SUBTLY SLICED

Doug Hoppe’s Stunning ’35 Ford Coupe

After seeing some of the street rods emerge from Roger Burman’s Lakeside shop, Doug Hoppe loaded his ’35 Ford coupe onto a trailer and traveled east to the shop in Rockwell City, Iowa. Hours of cutting, welding and grinding gave the chassis and body a new look, with sleek lines and flowing curves. A year in the making, the final product reveals the efforts of the entire crew at Lakeside Rods and Rides, and no one can deny the ’35 Ford’s elegant styling. One-off wheels, a soft metallic color and a super-low stance give the three-window coupe lots of attitude, and myriad body modifications lower the car’s silhouette significantly. One look at Hoppe’s coupe tells you it’s not stock, but the car doesn’t have an exaggerated body, and it looks like something Ford could have built, aside from the wheels and extreme stance.

Custom Chassis and Suspension

Starting with a Total Cost Involved chassis, the guys at Lakeside Rods and Rides stretched the frame 2 inches and then narrowed it 2 inches in the rear for additional tire and wheel clearance. The next step in building this high-end hot rod was to weld the custom engine, transmission and suspension mounts in place, and extra care was taken to clean up the welds as it all came together. The completely smooth chassis mounts an independent front suspension, with polished tubular control arms and a pair of Aldan coilovers to soften the ride. Up front, six-piston Wilwood calipers clamp down on huge rotors, and the one-off 18×7-inch wheels tuck nicely under the reshaped and contoured front fenders. The rear fenders also received quite a bit of massaging, and they sit over huge 20×10-inch wheels that feature a custom center cap with the traditional V-8 emblem. Aldan coilovers give Hoppe’s coupe a slammed stance and locate the Currie 9-inch rearend, while four-piston calipers on the rear assist in bringing the green coupe to a halt. An extremely low ride height gives Hoppe’s Ford an outstanding appearance, and the independent front suspension provides an attractive finish and a vast improvement over 1935 technology.

A Ford-Powered Hot Rod

Keeping with tradition, Hoppe wanted nothing less than a Ford engine in his ’35 Ford, so he purchased a new Roush 402ci fuel-injected stroker. A bulletproof bottom end keeps this engine reliable, even under the harshest of conditions, and the roller camshaft promotes smooth valvetrain operation. Providing lots of airflow and a 10:1 compression ratio, the CNC-ported aluminum heads also use large valves to import and export massive amounts of fuel and air from the Weber-style injection system. Along with all the go-fast goodies, the Roush 402 has a nice selection of dress-up parts, including polished aluminum valve covers and air cleaners. Shortage of horsepower is not an issue, as this potent powerplant gives the coupe 500 ponies and uses a C4 automatic transmission to send it all to the rear tires.

Sleek and Subtle Body Modifications

Although the chassis and powerplant are stunning, the main focal point of Hoppe’s coupe is the highly modified body. The crew at Lakeside Rods and Rides spent countless hours cutting, fitting and grinding the metal until a perfect fit was obtained with every modification. Combining the chopped top, wedge-sectioned body and reshaped wheel openings gives the car a more compact look and complements the car’s original curves, rather than exaggerating the lines beyond recognition. To enhance the smooth appearance of Hoppe’s Ford, the guys at Lakeside installed hidden hinges, shaved the door handles and filled all unsightly areas that might interrupt the flowing lines. The grille is also laid back with an insert from Don Stark’s, and the three-piece hood is stretched to accommodate the lengthened wheelbase. When a body is modified to this extent, the bodywork is often grueling and tiresome, but the guys at Lakeside handled it with ease and prepared the ’35 Ford with several coats of high-build primer. The color of choice was King Ranch Green, and the soft metallic hue adds a sense of elegance to this low-down street rod. After the materials cured, sanding and buffing was next on the agenda, and then final assembly could begin. King Bee headlights and ’37 Ford taillights take care of the lighting department, and custom bumpers from Don’s Hot Rods ride at the front and rear of Hoppe’s emerald coupe. The wild body modifications and custom accessories provide the perfect mix of traditional and contemporary styling, with all the right details.

Luxurious Custom Interior

Elegance from the exterior flows seamlessly into the upholstery, thanks to the Palomino leather and body-color dash, among other stylish accessories. Recovery Room Hot Rod Interiors is responsible for the awesome stitchwork, which includes leather cross-weave inserts and color-matched carpet. Stylish armrests and pouches keep the interior functional and tasteful, and the custom handles from Clayton Machine add a nice touch to the elegant interior. One-off gauges from Classic Instruments fill the custom dash insert, and a banjo steering wheel mounts to a Flaming River column to keep the three-window coupe between the lines. The quality upholstery continues beneath the decklid and features a removable panel for additional storage.

Doug Hoppe’s Collection of Classic Cars

Along with this super-smooth ’35 Ford, Hoppe owns a ’37 Ford coupe, a ’62 Chevy Impala and a ’67 Mustang that took home the coveted Goodguys Street Machine of the Year award 2007 in Columbus. Hoppe knows what it takes to build a killer car, and the decision to have Lakeside Rods and Rides build this ’35 was inevitable after seeing some of Roger Burman’s work. The quality work on the green coupe is undeniable, and the body is wild in nature but subtle in style, which makes for an excellent appearance when all is said and done. Lakeside Rods and Rides did a spectacular job with the three-window coupe and gave Doug and Flo Hoppe a car they can enjoy for years to come.