Photo: Mecum
Among the cars that created the image we all think of today when we say “Hot Rod”, none are more famous and more sought after as this original McMullen 1932 Ford Roadster.
Before the Muscle Car era, there was the Hot Rod era, a time when pre-WWII cars were stripped, chopped and dropped, to create street racers for the young and the bold.
The famous motto “Live Fast, Die Young” was McMullen’s mind set from the start. He was unpredictable, bold and innovative in everything he undertook, never backing out from a challenge. And this car was his masterpiece, the signature trend setter.
McMullen bought the roadster in 1958 and continuously improved it until 1970, when he had so sell the car for just $5000 to fund some other business ventures, but he regretted it afterwards, saying it was one of his biggest mistakes. He was never able to buy the car back.
Eventually it came into the possession of a collector who employed the help of famed builder Roy Brizio and restored the car to its original appearance when McMullen drove the roadster as a daily driver and weekend racer.
Equipped with a small block 352 CI Chevy V8 engine, a powerful GMC 4:71 supercharger, two 4-barrel carburetors and a 4-speed 1939 Ford gearbox, McMullen’s Deuce set a top speed record for street roadsters at El Mirage Dry Lake and Bonneville, reaching 167 mph (269 kph).
The original iconic flames were designed by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, which raised the car’s success among Hot Rod enthusiasts, making its appearance on the covers of Hot Rod magazine (1963), Street Rodder, Popular Hot Rodding, and also on album covers, advertisements and movies.
Given the fact that it was previously sold at Mecum’s Anaheim auction in 2012 for a whopping $700.000 and 6 years later was estimated at a cool million, McMullen’s Deuce is offered at Mecum’s Indy auction in July 10-18 for a steal, at an estimate $400.000 starting price.
The famous motto “Live Fast, Die Young” was McMullen’s mind set from the start. He was unpredictable, bold and innovative in everything he undertook, never backing out from a challenge. And this car was his masterpiece, the signature trend setter.
McMullen bought the roadster in 1958 and continuously improved it until 1970, when he had so sell the car for just $5000 to fund some other business ventures, but he regretted it afterwards, saying it was one of his biggest mistakes. He was never able to buy the car back.
Eventually it came into the possession of a collector who employed the help of famed builder Roy Brizio and restored the car to its original appearance when McMullen drove the roadster as a daily driver and weekend racer.
Equipped with a small block 352 CI Chevy V8 engine, a powerful GMC 4:71 supercharger, two 4-barrel carburetors and a 4-speed 1939 Ford gearbox, McMullen’s Deuce set a top speed record for street roadsters at El Mirage Dry Lake and Bonneville, reaching 167 mph (269 kph).
The original iconic flames were designed by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, which raised the car’s success among Hot Rod enthusiasts, making its appearance on the covers of Hot Rod magazine (1963), Street Rodder, Popular Hot Rodding, and also on album covers, advertisements and movies.
Given the fact that it was previously sold at Mecum’s Anaheim auction in 2012 for a whopping $700.000 and 6 years later was estimated at a cool million, McMullen’s Deuce is offered at Mecum’s Indy auction in July 10-18 for a steal, at an estimate $400.000 starting price.
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