Some of the best things in this industry come from major automotive companies coming together on a joint project. Such is the case with the 2016 National Street Rod Association (NSRA) “giveaway car” that we first told you about in November of 2015.

A real looker and an even better performer, this year’s giveaway car, a 1932 Ford Woodie Wagon, is no less than a dream build come true thanks to the NSRA, Hercules Motor Car Company, TCI Engineering, and a number of other big-name contributors. Check it out in all of its glory below!

A Little Background

For 35 years now, the NSRA has given away a vehicle at its Street Rod Nationals event, typically held in early August. The vehicle given away each year is always an amazing classic built by one of the great builders in the industry. For this year’s car, the Hercules Motor Car Company was chosen for the honor; one that they accepted with pride.

Being selected to build the 2016 giveaway car is a huge honor for Hercules and another mark of excellence when it comes to their relationship with the NSRA. Not only has owner Cecil Taylor been a member of the NSRA since 1972, he’s also won five different Best New Product awards, which had given Hercules Motor Car Company a leg up in the industry back in the day.

“Without some recognition on an international scale, it is hard to promote your company on a small budget. Our first break was winning the Best New Product [award] in 1981 with the Hercules Luggage Trailer,” Taylor explained.

“NSRA has not only been good to us, they have also been good for us.  Along with winning the Best New Product in 1981 comes a lot of bragging rights and publicity that a small company cannot afford to buy. Plus, when you win something as prestigious as the NSRA New Product of the Year and give away three very elegant Woodies, all become endorsements for quality and integrity, which again, you have to earn.”

NSRA Best New Product of the Year Awards won by Hercules Motor Car Company: 

• 1981: Hercules luggage trailer
• 1996: Hercules 2-door woodie body
• 1999:  1933 curved louver hood sides
• 2015: 1932 4-door Hercules woodie body
• 2016:  1932 B400 Hercules woodie body

Hercules Motor Car Company won the NSRA’s Best New Product Of The Year Award in 1981, 1996, 1999, 2015, and 2016.

Yes, you read that right. As it turns out, this is the third car that Taylor and his crew at Hercules Motor Car Company have built for the NSRA to give away – the first was built in 1999. With Taylor having been a long-time member of the NSRA and made a number of friends in the association over the years, all it took was a brief conversation with longtime friend and NSRA’s Director of Advertising, Bob Reynolds, in 2014 to get the wheels turning for another amazing NSRA build from the famed metal fabricator.

“NSRA has the confidence in Hercules that the project would be completed to a show-quality level and completed on time – a feat Taylor and his crew took above and beyond, finishing the project a year ahead of their contract date – so it could be photographed and represented in Street Scene Magazine and at all the NSRA events we attended,” Taylor told us.

The Goods

With the NSRA putting their full trust in Hercules Motor Car Company to build yet another giveaway car worthy of one of the oldest street rod associations in the country, Taylor turned to many big-name vendors to help him out with the project, including TCI Engineering, Stingray Chevy, Billet Specialties, Walker Radiator Works, Brookville Roadster, PPG, Danny’s Rod Shop and many more.

The Woodie body, which was expertly designed and fabricated by Taylor and his son Greg, had to sit atop a chassis that was about more than just good looks, so they turned to TCI Engineering.

What can the winner of this Woodie expect from TCI going forward? “First and foremost would be full factory support and warranty,” Wilcox told us. “TCI offers a Lifetime Warranty on all TCI manufactured items & 6 year/60,000 Mile warranty on common wear & tear items like ball joints, bushings, rack & pinion and even bearings. Hercules Motor Cars has been using our chassis exclusively for a couple decades now with good reason. We offer the strongest frame with the best suspension geometry for a perfect mix of ride quality and performance.”

“We’ve had the honor of building a number of chassis over the years for NSRA giveaway cars,” TCI Engineering’s Senior Marketing Coordinator, Jason Wilcox told us. “When Cecil from Hercules first contacted us all the way back in January of 2015 about building a chassis to sit under their new woodie bodied deuce, we were all in.”

Wilcox continued, “We have built so many of these chassis for Cecil over the years that we pretty much already knew exactly what he wanted. The order was placed and the chassis was built in two weeks.”

The chassis TCI supplied for the car was a complete dropped axle chassis, complete with a custom stainless IFS and a 4-link rear. It was also fitted with a 9-inch Currie Ford rearend, engine and transmission mounts, the pedal assembly, 4-wheel Wilwood disc brakes, and 31-spline axles.

“We then consulted Stingray Chevy in Plant City, Florida, for the 290hp 350ci engine and a TCI 700R transmission to follow,” Taylor explained.

“These types of projects help bring awareness to all things Hot Rod/Street Rod,” Wilcox explained when asked why TCI liked being involved with projects like this. “This lifestyle that we enjoy so much wouldn’t be as fun without NSRA shows and the great people that attend them. We really can’t go wrong partnering up with companies like Hercules and NSRA. The publicity that goes along with such a venture is invaluable to a company such as ours.”

In addition to the full TCI chassis, TCI Automotive 700R transmission and a stout 350ci engine, the giveaway car was fitted with performance components such as a Walker radiator with an attached AC compressor, a chrome intake manifold and Edelbrock carburetor, along with a number of other accessories from Danny’s Rod Shop.

Borgeson supplied U-joints, Inland Empire Driveline provided a driveshaft, stainless steel headers came from Speedway Motors and an original 1932-style TANKS fuel tank. Cooling Components sent an electric cooling fan, and dress-up components from Billet Specialties and Vintique Inc rounded out the engine bling. The Woodie also features 4-spoke wheels from Wheelsmith and tires from BF Goodrich.

While the Woodie certainly has the performance aspect down pat, it also has an undeniable aesthetic appeal thanks to even more big-name companies. Just to name a few, included on the Woodie are four steel fenders, a new grille and frame horn covers from Brookville Roadster, a new 25-louver, 3-piece hood from Rootlieb, and a three-piece hood opening mechanism from Carolina Custom.

Maroon paint for the steel components – applied by Justin Fontan at Florida Custom Paint – and clear urethane for the wood body – laid by Dave Fey – from PPG. The headlights and rubber-covered running boards came from Bob Drake, double bench seats from TEA’S Designs, a custom headliner and carpet – which were done by Mike Peyton Auto Upholstery – an ididit steering column and VDO gauges combined with a beautiful ’32 Ford dash from United Pacific.

The 2016 NSRA giveaway car is a true gem thanks to Hercules Motor Car Company, one that has the utmost in performance goods thanks to the likes of TCI engineering and all the other great companies that contributed to the project. Only time will tell if we’ll see another joint project from these big names again, but something tells us this probably won’t be the last TCI-equipped Hercules Woodie we see in the national spotlight!

For more information on the National Street Rod Association, visit them online at www.nsra-usa.com. Total Cost Involved Engineering can be visited at totalcostinvolved.com, and Hercules Motor Car Company at www.herculesmotorcarcompany.com.