Deucari: The Story of the One-and-Only Ferrari V12-Powered Deuce

Ever since hot rodding became really popular during the post-WWII years, it transformed the hobby of customizing old cars into a global culture.

Though car customization evolved and expanded rapidly, especially after the onset of the muscle car era in the mid-1960s, many enthusiasts remained faithful to the traditional hot rod recipe that revolved around modifying pre-1935 cars, mainly Fords, like the 1932 "Deuce."

During the last six decades or so, many hot-rodded Deuces became custom car icons, and one of the most famous of them all is the one nicknamed "Deucari."

A childhood dream with a twist

Some kids dream about becoming musicians, actors, doctors, or teachers, but when one of your parents is a die-hard hot rod enthusiast, your childhood dreams are more likely to revolve around cars.

Unsurprisingly, Brian Burnett, the son of HOT ROD Magazine's renowned "cutaway" artist Rex Burnett, was fascinated by custom cars from an early age, and his biggest dream was to own a hiboy Deuce.

As an adult, he became the owner of a Ferrari dealership based in Los Gatos, California, but despite his devotion to the Italian Prancing Horses, his childhood dream never faded away.

Nevertheless, running such a business proved time-consuming, so Brian had to put his dream on hold for several years.

In 1979, he decided it was finally time to make his dream come true, but since he was now also addicted to the unmistakable sound of a Ferrari V12, Brian was determined to build a Deuce with an Italian heart.

Built by the legendary Dick Magoo

To turn his dream into reality, Brian turned to Dick "Magoo" Megugorac, one of the most esteemed hot rod builders in the world.

The owner of Magoo's Street Rods in Canoga Park, California, was known as the Father of the Hiboy, so for Brian, no one was more fitting to build his dream ride.

After meeting Brian and hearing him out, the famed builder and his crew got to work, and 15 months later, the Ferrari dealer was driving around in a bright-red hiboy Deuce powered by an Italian-made Colombo V12.

The Ferrari engine actually came from a Jeep

While it took more than a year to complete the one-off Deuce, the actual build time was closer to the six-month mark. The rest of the time was spent sourcing custom parts and the Ferrari engine.

Even for an official Ferrari dealer, sourcing an engine was not easy. Yes, Brian could've traveled to Maranello to ask Enzo for one, but if he had told the boss that he wanted to use the twelve-cylinder for a hot rod, Biran would've most definitely landed in California with Enzo's hand outlined on his cheek and his dealership license revoked.

Therefore, he was forced to find an engine through unofficial channels. After months of searching, he finally got word that Bill Harrah, a successful businessman and the owner of one of the country's biggest private car collections, had one up for sale.

Apart from his business and huge car collection, Harrah was famous for transplanting the entire front end and powertrain from a Ferrari 365 GT to a Jeep Wagoneer known as Jerrari. In 1977, Harrah built a second Jerrari, but this one featured a completely stock Wagoneer body.

About a year later, the collector decided to upgrade the second Wagoneer's powertrain with a more modern Ferrari powerplant, so he decided to part ways with the 4.4-liter Daytona-sourced V12 and sold it to Brian.

Backed up by an advanced custom-built chassis

While Magoo could fit an American V8 into a '32 Ford in his sleep, making the 347-hp Colombo fit into a street rod required more work.

The famed builder and his crew started with a set of genuine '32 Ford frame rails that they lengthened by four inches (101.6 mm). Then, the stock crossmembers were replaced by a Model A-sourced version in the front and two custom crossmembers in the middle and rear.

After the bespoke frame was completed, the crew added a Super Bell axle with a traditional hot rod suspension and steering setup in the front, while at the rear, they went for Koni coilovers and a custom Halibrand Quick Change with '36 Ford axle housings that worked with a GM Munchie four-speed manual to send the Ferrari V12 power to the rear wheels.

For stopping power, Magoo and his team opted for VW Type 4 calipers, custom rotors, a '48 Ford master cylinder, and a Thunderbird power-brake booster unit.

By late-1970s standards, this was a traditionally-built yet advanced street rod chassis that allowed the Deucari to handle like a sports car and take full advantage of its Italian powerplant.

An exquisite, award-winning Deuce

The frame was covered with a Wescott '32 Ford fiberglass replica body with a custom firewall moved 3 inches (76.2 mm) rearward from its original position. Apart from that, and a handbuilt Hagemann-designed three-piece hood, which was 4 inches (101.6 mm) longer than the original, the body was an exact replica of the genuine Ford structure.

Painted bright red, adorned with a custom Duval windshield, and complemented by a saddle tan Connolly leather-upholstered interior, the bespoke body helped make the Deucari look like an exquisite yet traditional street rod, while its Italian V12 made it capable of high-performance sports car performance.

According to its owner, the 2,200-pound (998 kg) Deuce could reach a top speed of 170 mph (273.5 kph), putting it into 1970s high-performance sports car territory.

The audacity and exquisiteness of the unique build didn't go unnoticed. Featured in all of the established car magazines of the era, the Deucari was crowned America's Most Beautiful Roadster at the 1979 Grand National Roadster Show.

Forty-five years later, the Deucari remains one of the most iconic street rods ever built.

Though no longer in Brian Burnett's possession, the legendary ride is still around today. Rich Hubbard, its current owner, replaced the Munchie with a Doug Nash five-speed manual and added modern rear brakes, but other than that, the Ferrari-powered Deuce retains all the original components that it received in Magoo's hands.