Switchblade 327: Brian Setzer’s 1932 Ford Coupe

From the very beginning, rock and roll and cars were inextricably linked. This was due to the time itself: the Great Depression ended, the Second World War ended. Cars and motorcycles only became cheaper and more powerful. Gasoline wasn’t going to get more expensive either. Anyone could afford at least a used Ford from twenty years ago, and the simplest and cheapest type of tuning was invented several decades ago. No money? Just make the car as light as possible! Throw out the hood of your car, unscrew the bumpers. Dismantle or trim the motorcycle fenders. Bobbers and hot rods had already been tested by time. In addition, the lack of computers opened up space for creativity: the engines calmly accepted the transfer from one body to another and did not complain much if someone skilled could attach to them, for example, a 6-71 boost from some Detroit Diesel.

In other words, the automotive culture was on the rise and it didn’t have a single obstacle. The NHRA had just appeared before the pile in 1951, and therefore hot rods were associated with such things as street races and organized gatherings of eternally dissatisfied youth. Therefore, it is not surprising that all subcultures associated with cars — from the briolinists of that time to modern bikers — are associated with rock and roll and all that evolved from it as a result. On the contrary, there are many fans of cars and motorcycles among the musicians.

Brian Setzer is no exception. His “flashback coupe” reminds him every day of everything that Brian loves the most: hot rods and rock’n’roll. Just imagine the deep roar of a double exhaust combined with the fast rhythm of vintage rockabilly on a Saturday night somewhere on the dark but neon-lit streets of Long Island, add the smell of engine oil with notes of your favorite grease — and here it is, the very picture that forever inscribed itself in the consciousness of Comrade Setzer. This Ford ’32 is Brian’s everyday car.

The car was built in Pennsylvania by Frank Leonetti. After that, Brian and his friend Jim Hayes redesigned the already understated car with a chop top in their own style.

“I was mostly a bring-it—and-serve guy, and I worked with sandpaper, but I put in my share of effort!” says Setzer honestly.

The engine of the car was a Chevrolet 327 unit with three Rochester carburettors – and this, unfortunately, is almost all that is known about the technical nuances of this beautiful car, except that it has steel disc brakes from Buick, it was lowered by 12.7 centimeters, and the roof was cut down by 7.6 centimeters. By the way, the body of this hot rod (as well as the frame) is original, and it is a real rarity.: There are very few steel Fords with five windows left on the stage. Lirones Motorsport made blinds on the trunk and rebuilt the rear axle, along with adding stair beams and Aldan coilovers. The front axle was a new model from the Specialty Automotive Company at that time. The car was painted in the colors of the well-known House Of Kolor. The main color is candy tangerine, and the flame in the candy color is gold. Mark Williams added a pinstripe and the car was ready.

When creating the two of his dreams, Brian thought about the Model A of the 31st year, which he had before. What exactly happened to the Model A is unknown, but in the original text everything is written in such a way as if that hot rod was irretrievably lost. Unfortunately, no one is immune from this. The stray cat says that he drove that Model A even in the snow, and the Switchblade was built for exactly the same purpose. It’s not just a car — it’s a statement, a statement of faith that hot rods, like rock and roll, stay here for a long time.

There is a short interview with Brian in Rod & Custom magazine for August 1998, which I am happy to translate below.

R&C: What sparked your interest in hot rods?

“I joined hot rods when I was about sixteen. The whole theme was to look cool and drive fast, and the possibilities of doing all that. All of this was related to rock and roll in every way. Hot rods and rock’n’roll marched together. I was disappointed when the music continued to play and the cars drifted away for a while. I’m sure they’re back together now.”

R&C: Why this particular car?

“For me, the ideal 32nd is a hot rod in the style of the late 50s, early 60s. Good steel is so rare that you have to take what you have. And I found this car in Pennsylvania, brought it to California, and my friend and I took it apart. I wanted it to be in a cool candy color, similar to my Gretsch guitar, and we repainted it in candy mandarin from House Of Kolor.”

R&C: What other machines do you have?

“I have a custom Dodge 57, and my wife’s Caddy is a gold-colored convertible 60, in which we put leopard-colored seats.”

R&C: So you like not only hot rods, but also custom ones?

“The custom scene is parallel to the hot rod scene in the sense that you’re rolling in a car that’s 40 or 50 years old, and you’re doing it in a way that looks cool. The only difference is that customizations are not a thing for driving fast. This thing is for a cruise, but it’s from the same universe.”

R&C: If you could build anything, what would you build?

“I’ve already built what I wanted. This is the coupe of my dreams. But I’d like to build another crazy car like this one.”

R&C: What about your latest album?

“The new album is called The Dirty Boogie. It’s a 16-instrument rock and roll big band-I’m not sure how else to describe it.”

R&C: What is your favorite car song?

“Can I name mine? There’s a Switchblade 327 song on the new album, which is a real song about hot rods in the style of the 50s.”

The Brian Setzer Orchestra – Switchblade 327

It is worth mentioning that the car, apparently, 20 years later, is still running and in good condition. At least, I personally found a note on the Internet dated 2016, and it mentioned that the Switchblade 327 still belongs to a stray cat, and it was from that note that one of the photos for this article was taken.So the Switchblade 327 continues to rock along with its owner to this day.