The World's Most Iconic 1932 Ford Hot Rod Is Up For Sale This Month - The Drive

Then you have rare cases where something becomes an icon an entire community—cars like the 1932 Ford Model A that become the standard image conjured up when we hear the phrase "hot rod." But every trend has an origin, and the flame-sided 1932 Ford McMullen Roadster is the one that started it all.

Tom McMullen originally purchased the car in 1958 with a 283 cubic inch V8 that he immediately swapped with a bored 352ci Chevy V8 with a six-barrel carburetor set up.

In 1963, the cover of Hot Rod magazine featured a photo of this chopped, dropped, 1932 Ford roadster with flames on the side, souped V8, and aluminum fuel tank up front created a Marilyn Monroe in a white dress moment in automotive history.

The McMullen Roadster went through a complete restoration in the early 2000s back to its 1963 condition.

The McMullen Roadster will be for sale at Mecum Indy 2020 next weekend starting July 10th.

That means the McMullen will not be rolling across the auction block; last year, it failed to meet reserve at Mecum Kissimmee 2019 with a high bid of $700,000?