More than half a century ago, a few East Coast Hot Rods set high standards that had California guys shaking their heads. Tommy Foster’s 1932 roadster was one of them. A Detroit-area native, Foster learned about Hot Rodding from then-contemporary Rodding magazines, not from weekend trips up to the dry lakes. There was nothing like El Mirage in the state of Michigan, and in that era, drag strips there were thin on the ground. No matter, Foster created a smooth, sexy roadster that was resplendent in cool, ice blue lacquer that he’d sprayed himself in his home garage. His car quickly became a frequent show winner, dating virtually from its first appearance. An early feature in the August 1952 issue of Hot Rod certainly helped spread its notoriety. Foster’s ‘32 could stand smartly on its own wide whitewalls against any street roadster from the West Coast. In 1949, Foster began his effort after purchasing a genuine deuce roadster body that another Rodder had channeled the depth of its Z-ed frame rails. Foster smoothed off the body and filled the cowl vent, shaved the door and deck, and relocated the gas tank inside. Smooth was the operative word for this car; Foster fabricated an inset rear license setup, neatly rolled the rear pan and finished things off with ‘48 Pontiac tail lights. Though he was a General Motors engineer who hailed from Pontiac, Michigan, Foster’s use of the soon-to-be popular round Poncho rear lights would be just the beginning of his concessions of loyalty to his employer, at least where this car is concerned. Over the ensuing 15 months, doing everything but the upholstery himself, he dropped in a bored-out, relieved ’39 Ford flathead with an Edelbrock dual intake manifold, finned 8:1 high-compression heads and an Iskenderian three-quarter cam. Neat, chromed Porter headers ran to steel-pack mufflers under the car and exited in “baloney-sliced” chromed exhaust extensions that were faired into the rolled pan. Foster must have run up quite a plating bill—the regulator, horn and generator cover all received the shiny dip, as did the ignition looms, acorn nut covers, radiator hoses, fuel and oil filters, and myriad other small pieces. There never was a hood for this car, so all that brightwork was part of its much-admired visual signature. The transmission was a ’39 Ford top-loader, and yes, the shortened shift lever was plated.
