Tim Kerrigan’s “Timeless” ’33 Ford Roadster Captures Goodguys 2019 March Performance Street Rod d’Elegance Crown
Tim Kerrigan’s slender, sleek, and stylish hand-crafted ’33 Ford roadster, “Timeless,” was crowned the Goodguys 2019 March Performance Street Rod d’Elegance winner this weekend at the 19th Meguiar’s Del Mar Nationals. Built by Dominator Street Rods, the refined roadster glistened in the Southern California sun and stood out among a field of beautiful contenders that included Clifford Mattis’ ’32 Boydster roadster, Jim Bridgewater’s ’37 Ford coupe, Amie Angelo’s ’36 Ford coupe, and Tom Agostino’s ’34 Ford Tudor.
This is the second time around for this stretched, low-slung, Eric Brockmeyer-designed roadster, which was first built in the early-2000s. Its new incarnation has a richer presence that truly reflects the classy and graceful nature of the Street Rod d’Elegance honor. That essence is aided in no small part by the gorgeous custom-blended, Steve Martinez-applied House of Kolor paint.
The rich burgundy hue covers a custom full-fendered body built from hand-shaped steel panels. Compared to stock ’33 Ford dimensions, the body is stretched 11-inches and widened 3-inches, with a custom-crafted grille, headlight pods, and taillights. Handmade side trim and a custom windshield frame add just the right amount of accent.
The body is supported by a hand-built frame with a 120-inch wheelbase and custom independent suspensions by Dominator both front and rear. The rear suspension incorporates a Winters quick-change center section and inboard Wilwood disc brakes; the front is supported by cantilevered inboard coil-over shocks. One-off 18- and 20-inch wheels were machined by EVOD Industries and wrapped in Nitto tires.
Bucking the LS trend, Kerrigan’s roadster sports a twin-cam 4.6-liter Ford Cobra-R engine boosted by a ProCharger supercharger with eight-stack EFI by Imagine Injection. Custom valve covers dress it up, while one-off stainless headers feed fumes to the stainless exhaust. Power is transmitted through a five-speed Tremec transmission.
The two-place cockpit exhibits the same grace and elegance as the rest of the roadster, with two-tone tan Italian leather stitched by Alex Perze over custom seats by Sid’s Custom Upholstery, punctuated with pieces of stainless trim. The half-dome gauge cluster features a custom display from Classic Instruments, while a one-off steering wheel, and custom pedals and shifter finish things off.
Kerrigan is no stranger to high-profile custom vehicles and awards, but he and his wife Dawn were both visibly moved when the roadster was announced as the Street Rod d’Elegance winner. Congratulations go out to Kerrigan, builder Leonard Lopez and the team at Dominator, and everyone else who played a part in this “Timeless” custom roadster.
Photos by John Jackson, Damon Lee & Steven Bunker