Determining when a hot rod was built is usually fairly easy. After all, different styles of builds signify different eras and ultimately put a decade date stamp on every project vehicle. But for some cars, like this fine piece of American metal, it’s not that simple. Check out why, thanks to all the nitty gritty details on this ’33 Ford below!

UK Built, But American Bound

Owned by UK-born David Bennett, this 1933 Ford 5-window coupe is the epitome of a killer build. Not only was it recently built in a more traditional 1960s style, it was also put together and enjoyed for years overseas. That has meant quite the journey for this little hot rod, which now finds its home in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Bennett first took his turn into the hot rod world when he was about 16 years old, having fallen in love with the hot rods that graced the covers of various issues of Hot Rod Magazine that he found at his local newsstand. By age 17, Bennett owned his first hot rod–a ’32 Ford roadster, which he told us he drove on a daily basis “come rain, shine, or snow, and no roof.”

From there, Bennett’s affinity for classic vehicles exploded, resulting in a series of builds that most automotive enthusiasts could only dream of. Along with the ’32 roadster he had as a teen, Bennett has built everything from a ’29 Ford coupe and a ’33 Ford pickup to a ’59 Lincoln, a Ford Anglia (a subcompact car produced by Ford of Britain between 1939 and 1967. It was proceeded by the UK Ford Escort and then the Focus), and even a Ford Zodiac, which Bennett explained was a UK version of the classic 1950s Mainline produced by Ford here in the States.

One of Bennett’s latest projects was the ’33 you see here.

Originally rodded out in 1962 by a previous owner, the ’33 sat in storage for decades prior to Bennett purchasing it due to a spun main bearing in the car’s rebuilt engine.

Always on the lookout for various project vehicles, Bennett found the ’33 in 2005 listed on eBay and promptly had it shipped over to the UK for his build efforts to start.

After years of rebuilding the hot rod in a one-car garage, impressively where the paint was also laid on the vehicle, Bennett debuted the car to the hot rod world in September of 2009 and has enjoyed it ever since. He’s enjoyed the car so much, in fact, that in 2011 when Bennett moved to the United States for work, the ’33 coupe came with him and it’s been a staple in the Colorado hot rod scene since.

First Impressions

We first came across Bennett’s ’33 coupe at the Loveland Hot Rods and Hawgs event back in May. A rare traditionally-built rod among the dozens of other rides on the show grounds, we knew we had to find out more about this incredible ride!

Known as “Cad the Impaler,” a sentiment to the hot rod’s Cadillac engine and uncanny ability to impale anyone working on the vehicle with its nerf bars and exhaust tips, the ’33 brings new meaning to a traditional build.

Wanting to retain much of the rod’s classic looks and stance, Bennett opted to rebuild the coupe with many of its 1960s design cues, from the real Glowble Metalflake in the paint (Bennett’s favorite part of the hot rod) to the purposely distressed chrome.

The body of the coupe has been channeled six inches flat from front to rear while the car’s firewall features a sectioned design created by cutting the metal into 12 different pieces, shortening them vertically and horizontally between the strengthening ribs and then putting them back together for an “original” look.

Cad features over-the-top body work, done by David Haskell, a paint scheme of Fiat-sourced maroon, which was found randomly floating around Haskell’s  garage, and true Glowble Metalflake was laid, topped off with 11 coats of lacquer.

To finish off the hot rod’s distinct look, Ed Wimble added just the right amount of pinstriping, while distressed chrome pieces, which Bennett paid extra to have plated imperfectly to give his ride the look of an older build, added the final touch.

Inside the rod, you’ll find a similarly unique setup crafted by Neil Tadman, which features narrowed bucket seats out of a 1969 Camaro, a narrowed 1949 Pontiac dash, and standard 1949 Pontiac gauges. Most of the interior features a sleek white color scheme adorned with tuck-and-roll styling on the door panels, seats, and headliner, while the dash is sprayed in body-color paint.

Additional custom work in the interior includes a chromed Pontiac heater, chrome window garnish moldings, and moniker “Cad the Impaler” scripted on the dash.

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What We All Want to Know

While this hot rod’s unique look stems from its modified body and distinct color scheme, it’s completed with all the exposed performance components, from the I-beam front suspension to the built Cadillac engine.

Under the ’33, you’ll find a boxed frame with a bobbed rear end attached to a chrome dropped I-beam, reversed ’40 Ford split wishbone front suspension, and a Ford 8-inch rearend out of a Ranchero. Handmade stainless ladder bars and stainless sway bars, as well as chrome shocks from Pete & Jake’s Hot Rod Parts add to the car’s give and take on the road while a Vega steering box keeps the car in line.

Putting rubber to the pavement are either a set of chrome reverse steel wheels wrapped in Coker blackwalls in the front and pie crust slicks in the rear, or chrome Astro Supreme wheels wrapped in Coker whitewalls. Stopping power for the rod comes in the form of custom Buick finned brakes in the front and chrome Ford brakes in the rear.

As mentioned before, powering the beast is a 1954 Cadillac engine. It has been bored over .060-inch over and equipped with an Isky Racing camshaft, custom pushrods, NOS studebaker rockers, Edelbrock Tri-Power intake manifold, and triple Ford 94 carburetors. Spent fuel from this powerful setup is then sent onward and outward through chromed standard Cadillac manifolds and a stainless exhaust system built by Bennett. Machine work was done by Area Machine Denver.

The Cadi-based power plant is attached to a Tremec TKO four-speed manual transmission by way of a NOS Schiefer aluminum flywheel and is controlled by a classic Hurst shifter.

A chrome (see a pattern here?) driveshaft then drives the engine’s power to the Ford 8-inch rearend and down to the rear wheels.

Here And Now

An incredible build resulting from amazing talent and an incredible journey, Cad the Impaler is the perfect combination of modern hot rod culture and classic hot rod styling. Because of this, it’s won several awards worldwide, including one for being a UK-based NSRA Top Ten pick, one for being a Finnish Street Rod Association Top Ten pick, and a class award at the 2013 Grand National Roadster Show.

Similarly rewarding are the countless compliments Bennett gets on the hot rod everywhere he goes.

Though Bennett loves the ’33 the way it is, he’d probably add a 4/71 blower to the build if he had to do it all over again. Either way, we know that Bennett’s girlfriend would certainly support Bennett and his car, which she does on the home front as well as at car shows.

Not surprisingly, Bennett named her as his primary build sponsor!

Thanks goes out to Bennett for sharing his amazing ride with us and for inspiring a whole new generation of rodders to look to the old days for build inspiration!

For more photos of Bennett’s stellar ’33, be sure to check out the Rod Authority Mega Gallery after the jump!