Monty Belsham’s Muroc ’32 Roadster
Kugel Komponents only built 20 Muroc roadster packages back at the turn of the century, so it was cool to have two of them in the Goodguys 2022 Meguiar’s Street Rod d’Elegance Top Five. Monty Belsham’s flamed beauty was a special treat, as it won the 2020 America’s Most Beautiful Roadster crown at the Grand National Roadster Show shortly before the world shut down due to Covid.
Monty says he found the roadster at a Goodguys event in the spring of 2018. It was an immaculate car, he says, but he wanted to give it a different flavor and knew just the crew to do that: the team at Squeeg’s Kustoms in Chandler, Arizona. “I used the build of the car to overcome stage three throat cancer,” Monty says. “There’s no better therapy than building a hot rod with your friends.”
The car’s Kugel chassis has independent front and rear suspensions, 16- and 18-inch Colorado Custom wheels, and an LS1 topped with Hilborn stack fuel injection. And the body is now beautifully bathed in rich black PPG paint topped with classic hot rod flames, one of Doug Jerger’s specialties at Squeeg’s Kustoms. Gabe’s Custom Upholstery gave the cockpit equal impact with bright red leather upholstery and custom trim.
Rebuilt and better than ever, Monty’s Muroc is the perfect blend of classic hot rod attitude and modern refinement. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
Photos by John Jackson