Darryl Harvey's 1934 Ford

Darryl's roadster next to Darrol Finger's 1934 Ford 5-Window coupe at Riverside Dragway in Melbourne.

Darryl's old roadster at John's Picnic in 2004. When this photo was taken, David Green had just bought the car. Photo courtesy of www.the-rumbler.com.

Photo courtesy of www.the-rumbler.com.

The roadster at the 2005 Kustom Nats. Photo courtesy of ozrodders.com.

Darryl's old roadster as it sat in 2009. Photo courtesy of Jimmy Barter, from The HAMB.

Photo courtesy of Jimmy Barter, from The HAMB.

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1934 Ford roadster owned and built by Darryl Harvey of Melbourne, Australia. The body on Darryl's roadster was channeled 9 inches over the frame. The stock grille was replaced by a 1932 Ford grille. A handmade nerf bar and 1948 Vauxhall headlights were installed up front. Power came from a 1957 Ford Y-block engine that had been stroked to 292 cubic inches. Darryl installed the engine in 1957, and Darryl's roadster was apparently the first hot rod of Australi to have an OHV engine installed. The engine featured Finned valve covers and a three-carb manifold were made by Speco, an Australian speed equipment company. The headers were made by Darryl. The interior featured a 1940 Ford dashboard that was molded into the cowl. The dash was fit with Stewart Warner and Smith gauges. Darryl's roadster was painted Royal Maroon. He used to run a hood at the drags, and when the car was featured in Rod & Custom July 1963 he had turned 98.7 mph with a 14.2 e.t. According to David Green, who owned the car in 2012, Darryl's roadster was apparently the first car to break the 100 mph barrier at Packenham in 1958 when Darryl ran a flat 14 seconds at 101 mph.

In 2009, Darryl's old roadster was owned by David Green, and the car was well preserved.

Magazine Features

Rod & Custom July 1963