Michael Ottavi's 1932 Ford

A photo of Michael's coupe taken a the 1968 Baltimore car show. "The paint was almost dry when I put it in the show in Baltimore," Michael told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in 2020. Photo courtesy of Michael Ottavi.

"The surfboard on top of the car is a longboard, useless on the East Coast of the US, but I tried unsuccessfully to convince the go-go girls I was a surfer hoping for a date..." Michael named the coupe "Lemonade," and you can see that he had the name painted on the deck lid of the coupe. Photo courtesy of Michael Ottavi.

In 2020 Michael's collection of hot rods included a 1940s lakes modified, a 1929 Ford Model A highboy done in a 1950 style, and a 1932 Ford 5-Window coupe done in a 1960s style. After living in New York City and retiring, he was living in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York. "The perfect place to drive my cars in traffic-free country roads," he told Kustomrama. Photo courtesy of Michael Ottavi.

1932 Ford 5-Window Coupe owned by Michael Ottavi of Baltimore, Maryland. Michael has been a hot rodder since he was a kid in the 1950s, and he traded for the '32 in a half-finished state with the Olds engine already in it. "It had a 3-speed Chevy trans and rear," Michael told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in 2020. Michael couldn't remember the name of the guy he bought it from, but he does remember that the next time he saw him after the sale he had bought a brand new 409 Chevy with the first set of M/T mags in their neighborhood. "He stopped in front of me and proceeded to do a burnout for many feet!"

When life gives you lemons...

"I was drafted into the Army before I finished it." After surviving Vietnam, Michael got the build finished as soon as he got home in 1968. "The paint was almost dry when I put it in the show in Baltimore." Shown as "Lemonade," Michael's coupe was running a 1956 Oldsmobile 324 engine that had been hopped up with a Isky cam kit, three 2-port carburetors on a Weiand intake, and a Mallory ignition. The engine was hooked to a 1957 Chevrolet transmission and rear end. The body was channeled 12 inches, and the frame was Z'ed 8 inches. It ran a 3 1/2" dropped front end and a 1956 Ford truck steering. The rear fenders were bobbed, while the front fenders were replaced with motorcycle type fenders. It was dressed up with chromed and reversed wheels and custom made nerf bars. Michael ran Blackwall tires for a more sporty look.

A great time to be a hot rodder!

Inside, it featured bucket seats from a Renault, and it was upholstered in black rolled and pleated Naugahyde. The interior was dressed up with Stewart-Warner gauges and a Hurst floor shifter. According to Michael, it was a great time to be a hot rodder in Baltimore back in the 1960s. "Street racing everywhere with the addition of muscle cars and ones like my coupe." In 2020 Michael couldn't remember where the coupe went, but he believes he sold it to put a 1939 Ford coupe together with a more horsepower small block 327" Chevy.