The cars you really want to own in this hobby are those a dedicated and talented person built for himself. What could be better? How about a car he built for his wife? This 1934 Ford 3-window coupe is the result of a very talented body and paint man building a fast, comfortable, and reliable rod that’s user-friendly enough for anyone to drive. Fit and finish are exemplary, the interior is comfortable, the A/C is cold, the stereo sounds great, and because the guy who built it was way into horsepower, it’s also got dual quads on a tunnel ram, making it insanely fast. Totally sorted and reliable, he wasn’t afraid to put his wife behind the wheel, which should give you a lot of confidence in the quality of the build.

No real 1934 Fords were harmed in the construction of this sinister coupe—the body is Gibbons fiberglass and it sits on a fabricated frame. That’s good news, because it fits together better than Henry’s cars ever did, and thanks to the ministrations of a very talented guy who painted all his cars black, it looks simply spectacular. The chopped top has exactly the right proportions and rake, the gaps are tidy, and the suicide-style doors pop open easily and close with a reassuringly solid sound. All your favorite ’34 Ford design cues are there, from the heart-shaped radiator shell to the flowing fenders to the gently tapered rear end that make this car look great from any angle. The black paint is deep and lustrous without a wiggle or a wave anywhere on it, suggesting a great deal of time went into the prep and final finishing, and it isn’t bothered with any extraneous details: no flames, no pinstripes, no graphics. Instead, it just lets the clean bodywork and deep black finish speak for themselves, and the result is extremely impressive. A billet insert in the grille adds some bright contrast, along with the King Bee-style headlights, but the rest of the brightwork has been neatly deleted to give it a super clean look. There is no hood, and that’s on purpose to show off the glittering engine bay, but adding a hood wouldn’t be a big deal at all, if that’s your thing.

The two-tone black and white interior is well-stitched and doesn’t try too hard, so it’ll look great for years to come. The ultraleather seating surfaces are durable but feel great when you slide behind the wheel and the twin bucket seats adjust so it’s easy for anyone to get comfortable, even taller drivers. Plush black carpets help control noise and heat and there’s a full headliner overhead, making it feel very well finished indeed. A leather-wrapped billet steering wheel hangs on a tilt column and there’s a stubby Lokar shifter for the TH400 3-speed automatic underneath. And don’t be alarmed, there are digital gauges that light up the moment you turn the key but vanish completely behind a smoked glass panel, making for a very clean dashboard. Controls for the ice cold A/C are under the dash and there’s a powerful Pioneer AM/FM/CD stereo head unit in front of the passenger. Liberal use of sound-deadening materials makes it comfortable for cruising and the windows are power-actuated using discreet switches tucked under the dash on each side. This is a very well-thought-out interior that works very well if you’re someone who enjoys driving. You also get a good-sized trunk that’s upholstered to match and uses removable panels for access to the inner workings.

For a hot rod, especially built by a guy who loves horsepower, a mild engine wasn’t going to cut it. The 350 cubic inch V8 isn’t radical, but it’s plenty potent, topped by a pair of Holley 4-barrel carburetors on a polished tunnel ram setup. There’s a mild cam inside that gives it just a bit of a lope, but compression is mild enough to be happy on pump gas and it’s plenty punchy out on the road. There’s no choke mechanism on either of the carburetors, so it’s a little grumpy when it’s cold, but get it warmed up and it delivers the kind of neck-snapping acceleration you’d expect from 350+ horsepower in a 2800-pound car. It’s nicely sorted and totally detailed, with simple polished aluminum valve covers, chrome accessories, and a low-profile air cleaner that keeps the whole package well under the hood line (again, if you want a hood, it’ll be easy to install). There’s a huge aluminum radiator up front that’s cooled by an equally large electric fan and bright red plug wires from the HEI system add just the right amount of contrast. And I have to admit that I really like the way the A/C compressor and alternator hang outside of the grille shell, giving it an old-school hot rod look that’s all about form following function.

The chassis is based on a rectangular tube frame, which is strong and durable and nicely finished in—what else?—gloss black. The front suspension is polished stainless A-arms with adjustable Aldan coil-over shocks and rack-and-pinion steering, so action is light (power assist isn’t needed—remember this was built for a lady driver). Long-tube headers feed a great-sounding dual exhaust system that uses polished stainless tips out back and there’s a disc brake at all four corners. The aforementioned TH400 3-speed automatic transmission snaps through the gears with a minimum of fuss and with a small block ahead of it, it should last virtually forever. There’s a Ford 9-inch in back with what we believe to be 3.50 gears inside, so it’s an easy cruiser at highway speeds but feels plenty snappy around town. More coil-over shocks mean the ride can be fine-tuned to your liking and the staggered 185/70/14 front and 235/75/15 rear tires are fitted to polished Torque Thrust wheels for a traditional hot rod look.

Beautifully finished, fully sorted, and ready to enjoy, this is a rod you can drive anywhere with confidence. Finish quality is much better than you’d expect in a car at this price and you’ll never be disappointed in the way it feels when you punch it. This is how hot rods are supposed to be. Call now!