This is the one and only 1936 Ford Custom built by Boyd Coddington on the T.V series American Hot Rod for Bud Light. Boyd Coddington (August 28, 1944 – February 27, 2008)  was an American hot rod designer, the owner of the Boyd Coddington Hot Rod Shop, and star of American Hot Rod on TLC. Featured in episodes 26-28 in Season 2 of the show, this car’s story begins in St. Louis, Missouri with a visit to the Anheuser-Busch headquarters.

(Watch episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOCuLGJcdWg, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxVYlId8vjI)

Concept drawings were shown to Bud Light customer focus groups who chose this roadsters design as their favorite. Using a 1936 Ford Coupe as the basis, the original car was extensively and carefully modified into its current configuration. The entire process took place onsite at Coddington’s garage for national television from April 1 – 15, 2005. Since the completion of this build, this Hot Rod has been driven a mere 715 miles.

The body of this car is all steel, while the entire undercarriage is polished metal and chrome. The “media-blasted” steel shell was fastened to a chassis jig and its coupe body was transformed with bracing and hand-formed custom sheet metal into a 1936 Ford Roadster. The Candy Blue paint is a custom Dupont color, with six stages and topped with a hand-painted and pinstriped Bud Light graphic swoosh. 16 years later, the paint still, for the most part, shines with lots of depth and luster.  As is evident in the photo gallery, there are several areas where cracking has occurred in the paint and body prep.

Mechanically, this Hot Rod is powered by a built and balanced M&R Engine 383 CI small-block Chevrolet V-8 coupled to a GM 700R4 4-speed automatic transmission. Tube headers, dual exhaust and an Edelbrock intake manifold with a 4-barrel carburetor produce 450 HP. The Bud Light Roadster has custom 15-inch front and 17-inch rear Boyd Coddington alloy wheels with titanium-anodized centers and staggered Goodyear radial tires. This Hot Rod also has a signature Boyd Coddington coilover front and rear independent suspension. It features a Corvette center section that channels throttle input to the rear wheels down to the ground, while the 4-wheel disc brakes ensure this beast can be tamed.

Our test drive of this car proved to be an “exciting” experience to say the least! The power, sound, and open air driving experience is intoxicating. During our inspection of this car, we did not find any mechanical faults other than an inoperable speedometer (the odometer does still work).

Moving to the interior, the ultra minimal dash, bright red leather, and “Bud Light” branded white gauges complete the look. In fact, this interior is completely custom designed and built by Gabe Lopez. With such a minimal design, there is not much to report other than a very, very small scratch in the cushion of the driver’s seat. For those who were curious, the doors are opened and closed by an electronic button placed on the underside of the dashboard (note the little orange buttons in the photos).

Overall, our impressions are that this is a well persevered, very well built custom with a unique story and some stardom. The cracks in the paint are not noticeable until one looks very closely, nonetheless they are they are a testament to this car’s age. However, in our opinion, a repaint at this time is not worth the effort. Beyond those imperfections, this Bud Light Roadster should quench the thirst of anyone looking for a one of a kind Hot Rod with important provenance.

For more details, please call, email or text Harry Clark at +1.602.245.7200 or sales@classicpromenade.com. This Hot Rod is available for inspection at our Phoenix, AZ showroom.