Tony’s Tiger – A Classic Hot Rod Deuce Roadster with Just the Right Amount of Bite
Tony Jurado is someone who puts a premium value on tradition, consistency, and longevity. That’s apparent when you look at many different aspects of his life. He’s been with the same glass contracting company – a business he now owns – since 1982. He and his wife, Paula, have been married for 38 years, with three grown kids. Tony has also been a hot rodder all his life, a Bay Area Roadsters member for decades, and is a longtime drag racer who currently runs the Capitol Punishment Nostalgia Funny Car.
It’s little surprise, then, that Tony’s latest hot rod project, a stunning 1932 Highboy roadster, embodies a lot of tradition and a good share of racing influence. It also features work by a who’s who of Bay Area shops and craftsmen, who helped complete the unfinished Deuce roadster that Tony picked up a few years ago.
“I bought two partially built ’32 highboys from a friend of a friend,” Tony says. “I built this one, my brother has the other.”
The foundation for Tony’s 1932 Highboy is a chassis from Bay Area hot rod legend Roy Brizio. It features torsion bar front and rear suspensions by Steve Moal (another Bay Area legend), plus time-honored components like a Super Bell dropped and drilled beam axle, a Speedway Engineering quick-change rearend, and Wilwood disc brakes on each corner. The requisite big ’n little tire-and-wheel combo is in place, too, and was achieved using ET Classic Five 15×4- and 16×8-inch wheels with Michelin 155/15 and 275/70/16 rubber.
The blown small-block Chevy engine reflects Tony’s drag racing experience. It’s a 383c.i. stroker built by John Genoli at Hall of Fame Motorsports in San Bruno and pumps out 650 horsepower with the help of Brodix heads and a Littlefield 6-71 blower topped by a pair of DaVinci four-barrel carbs. The triangular mesh air cleaners poking through the hood add a bit of ’70s flair, as does the Hurst-shifted Muncie M21 four-speed transmission. An MSD ignition and block-hugger headers help complete the power package.
The Brookville roadster body has been treated to the usual fine tuning to achieve precise panel fitment and gaps. A custom pan finishes off the rear where the fuel tank was once located and extends underneath almost all the way to the quick-change rearend. It’s augmented by a simple nerf bar and a pair of ’42 Ford taillights surrounding the license plate. Moving forward, a leaned-back Dick Rodwell windshield adds hot rod attitude, as do the louvered hood sides and one-piece hood top with the aforementioned hole for the air cleaners.
Color is a defining element for any car, and the bright orange PPG finish by Shawn McNally at Regenerated Rides does its part to enhance this 1932 Highboy roadster’s bold hot rod attitude, bringing to mind Phil Cool’s iconic Deuce from the 1970s. Traditional black and white pinstriping by Real Ralph along the beltline and accenting each louver further reinforces the traditional flavor.
A similar blend of racing influence and vintage hot rod flair can be found inside the cockpit. Longtime Bay Area trimmer Sid Chavers stitched a pair of Ferrari-style bucket seats in traditional black leather rolls and pleats and finished the door and side panels to match. Black-and-white Classic Instruments gauges were spread across the dash, accented by more striping. The balance of interior elements is equally simple and basic – a three-spoke, leather-wrapped sprint steering wheel, Limeworks column, and a straight shifter arm with lightening holes to match those on the pedal arms. Ken Stephens handled all the wiring chores.
Much of the final work to get the roadster to the finish line was handled by yet another legendary Bay Area shop, Gary’s Rods and Restorations. Gary George and his team also helped Tony show the car at the 2025 Grand National Roadster Show, where it was part of the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster competition, an honor for any hot rod.
Indoor car show appearances aside, this 1932 Highboy wasn’t built for winning awards. It was built to keep the hot rod spirit alive, celebrate the craftsmanship of good friends and fellow car club members, and to put a smile on Tony’s face whenever he slides behind the wheel. And in the end, isn’t that what this hobby is all about?
Photos: Michael Christensen
