Wayne Knudsen's 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe

Wayne's Coupe up on jack stands during the build. The photo was taken at Maedel's shop in Toledo, and it is belived to be from late 1955. The chopped top and molded rear fenders are clearly visible. Photo from The Doug Knudsen Collection.

A front view of Wayne's Coupe at Maedel's shop showing the chopped top, the Olds engine with its Edmunds dual two-barrel carburetor manifold, and the extent of the channeling. Photo from The Doug Knudsen Collection.

Photo from The Doug Knudsen Collection.

A custom car under construction at Maedel's shop. The car was being built at the same time as Wayne's Coupe, and by looking at Wayne's notes at the back of the photo, it looks like it could have been owned by Warren Bookman and Gordon Nunamaker. Photo from The Doug Knudsen Collection.

Wayne's Coupe taking shape at Maedel's shop. The channeled body sits on a rolling chassis, painted in black primer, with the Olds engine in place and the seats being built. This photo is believed to be from spring of 1956. Photo from The Doug Knudsen Collection.

Photo from The Doug Knudsen Collection.

Another view of Wayne's Coupe during the build. The door is open, showing the interior taking shape, with leadwork visible on the roof. Photo from The Doug Knudsen Collection.

Wayne's Coupe during assembly in May of 1956. The hood and fenders are off, showing the Olds engine with the Edmunds dual two-barrel manifold. Photo from The Doug Knudsen Collection.

Photo from The Doug Knudsen Collection.

A construction photo showing the rear nerf bar. Photo from The Doug Knudsen Collection.

A color photo of Wayne's Coupe parked in a driveway during the final stages of assembly. The chopped and channeled coupe is wearing its finished paint and a custom nerf bar up front. The windshield has not yet been installed. Photo from The Doug Knudsen Collection.

Rear three-quarter view of Wayne's Coupe in the driveway of what is believed to be the Knudsen home in Toledo, Ohio. The molded rear fenders, chopped top with white insert, and whitewalls give the coupe a clean, finished look. Photo from The Doug Knudsen Collection.

Photo from The Doug Knudsen Collection.

Photo from The Doug Knudsen Collection.

A photo of Wayne's coupe taken at the first Toledo Auto Rama at Toledo's Civic Auditorium in 1957. Wayne advertised the car for sale at the show, and the small sign on the cowl stated that the bodywork was done by Maedel's. "Ted Maedel was one of the first to open a speed shop after the war, and his opened around 1946 in Toledo and ended up on LaGrange Street," Mark Mazur told Sondre Kvipt in November of 2023. "Ted also did bodywork at the shop, as evidenced by the placard on the car." Photo from The Mark Mazur Collection.

A color photo of the Coupe on display at the first Toledo Auto Rama. Photo from The Doug Knudsen Collection.

The door open on Wayne's Coupe at the first Toledo Auto Rama in 1957, showing off the unique custom upholstery. Photo from The Doug Knudsen Collection.

Photo from The Doug Knudsen Collection.

Another photo of the coupe taken at the Toledo's Civic Auditorium. Mark Mazur believes this photo was taken at the second Toledo Auto Rama in 1958, just before it was purchased by Warren Bookman. Photo from The Mark Mazur Collection.

A photo of Wayne's Coupe that Jim Semon took at the 1959 Toledo Auto Rama. The photo appeared in the book Scrapbook - From the Editors of The Rodder's Journal, and according to the caption, Knudsen was a member of the Cluster Busters of Toledo car club. Photo by Jim Semon, provided by Dean Micetich - Dice Magazine.

A photo of Warren Bookman with the coupe. Bookman was the organizer of the Toledo Auto Rama, and in this photo, the car is used as a rolling advertisement for the 1964 show. Photo from The Mark Mazur Collection.

The poster for the 1964 Toledo Auto Rama. According to Mark Mazur, Warren used a caricature of the car on all of his show correspondences and programs. Photo from The Mark Mazur Collection.

