Miles Bleasie of Hansville, Washington, is the owner of this unusual 1957 Ford “English” Thames. It’s a foreign kind of car that was built to be used in a fleet of delivery vehicles for a company in Seattle. You can tell pretty quickly from looking at it that this is not your usual hot rod.

That vintage hot-rod style that it has is more than just a clone. This Thames is a real-deal vintage restoration. It was already restored and hot-rodded back in the late 60s and early 70s. While Miles has only had the car for four years, he has already made his mark, and big time.

“I put the new engine in,” Miles explained. The original engine was a simple small-block Chevy—350 cubic inches. The new engine has a little more kick. It is a 383 cubic-inch stroker engine with a turbo-400 transmission, Holley carburetor, and 4.11:1, 12-bolt positraction rearend. It’s a light car with a powerful heart.

The silver flake paint is original to the restoration done decades ago and dates back to about the 70s, but the pin-striping is a little bit newer, although not by much. It was done in 1984 at a “Back to the ’50s street cruise” in Minnesota. “The striping was actually done by two people,” Miles explained. “It was a husband and wife that each did one side of the car.” The quality of their work is a tribute to their skill. Although they each took a side, without being told, you would never know the difference. “It was all done by hand too, no stencils or anything like that.”

The fiberglass hood was made by welding the fenders to the hood and creating a mold. Now the entire front section is lifted hydraulically and powered by a set of pistons from a 1965 Nash Rambler convertible top.

The front end itself is from a 1960 Corvair, but Miles added the disc brakes. The car also features a tilt-telescopic steering column, and a full complement of Stewart Warner gauges. You can also see that the stereo was strategically placed overhead rather than in the dash. This is one cool hot rod.

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