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Before there were daily-driven drag cars and extreme fuel economy standards, there was good ol’ fashioned speed. In 1920, America’s post-war economy was in full swing and Ford was producing automobiles for millions of Americans. By 1934, Ford released a new collection of beautiful vehicle models. The mix of new cars combined with military mechanics formulated a lifestyle referred to as hot rodding. To this day, the era of hot rods stands strong, as it represents the beginning of the modified car culture.
Eric, the owner of a 1934 Coupe, named The BEAST’s, interest in hot rodding goes back to the beginning.
The Dream
From a young age, Eric was surrounded by a variety of classic cars and bikes. He grew up in Flint, Michigan – a true car town. His interest, despite the variety of modern American cars in his surrounding, always remained true to ’30-’34 Coupes. Even as a child he gravitated toward the hot rod coupes when perusing the Hot Wheels toy aisle. As Eric got older, his dream remained the same.
He dreamt of a legendary coupe, black as night, outfitted with chrome rims and a massive blown chrome engine. He imagined it to be rather simple, but classic.
Years passed, but Eric’s dream and motive hadn’t changed. He was unaware that his dream would shortly conform to reality. Like many of us, he was searching through classified listings for a project. While shopping, Eric stumbled upon a 1934 Coupe that instilled him with curiosity. The gentlemen selling the car was an intelligent craftsman with a knack for building race-purposed engines. A true master of motors.
Better yet, the car was ten hours away, which meant a road trip for Eric and his girlfriend. After their arrival, they spent some time with the seller and got to know more about the car’s origin. Eric was sadly informed that the original builder of the car had passed the day before they received it. He was also told the car had nearly four-years of time invested into updating it with all of the best available parts at the time.
THE NEW REALITY
From that day on, Eric worked feverously to restore and modify the coupe to further fit his dream. The car acquired new paint and trim, updated suspension, and new electrical updates including lighting.
The engine itself was rebuilt from the block up. It was outfitted with the aftermarket’s finest parts. The long block assembly is structured by a 512CI Dart block and heads, an Eagle cam, Probe pistons, Howard cam, and several other goodies. An 8-71 supercharger tops the mountainous motor and perfects Eric’s vision of a blown chrome engine.
To celebrate the accomplishment of owning his dream car, Eric premiered the BEAST in the Detroit Autorama of 2020. What was originally intended to be a gesture of support for their friend’s ceremony turned into a surprise when Eric and Becky’s Coupe took first place in its class!
The BEAST is a real reflection of what hot rodding has always been about. Not only the cruises or cars, but the dream and vision that makes those cars exist. Eric sees that, and it’s a spirit like his that keeps the classic car culture alive. Eric proves that even nearly a century later, there’s still such a thing as a hot rod heart.
