjustable coil-overs between polished control arms and a polished sway bar. That suspension rolls under a proven Roadster Shop chassis that, finished in gloss blue pigment, perfectly complements the car's matte blue floors. Turns come courtesy of manual rack-and-pinion steering. Solid stops are the product of polished Wilwood calipers, which utilize a floor-mounted booster, a small proportioning valve and bright stainless lines to squeeze a quartet of vented rotors. Outside of those brakes, 15-inch Wheelsmith artilleries spin 205/60R15 BF Goodrich Radial T/A whitewalls in front of 255/70R15 BF Goodrich Radial T/A whitewalls. And a high-octane soundtrack is provided by Hi-FLO custom exhaust, which hangs polished, glasspack-style mufflers between polished, Mandrel-bent pipes.

INTERIOR

Inside this awesome coupe 'class' is the name of the game as spectacular red and white vinyl, installed by Shelby Trim of Sterling Heights, Michigan, creates a fun and stylish complement to the car's patriotic paint scheme. Pop the doors and you'll find retro bucket seats that are both firm and supportive. At the sides of those mitts, blue frames, pleated panels, ornate flashing and polished handles front modern power windows. Below those panels, tweed carpet anchors an artistic shifter opposite old school foot pedals. At the front of that carpet, a color-keyed dash frames Classic Instruments All American telemetry. Above that dash, a narrow mirror fronts a vinyl headliner. In front of the driver, a polished steering wheel spins a wood rim around a painted, tilting column. And behind the passengers, a fully upholstered trunk provides a bit of utility.

OUR SALE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING ACCESSORIES

The car's SEMA award

A lot of cars claim to be the total package, but this SEMA-featured Ford actually lives up to the hype. Its trick EcoBoost motor has surprisingly good manners and, paired with a row-it-yourself transmission and gilded hot rod style, assimilates one of the coolest customs we've ever seen. So, buy it for the blue oval, buy it for the build quality... Just make sure to buy it quickly because unique, pedigreed customs never stick around very long!