Gary DeVine’s 1932 Ford Roadster Pickup earns 2021 Meguiar’s Street Rod d’Elegance Top 12 Title
Goodguys crowned another of its elite 2021 Top 12 winners in Del Mar, California, over the weekend as Gary DeVine’s outstanding ’32 Ford roadster pickup claimed the Meguiar’s Street Rod d’Elegance title from a field of worthy competitors. One of the oldest and most storied of the Goodguys/Meguiar’s Top 12 “Of The Year” honors, Street Rod d’Elegance is awarded to the most elegant and gorgeous pre-’49 vehicle from among the contenders at the Meguiar’s Del Mar Nationals. DeVine’s exquisitely detailed roadster, finished by Dave Shuten at Galpin Auto Sports, rose to the top of the field at this year’s event.
The classically styled roadster straddles the line between hot rod attitude and formal elegance, combining traditional style and incredible detail in a cohesive, finely finished package. The origins of the build actually date back more than 20 years to Michigan, where Dennis Lesky began the project at his Ionia Hot Rod Shop business. Coincidentally, Dave Shuten was friends with Lesky in Michigan before moving to California to head up the Galpin shop. When Gary Devine bought the Deuce from Lesky – and shared his goal of ultimately competing for the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster honor at the Grand National Roadster Show – it was a natural choice to have Shuten complete the build.
Using Eric Black illustrations as guidelines, the roadster pickup has a heavily modified Deuce frame with a drilled Super Bell front axle, Kinmont-style disc brakes from Walden Speed Shop, hairpin radius rods, and Schroeder side steering. A Winters quick-change rearend can be found out back, and So-Cal Speed Shop 16-inch knockoff wheels (wrapped in Firestone 5.00-16 and 7.50-16 rubber) hold up each corner.
A 400c.i. Pontiac V8 makes for an unusual engine choice and produces plenty of power thanks to a COMP camshaft, MSD distributor, and an Edelbrock intake topped with dual Carter AFBs. The engine is well decorated with polished finned aluminum and gold paint, while the one-off headers lead to six exhaust pipes that are on full display – along with the quick-change – under the clear acrylic bed floor. A 200-4R overdrive automatic transmission backs up the engine.
The roadster body is a modified fiberglass piece, augmented by a modified steel Model A bed and a steel grille shell and hood, complete with louvers and side blisters. There are plenty of details throughout, from the center ribs on the bed cover, tailgate, and floor, to the ’37 Ford taillights with Limeworks lenses. Early Ford headlights on a dropped bar and a PastTech DuVall-style windshield are defining style elements, as is the custom-mixed PPG Periwinkle paint applied by Pete “Hot Dog” Finlan and augmented with black scallops and gold striping by Dave and the Galpin Speed Shop team. There’s plenty of bright chrome by Advanced Plating complementing the body and paint work.
The cockpit combines simple elegance and competition flavor, with custom aluminum paneling by Mike Kleeves of American Metal Shaping on the dash, sides, rear, and floor. It’s complemented by Triumph bucket seats finely stitched in black leather with gold stitching and striping by Mark Lopez of Elegance Auto Interiors. Details like custom floor inserts, Classic Instruments gauges, and a four-spoke wheel help complete the understated theme.
Shuten finished the roadster just in time for the 2020 Grand National Roadster Show. A Covid-forced hiatus happened shortly thereafter, so we were more than thrilled to see the pickup re-emerge this year in Del Mar to take part in the Meguiar’s Street Rod d’Elegance competition. It faced a worthy field of Top Five finalists, but ultimately the roadster’s exceptional style, quality, and attention to detail earned it the top honor. Congratulations to owner Gary DeVine, builder Dave Shuten at Galpin Speed Shop, and everyone else who had a hand in crafting this trick truck – the 2021 Meguiar’s Street Rod d’Elegance winner!
Photos by Marc Gewertz & Steven Bunker
