Goodguys Teams Up with Roseville Rod & Custom on a Sneaky, Subtle ’40 Ford Coupe for the 2026 Grand Prize Giveaway
There’s an old adage about ’40 Fords being forever, so you could argue that the next Goodguys Grand Prize Giveaway car is one for the ages.
That’s right, folks, Goodguys is dusting off their old hot rod playbook and pulling out something vintage to give away in 2026 – a 1940 Ford coupe that’s being crafted by the talented team at Roseville Rod & Custom in Roseville, California. And while the build shop may be West Coast based, the flavor for this fine ’40 will be much more Southeast, like the moonshine runners that scampered and sped through the woods of North Carolina and hills in the Appalachian Mountains in an earlier era.
Roseville owner Ben York and artist Eric Black drew on that sort of illicit sleeper-style inspiration when plotting out this build, and you can see it right away in Black’s illustration. It’s quiet and understated – like something that could have flown under the radar back in the day. The blue hue is subtle, and there’s minimal flash – no whitewall tires or polished wheels. But that slightly lowered, nose-down stance offers a hint of menace, which will be reinforced by the exhaust note when you hear the vintage Cadillac V8 fire to life.
Wait, what’s that? No LS or Coyote crate engine? Nope! This one’s going to be old school – with a twist. Tony Lombardi at Ross Racing Engines will be assembling a ’50s-era 331c.i. Cadillac V8, which will be topped with a blower, which will be topped with electronic fuel injection packaged by AutoTrend EFI in vintage carb-style throttle bodies! It’s the best of both worlds – an old engine with modern refinement. And it will be backed by a new Tremec TKX five-speed transmission from American Powertrain.
The rest of the car’s underpinnings will be modern, as well. Roseville Rod & Custom has already taken delivery of a new chassis from Total Cost Involved (TCI), which has an independent front suspension with Ridetech coil-overs, rack-and-pinion steering, a Currie 9-inch rearend, and Wilwood disc brakes. Roseville will use Guniwheels to maneuver the chassis around the shop during the build, while Sage Speed & Custom will eventually machine a custom set of wheels to look like vintage Ford steelies, complete with center caps and trim rings.
The starting point for the subtle and stealthy Goodguys 1940 Ford Coupe was a clean, original, unrestored gem that Ben says is probably the best car he’s ever started a build with. It was a running, driving car when purchased and has not revealed many sins during disassembly or the work that has been done so far. The body was delivered to American Stripping in Sacramento, where a multi-stage media blasting process revealed few surprises and virtually no rust. This car was exceptionally clean for being nearly 85 years old!
Roseville Rod & Custom is known for its subtlety – the shop even sponsors a Goodguys award called Subtle Elegance! The team plans to infuse that quality into this build, with minor metal mods, some select one-off parts crafted by the York Speed Shop branch of the business, and careful attention to color, texture, and detail. Most of the work – including the PPG paint job – will be done in-house at Roseville. The exception will likely be the interior, which is slated to be a joint effort between Roseville’s in-house upholstery team and some top talent from other interior experts around the country.
Are you excited? We certainly are! The Goodguys 1940 Ford Coupe is going to fit right in with the bar-raising builds we’ve seen in recent years for their Grand Prize Giveaway vehicles. We can’t wait to show you updates in the coming months as Roseville makes progress on this masterpiece. And we’re looking forward to the unveiling next summer at the Summit Racing Nationals in Columbus. So, stay tuned – this fine ’40 is destined to be one stunning sleeper!
Photos by Steven Bunker, Roseville Rod & Custom