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1932 Ford Roadster This is the “Legend” Roadster of the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureaus. A celebrity in its own right…Hows an all-steel, 525hp, Hemi-powered 32 grab ya? Not a bad choice for a four-wheel ambassador for the Motor City! The head of sales and marketing for the bureau, used this vehicle to promote both the city of Detroit and its hot rod heritage. Designed as a medium to showcase Detroits impressive automotive heritage, the timeless affection for the American hot rod, and the current advanced technological capabilities of both domestic OEMs and the vast automotive aftermarket, the D-Rod project resulted in a highly visible street rod that has been showcased at conventions, trade shows, sporting events, and of course, cruises and car shows across the U.S. It is better known to pace NASCAR races at Michigan International Speedway as well as host events such as The Woodward Dream Cruise and The Hot Rod Power Tour, plus many more events. How it all happened? …The Detroit Metro Convention and Visitor’s Bureau leveraged access to senior executives at many major companies (including members Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors). Bill and Hilary Goetz, DMCVB members and owners of Detroit Muscle in Holly, Michigan was called upon to build the car. Senior vice president at Chrysler was approached, who also sits on the bureau and spoke to him about the possibility of using one of their newest and most desirable crate engines-the 50th anniversary 392 Hemi (that was first shown at SEMA)-as the powerplant for the 32. The engine was not yet in production, but being good corporate citizens of Detroit, Chrysler had Arrow Racing Engines release one of the first hand built development engines to use. The engine was about 90 percent complete, so during construction Rick Dyer at Detroit Muscle would bolt on the 80mm fuel-injection throttle body for the gang at Arrow for a few hours each day, returning it to them at night for their dyno use! Mark Kincaid at Street and Performance was also extremely helpful, providing prototype pulleys so Detroit Muscle could finish up the belt drives.In keeping with the Detroit theme, the build stuck close to home when it came time to choose a 32 body for the project. A Dearborn Deuce convertible was chosen, an all-steel roadster body redesigned around a fully disappearing top assembly. The body sits upon a Lobecks Deuce frame equipped with a 9-inch Ford rear end, a Magnum dropped tube axle, and four-wheel Wilwood disc brakes.The 32s 525 hp is transmitted to the pavement via a pair of steel wheels and Diamond Back Classics 265/70-16 Cheater Slicks out back, and matching wheels and Diamond Back 205/60-16s out front. The body was completed in traditional hot rod black with an eye-popping red Indian blanket interior that not only gets ones attention but also harkens back to the days when Detroit was an Indian trading post. All in all, the city of Detroit ended up with one heck of a cool street rod that not only has a traditional look and modern technological advancements, but also one thatll be a great mascot for the city of Detroit.
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