Ben Smith, of Evansville, Indiana, is the proud owner of this gung-ho green 1931 Ford Model A seen at the 2014 Holley NHRA Hot Rod Reunion. Flexing his imagination and adding in a little ingenuity, Smith was able to modify the car from its original state as a coupe into a quasi-sedan that could better accommodate more than two people at a time.
“I needed a car that the whole family could fit into,” Smith explains. “I wanted a sedan, but I didn’t want a sedan that looked like everything else.” To that end, Smith took the rear window and moved it forward 18 inches, giving it a coupe affectation while still staying comfortable for a group of passengers. Smith coined it a “Coupe ‘de Livery” once the car was finished.
Pushing the Ford is a 1949 flathead V8 with a Mercury crankshaft. A McCulloch centrifugal supercharger adds a good amount of heft to the engine’s output, generating up to seven pounds of boost. All that air gets pushed into two Holley 94 carbs before getting sucked into the motor.
Smith clearly knows what he’s doing when it comes to getting what he wants out of his cars. It’s a trait that he hopes to pass on to his fourteen-year-old son, who came to own a 1967 Chevy pickup last year. “He’s got about a year and a half before he starts driving,” says Smith. “Yeah, the next project will be his.”
As a self-made hot rod, this Ford should strike a chord with many enthusiasts in the culture. How would you handle a Model A build? Let us know in the comments below.