This is the one and only 1936 Ford Custom built by Boyd Coddington
on the T.V series American Hot Rod for Bud Light.Boyd Coddington
(August 28, 1944 February 27, 2008)was an American hot rod
designer, the owner of the Boyd Coddington Hot Rod Shop, and star
of American Hot Rod on TLC. Featured in episodes 26-28 in Season 2
of the show, this car's story begins in St. Louis, Missouri with a
visit to the Anheuser-Busch headquarters. (Watch episodes here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOCuLGJcdWg,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxVYlId8vjI) Concept drawings were
shown to Bud Light customer focus groups who chose this roadsters
design as their favorite. Using a 1936 Ford Coupe as the basis, the
original car was extensively and carefully modified into its
current configuration. The entire process took place onsite at
Coddingtons garage for national television from April 1 - 15, 2005.
Since the completion of this build, this Hot Rod has been driven a
mere 715 miles. The body of this car is all steel, while the entire
undercarriage is polished metal and chrome. The "media-blasted"
steel shell was fastened to a chassis jig and its coupe body was
transformed with bracing and hand-formed custom sheet metal into a
1936 Ford Roadster. The Candy Blue paint is a custom Dupont color,
with six stages and topped with a hand-painted and pinstriped Bud
Light graphic swoosh. 16 years later, the paint still, for the most
part, shines with lots of depth and luster. As is evident in the
photo gallery, there are several areas where cracking has occurred
in the paint and body prep. Mechanically, this Hot Rod is powered
by a built and balanced M&R Engine 383 CI small-block Chevrolet
V-8 coupled to a GM 700R4 4-speed automatic transmission. Tube
headers, dual exhaust and an Edelbrock intake manifold with a
4-barrel carburetor produce 450 HP. The Bud Light Roadster has
custom 15-inch front and 17-inch rear Boyd Coddington alloy wheels
with titanium-anodized centers and staggered Goodyear radial tires.
This Hot Rod also has asignature Boyd Coddington coilover front and
rear independent suspension. It features a Corvette center section
that channels throttle input to the rear wheels down to the ground,
while the 4-wheel disc brakes ensure this beast can be tamed. Our
test drive of this car proved to be an "exciting" experience to say
the least! The power, sound, and open air driving experience is
intoxicating. During our inspection of this car, we did not find
any mechanical faults other than an inoperable speedometer (the
odometer does still work). Moving to the interior, the ultra
minimal dash, bright red leather, and "Bud Light" branded white
gauges complete the look. In fact, this interior is completely
custom designed and built by Gabe Lopez. With such a minimal
design, there is not much to report other than a very, very small
scratch in the cushion of the driver's seat. For those who were
curious, the doors are opened and closed by an electronic button
placed on the underside of the dashboard (note the little orange
buttons in the photos). Overall, our impressions are that this is a
well persevered, very well built custom with a unique story and
some stardom. The cracks in the paint are not noticeable until one
looks very closely, nonetheless they are they are a testament to
this car's age. However, in our opinion, a repaint at this time is
not worth the effort. Beyond those imperfections, this Bud Light
Roadster should quench the thirst of anyone looking for a one of a
kind Hot Rod with important provenance. For more details, call,
text or email Daniel Folk at 1.917.890.4230 or
[email protected]. This Hot Rod is available for
inspection at our Phoenix, AZ showroom.