1940 Hot Rod Coupe

The Story

Here we have a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing – A 1940 Business Coupe.

The Sheep: The “Business Coupe” was developed for traveling salespeople and other vendors carrying their wares with them. This model featured two-doors in contrast with four-doors on the Deluxe models. American manufacturers developed this style of a coupe in the late 1930s. The Business Coupe featured a pair of folding jump seats, also known as opera seats, behind the driver’s bench. Thus, this model is often called an “Opera Coupe” by Ford V8 enthusiasts.

The Wolf: Now, for the “Rest of the Story”. This was a favorite Hot Rod for Moonshine runners because they were inexpensive, there were many on the road and they came with a V8 straight out of the factory. This meant that these cars could blend in with typical cars and a large enough engine that they could be hopped up to give them speed to outrun the law.