nspiration is something that has driven creativity in hot rodders for decades. Regardless of whether it was an experience on the showroom floor of a car dealership, an adrenalin rush felt at the dragstrip while consumed by the scent of nitro, or watching a local hop-up pull into a cruise night, it’s easy to see that influences can make themselves known in many different ways. For Gary Corkell, owner of One-Off Rod & Custom in Middletown, Delaware, it was a trip to the Grand National Roadster Show in 2018 that got his gears turning. Seeing Brookville Roadster showcase an exclusive, limited-production body designed by Chip Foose was all it took. The truly unique, handcrafted ’32 Phanton body captured the graceful lines of Ford’s original four-door phaeton body in a fresh-looking two-door configuration, limited to 32 units being built. (Did you know that a “phaeton” is an open automobile without any fixed weather protection; meaning no glass side windows!)
What would possess a hot rodder to take on the challenge to build a contender for America’s Most Beautiful Roadster in less than four months? Corkell knew it would be a monumental task and that his team would have to be all-in to make it happen, especially with the extremely high level of detail and dedication needed to make the car a contender. Working with well-known designer Eric Brockmeyer, the completed concept provided the perfect blueprint to follow.