This LS-Powered ‘Hot Rod’ Looks Like Ford, Runs Like a Beast

Even with an LS3 V8, this kit-car version of a classic ‘Deuce’ shouldn’t rile up too many classic-car preservationists.

Many classic hot rodders bristle at the idea of an LS swap in a classic T-bucket or a ‘32 Ford. However, this combination spotted at the 2017 SEMA Show offers a great compromise.

This is a Factory Five ‘33 Hot Rod that SMG Motoring’s Freddy Simmons cooked up with an LS3 V8. While the car looks a lot like a modern interpretation of the Deuce Coupe, it is instead a complete kit car. That means no chopping up a classic Ford and no upsetting the pitchforks crowd with a non-Ford engine.

If it’s not really a Ford and is instead an “off-brand” hot rod, so to speak, then nobody can get too angry about it. Of course, Factory Five makes very good replicas. That means you might struggle at a glance to notice it isn’t a classic Ford.

The design spouted from the pen of car designer (and later Hot Rod Magazine writer) Thom Taylor at the behest of Hot Rod editor David Freiburger. Taylor inked his design more than a decade ago for the “race rod.” He pictured it with an aluminum LT1-style Chevy V8 and a 2,400-pound curb weight for an extreme car. This iteration from SMG Motoring keeps Chevy power in mind.

Today, you can order the ‘33 Hot Rod kit with steel, aluminum, or composite body panels for a few bucks under $10,000. That means a fraction of a proper hot rod’s build costs, all-in, even if that price doesn’t include the engine.

Ironically, classic hot rodding often meant working with what you had. That meant that cross-brand engine swaps were common, like Nicky Flores’ Oldsmobile-powered ‘31 Ford Cabriolet. And it usually means that any attempts at brand purity in hot rodding are historically misguided. Either way, this LS interpretation of the Factory Five looks spectacular.