Dan Minshew says he’s always liked hot rods since he was a little kid, crediting his brother-in-law’s influence as his initial boost into the hobby.  Dan says that his brother-in-law was into hot rods, starting in the ‘50s.  Dan was the youngest of his large family; but, by the time he was in high school, in the early ‘70s, he too had his own hot rods.

“I had the ’55 and ’57 Chevy’s in high school,” says Dan.  “But, it wasn’t until about 10 years ago that I bought my first real, nice hot rod: my 1932 Ford Sedan.”

Dan says he was at the Goodguys Del Mar show, back in ’98, when he laid eyes on the ’32 Ford.  He adds that it was the end of the day, and he saw it rolling in as he was heading out. But, the sight of that car was enough to make Dan turn around in his tracks.

“It was very cool,” he says.  “It was all-steel and everything Henry Ford.  And, it was a good deal. I was just so attracted to it.”

He bought the car and drove it 150 miles back home.  Dan says that one of his favorite memories associated with his ’32 Ford is that day he drove it home, getting tons of looks, as he cruised down the highway.  He adds that the car gets even more looks, now!

Over the course of nearly a decade, Dan and his brother-in-law worked together to turn the Ford into the beauty it is today.  They worked to change it into more of a ‘60s-style, nostalgic hot rod; among a laundry list of changes were the removal of the air-conditioning and power steering and the installation of a blown flathead motor.

In addition to working on the Ford, Dan also purchased other hot rods throughout the last decade.  His other collector cars include a 1937 Ford 2-Door, a rare 1938 Ford Coupe Convertible, a 1930 Ford Pick-Up and a 1953 Ford Pick-Up.  And, while all of his vehicles are high in value, all-steel and quite spectacular sights, Dan says that if he absolutely had to pick a favorite of the bunch, he’d say he is partial to his ’32 Ford.

And, he loves to bring the car out with him, he says. Dan estimates that he attends between 10-15 big car shows each year, like Orange County’s Cruising For A Cure and Great Labor Day Car Cruise, the Fall Colors show in Bishop, Calif. and the Goodguys Del Mar show.  He adds that he has plans of attending the Goodguys show in Pleasanton this year and has attended their Scottsdale event in the past.

In addition to the larger car shows that he visits, Dan says that he gets out to local cruise-ins every week. He says that, at times, he attends two to three a week!

Story by: Becky McLaughlin