For Sale: 1934 Ford 3-Window Coupe in Scotts Valley, California

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1934 Ford 3-Window Coupe
VIN: 1866836MCAL

Commissioned as a blank-check spiritual successor to the iconic California Kid '34 Ford, built by the legendary Pete Chapouris at SO-CAL Speed Shop
Original steel body and frame, with fabrication carried out by So-Cal senior fabricator Jimmy Shine
Murano Red paint, with pinstriper Dennis Rickleffs-contrasting black and white lines
Dropped axle, hairpins, Pete & Jake shocks, SO-CAL's Traditionalist disc brakes, with Ford 9" rear end, coil-over shocks, Vega-style steering box with SO-CAL stabilizer
383CI Chevrolet V8 built by Ray Zeller of Taylor Engine
GM Turbo 350 automatic transmission
Gabe Lopez-stitched (Gabe's Street Rod Custom Interiors) leather interior
Equipped with crank-out windshield, crank down rear window, heater, A/C, power side windows, 10-disc CD changer/radio with remote control, and more

A "mulligan" is a second chance, an opportunity to improve upon a first attempt, but that implies that the first attempt wasn't a success. What do you call it when you get a second chance at improving something that was considered wildly successful the first time? For Pete Chapouris of SO-CAL Speed Shop, lightning seemingly was about to strike twice.

In the early 1970s a young Pete Chapouris built a chopped, full-fendered '34 Ford 3-window coupe. Painted black with an extreme flame job, it was a departure from the tired wire-wheeled, overly-accessoried, resto rods of the day. It was a throwback to a time when hot rods were a little louder, nastier, and a little edgier, more raw. Although it was built on a budget, Pete's coupe landed on the cover of the November '73 issue of Rod & Custom magazine. Its place in hot rod history was sealed when it starred in the movie The California Kid, with young actor Martin Sheen behind the wheel.

Decades later in 2004, collector and enthusiast J.J. Barnhardt was well known within the hot rod world, with a number of memorable cars built at a variety of speed shots, including Chapouris' SO-CAL Speed Shop. Barnhardt wanted to build a chopped, full-fendered '34 coupe and approached Pete with a proposition: Build a second California Kid, in red, and this time money is no object. A deal was made, a strategy was formed, and the search began for the perfect candidate car.

Around the same time that SO-CAL Speed Shop was looking for its candidate car, SO-CAL employee Eric Chaputa informed Pete that his father's 3-window coupe was going to be for sale soon. In the form of a primered, fenderless Highboy, the coupe already had some notoriety of its own. Steve Coonan had photographed the hot rod at the Muroc Reunion and used its sepia-toned image on one of his early Rodder's Journal T-Shirts. The car had been with the Chaputos family for years and while bare bones, it had been perfectly chopped. There are a number of ways to chop the top of a '33-'34 coupe but proportionally, one of the most pleasing ways is to take a bit more out of the front than the back, effectively giving top a small wedge - then laying the windshield posts back to meet it. The California Kid was chopped in this fashion, and it was perfect that the candidate car was done in the same way. The Chaputa coupe was inspected by Barnhardt, took it out for a reportedly short but harrowing test drive, wrote the Chaputa family a check, and loaded it onto a rollback for delivery to SO-CAL Speed Shop.

SO-CAL senior fabricator Jimmy Shine and his staff were tasked with turning the Highboy back into a full-fendered car. The original was in excellent condition, along with the frame. Steel fenders and running boards were sourced, and many hours were spent massaging them to bolt seamlessly to the original body. Shine's metal working skills are also evident in the hand-fabricated rear apron and California Kid-inspired nerf bars. Eric Vaughn was called upon to punch louvers into the hood and apron and, after a proper Murano Red paint job, legendary pinstriper Dennis Rickleffs finished the coupe in contrasting black and white lines.

The coupe's original chassis was fitted with a dropped axle, hairpins, Pete & Jakes's shocks, and SO-CAL's own New Traditionalist disc brakes. The rear end is a Ford 9", set up with coil-over shocks, four bars and drum brakes. Steering is through a Vega-style box with a SO-CAL stabilizer to eliminate shimmy and shake on roads. The wheels are 15" ET-Style polished alloys, with P235/75R Michelins in back and 165/SR-15 Michelins up front.

The small block Chevy engine was built by Ray Zeller at Taylor Engine in Whitter, California. Stroked to 383CI, it's fitted with an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, a big Holley Double Pumper four barrel carburetor, and Sanderson headers. Estimated at 400+ horsepower, the engine was mated to a Turbo 350 automatic transmission.

Inside, the Gabe Lopez-stitched (Gabe's Street Rod Custom Interiors) leather interior is clean and simple - but by no means spartan or sparse. The windshield cranks out and the rear window cranks down for ventilation, just as Henry Ford intended, but there is also a heater, A/C, and power windows. A 10-disc CD changer/radio with remote control ensures long drives are entertaining. The dash is filled out with Stewart Warner gauges, the shifter is Lokar, and the polished Mullins steering column is topped by a sprint car-style steering wheel. Quiet and comfortable, it's taken the Barnharts on a number of long distance journeys, including one from Southern California to British Columbia and back.

After some time, the 3-window first arrived at Canepa. It didn't take long to find a new owner, one of Roger Penske's senior executives, who kept the car in their collection for 15 years before returning back to Canepa in the same condition that it left in. With just 4,139 miles since it was built, the coupe still has it all: the perfect stance, professional construction, flawless fit and finish, tons of horsepower, impeccable road manners - and a notable history. Upon returning, it was put through the "Canepa Difference" process that included a thorough mechanical inspection, a complete service, and concours-level detailing from top to bottom, including cleaning the underside by hand. Now ready for its next owner to enjoy a legendary SO-CAL built hot rod, this 1934 Ford 3-Window Coupe is ready to continue to make memories while looking like a flawless execution of a hot rod.