Here’s one you don’t see or hear about very often… In 1957, Bernie Stein wanted a ’32 Victoria. But even back then, the long drop tops were few and far between. So Bernie improvised by buying a Vicky and cutting the damned top off. The 1959 Hot Rod Annual says it better than I ever could:
Ford Phaeton bodies are hard to find, but that didn’t stop Bernie J. Stein from Hayward, California, from having one – he simply chopped the entire top off a ’32 Ford Victoria. King Covers of Hayward then provided a tonneau cover and reworked the front interior in sandal wood and white naugahyde. Black carpeting and a chromed steering column and dash trim finished off the cockpit.
The body was finished off with a hand-worked fiberglass cowl to accommodate a low V windshield. A ’53 Chrysler V8 was used as the power plant. The engine was left entirely stock with the exception of a Howard cam. Power is transmitted through an 11-inch Ford truck clutch and a ’41 Ford transmission with a column shift.
The car has been dropped 3-inches at both front and rear. The body finish is ’57 Chrysler Cloud White lacquer and dress-up items include Lance disks, front and rear nerf bars, and upholstered running boards.
Dope, right? I could do without the nerf bars for sure, but the rest of this car is damned fine to my eyes. I absolutely love how the tuck-n-roll insert on the seat matches the line of what’s left of the chopped rear quarters. And that windshield? Hell yes. I even dig on the weird glass cowl.