and then passed it on to Munz, who bought it in 1996. “I was familiar with the Foster car, going way back,” Munz said. “I saw the car when Kirk displayed it at Hershey. I’d had classics and exotics, but I’d decided that wasn’t where it was at for me. At the time, I was just starting to get re-interested in the cars I lusted after when I was a kid: Fords of the 1930s, particularly ‘32s and ‘36s. “The first car I ever wanted was a ’32 Ford 3-Window Coupe that was out behind a Shell station when I was a kid. The guy wouldn’t sell it, so I bought a ’40 Ford, then a ’40 Merc, and then a ’50 Mercury. I never did get that ’32 Ford, and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. It was etched there forever. “About that time, I met Roy Brizio, one of the finest human beings I know. At Americruise, through mutual friends, I met Harvey Levy, who had a place in Boca Raton, Florida. He’d just acquired the ‘Tommy’ car. Not long afterward, he bought another car, and the Foster ’32 returned to Kirk, and that’s when I had the chance to buy it. The head gaskets needed replacing, and the Carter carburetors, which were originally set up for a Pontiac, were too much for that Cadillac. After some work, we rejetted the carbs and dialed them back. It runs really well now.” Wasting no time, Munz proudly displayed the roadster in 1997 at the inaugural Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance historic Hot Rod class. He’d completed the necessary carb rebuilds and he had the soft baby blue finish meticulously rubbed out again. Although the roadster did not win an award—against very tough, freshly restored competition—it was a crowd favorite. That distinctive soft blue finish, which stands out whenever the car is displayed, glowed like an azure billiard ball on Pebble Beach’s immaculately prepared lawn. Munz brought Foster’s old roadster to Meadow Brook Hall in 2000 and later displayed it in 2002 at the 50th Detroit Autorama. Both times, Foster was along to take a few well-deserved bows and answer questions from people who recognized him and admired his powder blue baby. Many people had him autograph their programs. “I chatted with Foster briefly and could see how proud he was of his car, and how pleased and gracious he was as he acknowledged accolades from people—I was one of them—who fondly recalled his ‘32 from their youth,” Gross said. Foster’s channeled ’32 Ford roadster is one of those distinctive vintage Hot Rods that most old timers know the minute they see it. The Foster ’32 is a period piece that’s unlikely to be duplicated today, although many of its more distinctive elements might find their way into vintage-style cars. Fashions have evolved, and the look of a strictly show, hoodless and channeled ’32 with a massive, heavily plated, big-displacement OHV engine is one that’s stayed pretty much rooted in the ‘50s. That’s a shame, because Foster’s fabulous Ford deserves to be copied and cloned.
