Jaguar I6 Power: 1930 Ford Model A Coupe
This next Ford Model A makes up for all of the Jaguars with small block Ford V8s (and Chevy 350s) that we’ve posted over the years…and leaves some change on the table. It starts with a 1930 Ford Model A Coupe that has been chopped and then adds a Jaguar inline-6 that has been juiced to produce some insane amount of horsepower if we are to believe the 9.32 second 1/4 mile drag time according to the seller (then engine needs a new headgasket, but don’t even think about putting a Chevy V8 in it!) We’ve always wondered where the old XJ engines go when someone shoves in some lump of American iron…well here it is. Find this 1930 Ford Model A Coupe offered for $14000 in Modesto, CA via craigslist. Tip from Andy.
From the seller:
1930 ford coupe
VIN: 999999
condition: excellent
cylinders: 6 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 99999
paint color: white
size: full-size
title status: missing
transmission: automatic
type: coupe
Hello…This is a 1930 5 window coupe…all steel…chopped 4 “…..super strong frame….48 juice brakes in front…blow proof 9″ ..in rear….very strait and painted body….all glass….inside awesome drag seats…z gate shifter…roll bar…fire extingisher…completly. Upolstered….32 grill shell…….THE STORY….This car was drag raced all thru california…it has a full race 1971 jag engine in it..COST 15.000 TO BUILD….ran 9.32 at sacramento raceway..has been MANY..MANY EXTRA PARTS GO WITH IT.as well as 6 books on weber carbs….in hot rod magazine and street rodder magazine many times…tha guy who owned and built it blew the head gasket and parked it…he passed away 3 years ago….i found car ..bought it …i was gonna pull the jag motor and drop in a small block chevy….very easy to do….aHOWEVER when i started to do it..I dident have to go to do it because of its history….someone else can…i was offered 3000 for the motor and trans…i wont seperate….the work on the frame is awesome….4 ” drop superbell up front…to much to list..throw in a chevy motor and go….to much to list..MUST SEE TO APPRECIATE…..14 k…make me an offer…very open….may trade for ???…have extra original frame with vin number for title…..can deliver to your front door….Thanks
See a better way to drive something interesting? tips@dailyturismo.com
This needs to stay Jag-powered. To swap out the 6 for a small block 8 would be a shame. Someone thought outside the box with this and came up with something cool. It would be really interesting to dive into the car’s build and race history if it goes back a few decades. Too bad the builder has passed away.
I wouldn’t mind having this car in my garage for occasional cruising and trips to the drag strip. A head gasket replacement is a lot easier when you have such easy access to the motor in an open engine bay like this. If I was in a position to move on a car right now, I’d definitely go to check this one out.
Not sure i believe this ran 9.32 i guess i need to see it run @Track myself….lol The car Wizard on utube is putting a Jag V-12 in a 66 Malibu 4 door Hdtop pretty rare car only 19k units rolled off production line. He is using two custom aluminum manifolds to run dual quads and yanking the Lucas Squirt system.
I wonder if the 9.32 was in the 1/8th mile…? Because 9.32 in the 1/4 mile is fast, even with a car as light as a stripped Model A, you’d still need at least 500 horsepower and trap speeds nearing 150mph to hit anything in the 9s.
That makes sense Vince. It would run about 14.4 in the quarter mile. Would like to see it lined up beside yesterday’s big block Malibu wagon in a grudge match.
You might get that out of an engine with 3 45DCOE carbs, and high enough RPM. For 10 seconds anyway. The short stacks would be tuned for about 6000+ rpm, did the ad say “6 books on weber carbs”? I think you would need a twin-plug head like Maserati to get high enough compression, although people got big power out of Aston Martins with single plugs and race gas. Jag engines used to be cheap, maybe he just blew them up a lot?
Thing is, I’d be surprised if any drag strip with liability insurance would let you run low 9s without a roll cage.
Swap out the Jag 6cyl for a SBC… and that’s even before getting to the price. If he thinks getting $3K for the engine and trans is good that leaves the rest of the butchery worth $11,000. Yes, verrrry open to offers.
That said this could be a fun street car with a Moss gearbox (shift, pause, pause, shift) in place of the automatic. But that price would have to come down a LOT.