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Know Your Hot Rods - 1933 Ford Coupe  | Holton Secret Lab Blog

  • By Holton Secret Lab
  • 26 Aug, 2016

Created to Replace the Model A

The Ford Coupe 1933 model was originally introduced to the market as a replacement to the Model A. It was powered by a V8 engine that churned out 75 horsepower at 3800 rpm. It is considered one of the most popular hot-rodding cars ever, particularly after the Second World War and well into the 1960’s.

Through the years, the Ford Coupe has been restored in many ways. It has been given new, more powerful engines; its body has been redesigned and painted to make it look more contemporary; and numerous Ford Coupes hot rods have been featured in media and car shows.

ZZ Top Eliminator

Perhaps one of the more recognizable Ford Coupe hot rods was the ZZ Top Eliminator of rock band ZZ Top. It was a 1933 Ford Coupe owned by the band’s lead singer, Billy F. Gibbons. He commissioned Buffalo Motor Car Shops in the early 80s to chop his 1933 Ford and build a hot rod that would be called the Eliminator. A painting of that hot rod appeared on the cover of the band’s 1983 multi-platinum album “Eliminator.” It was also a fixture in the band’s music videos that were regularly shown on MTV back in the ‘80s.

That hot rod featured a modest but capable Chevy V-8 engine. The body was eye-catching, to say the least, with unique scooped side panels and ZZ graphics. There was a rear splash fan with license plate, lowered headlights, and teardrop taillights.

While Gibbons had always enjoyed hot rods, he wasn’t ready for the public demand for his car. The Eliminator gained international fame that there was a lot of request for appearances. In fact he even had to ask for an Eliminator clone just to give in to the request for public appearances. Up to this day, the musician owns both cars with other high profile rods.

Other Versions of the 1933 Ford Coupe 

There have been other 1933 Ford Coupe Hot rods that have caught the motoring public’s attention as well.

In one event held in Las Vegas in 2009, there was a 1933 Ford Coupe Hot Rod that was powered by an electric engine that generated 300-plus horsepower and 660 foot-pound feet of torque.  AMP=D, a solar-power vehicle lab based in Sonoma County in California, was the team behind the ’33 Ford Coupe and its electric drive system.

The drive system was controlled by a microprocessor and could deliver an eye-popping acceleration of 0 to 60 miles an hour in around 3 seconds with a range of 100 plus miles.

Other hot rods using the 33 Ford Coupe aren’t mated with a powerful engine but make up for it with their attractive exteriors and interiors. Some Ford Coupe hot rods have customized instrument panels and knobs. Others have a customized look upfront, with a custom Fort truck grill, handmade aluminum hood, and heightened doors, among other cosmetic changes.


The 1933 Ford Coupe is simply one of those classic vehicles that are among the best candidates for hot rod restoration.

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