two of the wildest ROCKIN' Deuce rods featured in Tony Thacker's new '32 FORD DEUCE book

1971 box art (above)
original 1963 box art for Revell (above)
completed kit by Andy Bannister, Horwich, Bolton, Lancashire, UK (above and below), courtesy www.showrods.com

original 1964 box art for Monogram (above)

completed kit by Tory Mucaro, Howell Township, New Jersey, above and below. Courtesy www.showrods.com.

This Spring, following the publication of ROCKIN' DOWN THE HIGHWAY, the publisher, Motorbooks, asked me to serve as the Marketing Manager (out of my West Coast office) for Tony Thacker's latest book, '32 FORD DEUCE. Tony is Exec. Director of the Wally Parks NHRA Museum in Pomona, Calif. He's also recently written a book titled SUNDAYS WITH VON DUTCH, which I commend to you as well.

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'32 FORD DEUCE is a definitive publication in 324 authoritative pages (and includes hundreds of choice photographs), but what's key is the depiction and description of 75 Deuce hot rods chosen by a blue-ribbon committee to honor the '32 Ford's 75th anniversary. Larry Erickson, the esteemed Ford designer, was on that committee, and I've blogged about Larry and his role in designing Billy F Gibbons' CadZZilla (also see pages 124 - 129 in ROCKIN'). Those of you who were at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona earlier this year saw a great many of the 75 on display.

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Two of these 75 actually touched my life as a teenager in 1962-1964, while growing up in Englewood, NJ: the Li'l Coffin and the Orange Crate. This is because I was a kit builder, and these two might well have been the best I ever built.The former is discussed in '32 FORD DEUCE on pages 184 - 195, and the latter on pages 270 - 271. These two cars both graced the covers of important hot rod publications: Li'l Coffin on the November, 1962 issue of ROD & CUSTOM, and Orange Crate on the February, 1962 issue of HOT ROD.

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Many would say these two kits were among the most ambitious every created, and the rods themselves were break-thru's in design and fabrication. Their stories can also be found on Dave Rasmussen's absolutely outstanding website about model kits, www.showrods.com. I'm now in communication with Dave himself, and my next blog will be about show rod kits and the impact they had on pop culture and on me personally.

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'32 FORD DEUCE can be found at www.Amazon.com

as well as all the key bookstore chains and independents. You may also order it directly from www.motorbooks.com.

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Tony will be autographing copies on Saturday, May 26th, at Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank, CA. I myself will be appearing there the following month, on June 23rd, signing ROCKIN'.

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