Cars were invented to be driven! You cannot argue with that. Whether going to work, to the shop, taking the kids to school or going out for the night, you use the car. This 1932 Ford Roadster was made to be driven.
Built by John Jeffery.
Article By John Jeffery
So why are so many older cars not being used? There are thousands of Classics, Muscle cars and Hot Rods, not to mention Supercars, that spend most of, if not all of their time in the garage. WHY is that ?? You cannot beat seeing an older car in action. Why do you think historic racing, classic rallies and reliability runs are so popular the world over? Just seeing an older car in everyday use will get you looking!
Photos By Joe van Zyl
This ’32 Ford Roadster doesn’t just sit pretty in a garage polishing its chrome. It’s out there racking up more kilometres in a month than most Hot Rod club members manage in a year, and it does it without drama. No over-the-top horsepower, no high-tech suspension wizardry — just a collection of parts that work, all chosen with a ruthless focus on keeping the thing on the road.
On the surface, it’s got the charm of a 1940s hot rod, but dig a little deeper and you’ll see it’s built with whatever was easy to find, because traditional parts have become wallet-busting rare. Ask the owner about it and you’ll hear “Cortina” more than once — probably more than you’d expect from any hot rod conversation. The beauty of this approach? If something breaks, it’s a quick trip to Midas, a coffee on the way home, and he’s back driving by sunset. No long waits for imported parts, no special-order headaches.
The vision was simple: build a hot rod the way they did back in the day, using whatever was lying around, and do it for the sheer fun of it. That’s exactly what’s rolled out here — a tough, imperfect, utterly authentic machine. It’s driven hard, happily sees rain, and feels as good on the road as it looks parked. These days, the term “Hot Rod” gets slapped onto just about anything with fat tyres and loud pipes, but this… this is the real deal.
Under the skin, it’s a Dooster UK one-piece fibreglass body, bought second-hand with the doors and trunk already cut and hung. The original ’32 hood still fits, complete with side panels when they’re on, and there’s a fibreglass grille shell with an original insert leading the charge. The paint? Mixed in the garage and rolled on with a foam roller — no spray booth, no nonsense. Lighting is courtesy of 1930s Austin units up front and Lucas at the rear. The soft top is an old Army tent stretched over a round tube frame, and the windscreen sits a neat three and a half inches lower than stock.
Beneath it, the chassis started life as another Dooster UK piece but has been heavily reworked. The front suspension runs a Ford Pilot I-beam dropped the old-fashioned way, with a split wishbone, transverse spring, and Pete & Jake shocks. Out back, it’s pure Cortina — triangulated four-link, coil springs, brakes, and plenty of donor parts. Even the steering is a mix-and-match masterpiece: Datsun box, Morris column and wheel, with Cortina and Suzuki U-joints linking it all together. Wheels are 15-inch Hillman Minx all round for now, though Austin 16-inch rears are on the way.
Power comes from a Rover/Buick V8 with a mild cam, stock internals, and an original intake adapted to run a two-barrel downdraft carb. The valve covers wear “Miller” proudly machined into the tops, and the headers are homebuilt. Exhaust? Straight-through, no silencers — exactly how it should be. A Rover 5-speed gearbox and a clutch cobbled together from Cortina, Land Rover, and Midas bits keep things moving.
Inside, the gauges are a jumble of Triumph, Morris, and cheap store specials. The seat is a Nissan Patrol rear bench wrapped in a well-worn Mexican blanket — none of those gaudy tourist versions. Seat belts are firmly in place, because even the wildest hot rodder knows some rules are worth keeping. Underneath it all, there’s a heavy steel internal frame to keep the whole thing solid.
This isn’t a show queen or a pampered collector’s piece. It’s a driver’s car in the truest sense — built to be used, abused, and loved on the open road. If more hot rods were like this, the scene would be better for it.