Warren also used a caricature of his coupe on his business cards. Photo from The Mark Mazur Collection.

Warren's President jacket from the Northwest Ohio Timing Association. The association existed from 1957 through around 1963, sponsoring car shows and drag races in the greater Toledo arear during that time frame. Photo from The Mark Mazur Collection.

Over the years, the car's prominence waned, and it faded from public view. In 1972, it was put to rest and parked. Charlotte, North Carolina, car hunter Billy Coates brought the old hot rod out of hibernation in 1997. This photo shows the car as it appeared back then. Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Coates purchased the car from Gary Mohr of Swanton, Ohio. He paid $550 for the old hot rod. According to The Cobra in the Barn by Tom Cotter, Mohr had purchased the car in 1971. All four wheels on the car were frozen, so Coates needed to use the winch when he loaded it onto his trailer. Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

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Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

A photo of the coupe taken after Billy stripped the paint. Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Notice the old axle, the insplit wishbone and the leaded in grille insert. Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

In 2023, Dean Micetich of Dice Magazine discovered the car in a garage a mere 15 minutes from his residence. Dean first saw the hot rod in Cotter's book. Recognizing its historical value, he acquired the historic hot rod in September of that year. Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

A photo of Dean with the coupe taken the day he finally came to pick it up. He plans to gather parts and get it back to the 1950s configuration. Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

The lettering on the door is still visible. Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

After acquiring the legendary Coupe, Dean committed to bringing it back to its 1950s glory. For this task, he turned to the Kennedy Brothers in Pomona, a choice driven by their expertise in traditional hot rods and their deep-rooted history in the hot rod culture. Joe and Jay Kennedy, operating from their discreetly located workshop known as The Kennedy Brothers Bomb Factory, were the ideal custodians for the project. In March of 2024, Joe and Jay began stripping the car. Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

A photo of the Wayne Knudsen Coupe taken at The Kennedy Brothers Bomb Factory in Pomona in November of 2025. After decades in hiding, the legendary Toledo-built deuce is being carefully brought back to life. According to Dean, "it will run in primer initially and then paint it next year. The frame is already painted Titian Red, and all the running gear is painted and chromed!" Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Another photo taken in November of 2025. Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Dice Magazine.

#DicEtv - BARN FIND HOT ROD 1932 FORD Follow Dean as he goes to pick up his barnfind.

Lost and Found - 1932 Ford

1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe owned by Cluster Busters of Toledo member Wayne Knudsen of Toledo, Ohio. The chopped and channeled coupe was built by Knudsen in the mid-1950s at Maedel's speed shop on LaGrange Street in Toledo. Photos from The Doug Knudsen Collection suggest the car went through more than one configuration during the build. Before the top was chopped, the coupe appeared to have been a complete, running and driving hot rod, heavily channeled, with molded fenders and painted white. Photos of the car in white are believed to date from late 1955. By spring of 1956, the car was in black primer with the chop underway. A construction photo from The Doug Knudsen Collection dated May 1956 showed the car still under assembly without hood or fenders, confirming the build was underway by at least early 1956. Color photos of the freshly painted car without a windshield, parked in the driveway of what is believed to be the Knudsen family home in Toledo, are also believed to be from May of 1956.

Its design and craftsmanship made it stand out, turning it into a local legend. According to later owner Dean Micetich, "The chop and leadwork is incredible. Definitely not a backyard build," he told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in September of 2023.

A photo of the coupe taken at the first Toledo Auto Rama at Toledo's Civic Auditorium in 1957 revealed a small sign on the cowl that stated that the bodywork was done by Maedel's. "Ted Maedel was one of the first to open a speed shop after the war, and his opened around 1946 in Toledo and ended up on LaGrange Street," Mark Mazur told Sondre Kvipt in November of 2023. "Ted also did bodywork at the shop, as evidenced by the placard on the car." In 2026, Johnny Koller was able to confirm that the chop was performed at Maedel's shop, after comparing the house visible through the window in one of the construction photos to the location where Maedel's shop once stood.

