Brothers Pride | Bill Jagenow's 1927 Ford Model T Roadster Hot Rod

Words Craig Metros Photography & Videography Luke Ray

This article first appeared in Fuel Magazine issue 26.

Bill Jagenow is no stranger to FUEL magazine. We first featured him and his Brothers Custom Automotive shop in issue 17. You may have seen a video of Bill on the Fuel Tank YouTube page where we caught up with him at his shop just north of Detroit working on his stunning ’27 Ford Model ’T’ roadster. In that short video, you’ll see some great footage of Bill cruising around the Detroit area in his roadster.

Since I wrote that first feature, Bill and I have become good friends. He is always helping me keep my old cars on the road and looking good. Bill was even more helpful when I wanted to race my ’31 Model A coupe on the New Jersey shoreline in Wildwood at the 2015 Race of Gentlemen event. Not only did he tune my coupe for that race, but he also offered up his trailer and helped tow my car there and back. In fact, that trip and experience probably would not have happened if it wasn’t for Bill.

After returning from the 2015 TROG in September, I would periodically stop in at Brothers to see Bill working diligently on his roadster, preparing it for the 2016 Detroit Autorama coming up in March of that year. The car was coming together quickly and smoothly since Bill has assembled and disassembled it a few times over the nineteen years he has owned the car. This also wasn't the first time Bill was finishing the car to show at Autorama. You can say Bill and his roadster have had quite the journey that includes so many stories and memories, both good and bad.

I’ll begin the story of that journey with Bill building his roadster from the ground up in 1999 after spending years collecting original and period correct parts. His intention was to build a post-war era dry lakes roadster and he started with an original and slightly tattered ’27 Ford Model T roadster body and frame, both sprayed in a dull reddish-brown primer to prevent further rust. Power was from a 286 cubic inch Mercury Flathead that Bill completely rebuilt with Baron heads, a Sharp intake and 4 Stromberg 97s. Thanks to the channelled body, chopped windscreen and sectioned front ‘32 grille shell, the low slung stance and the overall proportion of Bill’s roadster made for a real head turner even in its rough-and-ready state.

Once Bill’s car was on the road with all the ‘fresh build’ issues worked out, he didn't hesitate to drive his roadster anywhere and in any weather condition. It's been raced, driven in rain and snow, through mud and taken out to the Bonneville Salt Flats twice. A few times for kicks and a few laughs, Bill has had as many people squeezed into the tiny ’T’ roadster bench seat as you can fit into a modern SUV. True story, I have seen the photos!

After driving the roadster for eleven years in its raw state and growing tired of people referring to it as a ‘rat rod’, Bill decided to take his build to the next level. He began the process of tearing down the roadster, refinishing every part and carefully reassembling it. Bill chose to do all of this just months before the 2013 Detroit Autorama where he intended to debut his newly refinished roadster. After several late nights and a few all-nighters, his car was ready for the show. The weathered primer and patina had been replaced with deep high gloss black paint and plenty of polished aluminium parts, transforming Bill’s T roadster into a beautiful showstopper. Complementing the proportions are Bill’s carefully chosen parts and details that seem to all have a story behind them.

Bill will tell you he loves routing fuel lines and it's clear when you see the four fuel lines running perfectly parallel with matching radii. Another component that Bill is very fond of is the beautiful bullet shaped Model 20 ‘Torpedo’ headlamps that were originally produced by the Edmund & Jones Manufacturing Co. right here in Detroit during the ‘20s and ‘30s. The polished cast aluminium steering wheel is out of a ‘50s era speedboat and compliments all the polished aluminium speed equipment on the motor. Looking beyond all those polished parts, you’ll notice the Mercury block is completely smooth. Bill spent hours grinding off all casting texture and surface imperfections. He then painted the cast iron block a deep burgundy to match the simple oxblood interior.

During the Autorama debut it was no surprise that Bill’s roadster took home several awards including ‘Best Hot Rod’ and ‘Best Engine’ trophies and the Street Rodder Magazine ‘Top 100 Hot Rods’ award. Street Rodder Magazine described Bill’s roadster as “a perfect post-war styled hot rod that has a balance of style and power.”

Though the car was now pristine, Bills intention was never to turn his roadster into a trailered show pony. He continued to drive it as much as he had when it was still in primer. Toward the end of summer in 2013, Bill and his girlfriend Autumn were leaving a hot rod gathering in the roadster when they were involved in a serious accident with another car. They were both thrown out of the car and endured serious injuries while the roadster was badly damaged. Thankfully, Bill and Autumn recovered and the roadster sat in the Brothers shop under a tarp for the next two years.

This brings us back to the end of 2015 when I experienced Bill rebuilding his roadster and bringing it back to the 2016 Detroit Autorama. During a cold and snowy set-up night before the official start of Autorama, it was great to see the T roadster rebuilt, back in commission and on the Cobo Hall floor once again. I think it was an even bigger moment for Bill when his 9-year-old son Liam steered the freshly rebuilt roadster onto the Brothers Custom Automotive stand and into position. The roadster was back to its previous stunning looks and finish. And once again it collected more awards including ‘Best in Show’ award, the ‘Street Rodder Magazine/Lokar Driven’ award and the ‘Autorama Chairman Pick’ award.

This past summer, Bill’s T roadster was invited to the ‘Eyes on Design’ car show that’s held every year in the grounds of the exquisite Edsel and Eleanor Ford estate. ‘Eyes on Design’ is a Concours type show that focuses on automotive design over value and condition. Out of the handful of hot rods that were invited, Bill’s Roadster took home the blue ribbon.

Bill still loves driving his roadster. Although he chooses dry tarmac over snow and mud these days, he has been known to get caught in a downpour now and then. We wish Bill and his roadster another 19 years of fun and fond memories.  

Follow Bill: @brotherscustom.