Built by Dick "Magoo" Megugorac. All original 1932 Ford sheet-metal. Featured in Rod & Custom Aug. 1993 and Street Rodder Sept. 2011. (Custom Article by Pat Ganahl)

The ’32 Ford Victoria is a stately automobile, and this one looks the part with its black-lacquered, genuine body complete with cowl lamps, grille cap and emblem, roof insert, and even red early Ford-style wire wheels. In the ‘70s we’d call this a resto-rod. But this cleverly disguised hot rod is a true sleeper. No one would ever guess what’s stuffed under the hood—until they hear it.

When Magoo built this car in ’93, he crafted it for style and comfort, starting with perfectly restoring the stock body for black lacquer. Inside, he plushly upholstered Tea’s seats in tan Connolly leather, and installed Vintage Air conditioning. Underneath he mounted a dropped beam axle and a smooth-riding Jaguar independent rear, with 4-wheel Wilwood disc brakes.

But in 2011 Sidney took the Vicky to ultra-craftsman and horsepower wizard Art Chrisman to swap the mild mouse-motor for one of Art’s signature big-horsepower Chrysler Hemis. The industrial 354 has the good parts inside, topped with new aluminum Hot Heads. To this Art added one of his polished, billet-case 6-71 blowers and a 4-port Hilborn injector converted to EFI for sensible, yet quite exciting driving. A strong Tremec 5-speed gives overdrive. And steel bubbles deftly grafted into stock-louvered hood sides inconspicuously give it room.