The Hoonigan team like to go fast and like to show off some wild cars. Mostly this is via their This vs That drag racing series. But they also like to showcase some amazing cars in their Build Breakdown show at the Hoonigan headquarters. And this car is a real gem. It belongs to Curtis, and it is a vintage Ford “executive” coupe from 1949, and it now has a BMW engine under the hood, and while it looks old, it doesn’t think it is when it’s unleashed.
Getting To Know The Diesel Powered Ford
It might be a 1949 Ford on the outside, but it is anything but that underneath. What now sits under the hood of this car is a bi-turbo, 3.0-liter diesel BMW engine. To be specific, it is the heart and soul of a 335d BMW from 2011 resting underneath the hood of this car. The original purpose of this car was as a bit of a businessman’s car from Ford, with a lot of them made, but not for the average family. Curtis effectively combined this Ford and daily driving BMW into one car.
A Very Different Coupe From Factory Ford
All the measurements Curtis took for the two cars were close. Very close. All within a quarter of an inch, which is quite remarkable. The major changes are the 1951 Plymouth over fenders at the back of the car, but essentially, it still looks like a 1949 Ford on the outside.
Not on the inside though, with pretty much a BMW interior, complete with air conditioning, radio, heated seats and more. It is quite bizarre to see that interior, inside this car. And Curtis actually daily drives this car.
Driving Just Like A Beamer
Zac from Hoonigan sits inside the car and gets to experience the air conditioning working. As he sits and cools down, Curtis explains that the car drives just like a Beamer would, and again, with that 1949 Ford body. And there is 600 lb-ft at the rear wheels of this car. There is a Stage 3 Malone Tune on the car too, and various other mods to really pep up the diesel.
Curtis averages 35 mph, which, amazingly, is better than when the engine was in the BMW. Hoonigan’s own Micah gets behind the wheel to give us some pretty epic burnouts in the car.
Source: Hoonigan YouTube Channel