By SEMA Editors
 Vic Edelbrock Jr. |  Pete Chapouris |
The Petersen Automotive Museum will commemorate the 85th anniversary of the ’32 Ford “Deuce” with a day-long car show cruise-in and celebration, Saturday, July 15.
The ’32 Ford, nicknamed “Deuce” for the second digit of its model year, was one of the first affordable production cars with a V8 engine and became a favorite of racers in post-WWII Southern California. The Petersen celebrates this iconic car every five years with a car show and cruise-in open to hot-rod fans of all types, with special parking on the top deck of the structure for ’32 Fords.
Immediately following the conclusion of the show at 4:00 p.m., a procession of deuces will rally from The Petersen to the Edelbrock Museum in Torrance, California, to pay tribute to performance icon and Los Angeles native Vic Edelbrock Jr., who helped shape the performance industry and who passed away June 9 at the age of 80.
Famed car builder and customizer Pete Chapouris first found fame with The California Kid, a ’34 Ford three-window coupe that starred in an eponymous movie alongside Martin Sheen. He later founded a series of companies and eventually helmed the rebirth of So-Cal Speed Shop. Chapouris led the restoration of several notable and award-winning cars, including the Doane Spencer Roadster, which won the first Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Hot Rod class.
One of the first engineer/racers to modify Ford’s new ’32 V8 for improved performance, Vic Edelbrock Sr. was there in 1948 when Bob Petersen launched Hot Rod magazine, and was his first customer. When Edelbrock Sr. passed away in 1962, Edelbrock Jr. took over the family business at the age of 26 and built it into a household name, with a focus on designing and manufacturing high-quality, high-performance replacement parts for the automotive and motorcycle markets all made in the United States.
A display of “America’s Most Beautiful Roadster” (AMBR) winners will also be on display at Deuce Day, including the 2010 AMBR-winning ’33 Ford “Possessed,” 2000 winning ’32 Ford Roadster “0032,” and the ’23 Ford Model T Roadster “Candy Root Beer,” which was also the 1971 and 1975 AMBR winner.
Deuce Day will begin July 15, at 7:30 a.m., with a cruise-in of ’32s. The event is free to the public; ticket purchase only required for those entering their Deuces and includes entry to the museum. For more information on Deuce Day, visit www.petersen.org/32-2.