What you're seeing here is the triumphant return of the T-bucket to relevance in today's hot-rodding world. The basics are still recognizable: an open engine compartment, a minimalist "bucket" of a cabin, and giant rear tires, but the whole thing has been reinvented and reinterpreted with a 21st century ethos, and the result is very, very cool. The shell is fiberglass and still has all the traditional styling cues, ranging from the "imprints" of the rounded Model T doors and a stubby pickup bed, but that's pretty much where the similarities end. It's been bathed in Mopar Burnt Orange paint that is quite fashionable today, and the details are crisply rendered. The windshield is still upright, but it's only one pane instead of two and it is raked back at least a few degrees. The antiquated Model T brass radiator is gone, replaced by a painted unit that helps the whole thing look cohesive and it's flanked by a set of cool crystal clear headlights on chrome stalks. The chrome front axle has been pushed aaaaaalll the way forward to make it look long and low and lean, not stubby and clumsy like its forebears. And out back there are 1939 Ford LED taillights that make it stand out at night and in a crowd. Admit it: even if you don't like T-buckets, you're digging this one. Lots of custom stuff inside, too, and no it's not diamond-tufted vinyl that looks like the booth in an old Italian restaurant. Instead, it's tan leather upholstery with seats pushed to the extremes of the cabin to make it surprisingly spacious. Matching side panels (there are no doors, so they're not door panels) flow into the wrap-around bench seat, and even the bus-like steering column angle has been softened a bit in this T. Also note the painted dash with gold-toned gauges, the wood-rimmed steering wheel, and custom-fitted carpets. A Lokar shifter manages the TH350 3-speed automatic transmission and there's a matching E-brake with a black leather boot that looks neatly finished. No heat, no stereo, no windows, no top, but isn't that the point? This sucker totally makes the basics look good! The engine is a Chevrolet 350 cubic inch V8 dressed to impress and built to run. Since it's out in the open like that, it's been drenched in chrome, from the scoop atop the dual 4-barrel Edelbrock carbs to the milled valve covers to the gorgeous headers and side pipes. The block is black so it blends into the background but just about everything else has been chromed or polished. It's backed by a TH350 3-speed automatic transmission, but with so much power and so little weight, you really don't even need three gears. Out back, there's a shiny chrome 9-inch Ford that's so trick you'll be glad it's so visible under the car, complete with disc brakes and a pair of coil-over shocks holding it up. Four-wheel disc brakes give this T the stopping power of a race car, and with those gorgeous Cragar mag wheels and 195/65/15 front and 29x15.5-15 rear Mickey Thompson tires, it looks like a T should look. The T-bucket has evolved, and today it's not an anachronism. Instead it's modern, fast, and easy to drive, not to mention pretty darned slick-looking. If that appeals to you, give us a call now!
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