According to Wayne's son Doug Knudsen, who was tracked down by Micetich and Koller in 2026, the coupe was Wayne's only hot rod. After building the coupe, Wayne joined the Air Force. Doug shared several vintage photos of his father with the car. Doug was shocked to learn that Dean had found and restored his father's car.

Ownership by Warren Bookman

The Coupe was later acquired by Warren Bookman, the organizer of the Toledo Auto Rama. Under Bookman's ownership, the car was prominently showcased at the Auto Rama, drawing significant attention and acclaim from attendees and automobile enthusiasts.

Rediscovered by Billy Coates

Over the years, the car's prominence waned, and it faded from public view. In 1972, it was put to rest and parked. Its legend was kept alive in automobile enthusiast circles, and in 2010, it was notably featured with a photo in the book The Cobra in the Barn by Tom Cotter. Back then, it was owned by professional car hunter Billy Coates of Charlotte, North Carolina. Coates purchased the car from Gary Mohr of Swanton, Ohio in 1997. He paid $550 for the old hot rod. According to Cotter's book, Mohr had purchased the car in 1971. All four wheels on the car were frozen, so Coates needed to use the winch when he loaded it onto his trailer. Coates told Cotter that the body was perfect, "with no rust anywhere. The window regulators still worked perfectly and all the wood in the body was original and perfect." Powered by an Olds engine, it had been hopped-up with an Edmunds dual two-barrel carburetor manifold and a Mallory ignition. The exhaust headers seemed to be homemade. It ran a 1939 Ford gearbox and a 1932 Ford rear axle.

Coates told Cotter that he had a dilemma knowing what to do with the car. He liked to drive his hot rods, so he started modernizing it, installing a TCI dropped front axle with disc brakes. Coates also installed a Lincoln Zephyr three-speed gearbox, a 1940 Ford column shift, heat, air-conditioning, and power seats. Future plans included a 1950s-styled rolled and pleated interior and a Budweiser Red paint job. Unfortunately, Billy passed away in 2011, before he was able to complete the rebuild.

Dean Micetich Becomes its Caretaker

In 2023, Dean Micetich of Dice Magazine discovered the car in a garage a mere 15 minutes from his residence in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dean first saw the hot rod in Cotter's book. Recognizing its historical value, he acquired the historic hot rod from Billy's widow in September of that year.

The Restoration

After acquiring the legendary Coupe, Dean committed to bringing it back to its 1950s glory. For this task, he turned to the Kennedy Brothers in Pomona, a choice driven by their expertise in traditional hot rods and their deep-rooted history in the hot rod culture. Joe and Jay Kennedy, operating from their discreetly located workshop known as The Kennedy Brothers Bomb Factory, were the ideal custodians for the project. Despite their workshop's low profile, nestled behind plain fencing in a humble area of Pomona, their reputation among enthusiasts is monumental. Early in April of 2024, the coupe had been stripped, and the restoration had started.

Johnny Koller

Early in 2026, Dean Micetich sold the coupe to Johnny Koller. Koller had been helping Dean track down the history of the car for a couple of months and ended up falling in love with both the car and its story in the process. Koller continued researching the coupe's history after acquiring it, and was able to confirm that the chop was performed at Maedel's by comparing the house visible through the window in one of the construction photos to the location where Maedel's shop once stood. He also identified what he believed to be an earlier, unchopped version of the car, painted white. According to Koller, "I suspect the photos of it in white are late 1955 and when it was in black primer was spring 1956. The freshly painted car in front of Knudsen's family home without the windshield in color are from May of 1956." Koller suspected there was even more history to uncover, and was actively searching for photos of the car in its earlier, unchopped configuration.

Magazine Features and Appearances

Rods Illustrated August 1959