1927 Ford “Double-Trouble”
Owner: Gordon Tronson
Two engines, four blowers, and a custom-made chassis built by a madman Kiwi in Henderson, NV. Owner Gordon Tronson is not an engineer or designer. Instead he’s a telecom guy who just so happens to have grown up in New Zealand. A member of the Marineland Street Rod and Kustom Klub when in NZ, Gordon had built everything from drag bikes and choppers to hot-rods and jet boats. And simply put, he’s a master at it.
The idea for Double Trouble – the given name of this beast – came to Gordon after a trip to Viva Las Vegas, a rat rod convention in his home state. ‘I wanted something different, something no one else has got. So that’s when I got the idea to build a car with two engines.’ And as Gordon explained, the idea of building a car in that configuration was nothing new.
‘In the 50s and 60s they did it a lot. So I reckoned if they could do it, so could I. Some people did inline twin-engines, but that makes the wheelbase too long and the car is not proportional. So driving it is not great.’
Propulsion comes from a pair of 4.6-liter all-aluminum Ford V8 engines fitted with four (yes, four) B&M blowers, through a custom belt-drive into one three-speed Ford C5 automatic transmission. Crazy right? Gordon gutted the entire electrical system and retrofitted one from a 1939 Ford Flathead, complete with magneto and pickup distributors – you know, to keep it period correct…
Mileage is estimated at around 5mpg in total with a horsepower rating of around 1,200bhp. Putting your foot to the floor would require a change of shorts and preferably a runway, however driving it around town and on the highway is nothing short of sublime. Oh, and if you want to purchase it be sure you are going to have to shell out A LOT of money – like all of it, because Gordon has no plans to sell.
Not one to rest, Gordon has also just completed a four engine Harley-Davidson and a 1967 Ford Econoline pickup truck with four engines and of course, four big ‘ole blowers.
We love this guy. Expect to see more of him here at The House of Muscle soon.
INTERIOR:
- Custom Fabricated
GAUGES:
Dolphin Gauges in custom turned stainless steel gauge panel
DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES:
0-60: Sub-4 second / traction limited
Top Speed: Unknown
Horsepower: Est. 1,200
Mileage: 5 City / 8 Hwy
BRAKES:
- Front: Disc brakes/spindles: 90s Corvette
- Jaguar rear with inboard disc brakes
- Under floor brake and booster
MODEL:
1927 Ford Model T: “Double-Trouble”
ENGINE:
Current Bore: Twin Ford 4.6L modular V8s
Compression: 9.1
Intake Manifold: Custom made
Blowers: 4 B&M Teflon Superchargers
Carburetor: Holley Blower 4150 Double Pumper
Climate Control: The great outdoors
Exhaust: Custom
TRANSMISSION:
Type: Ford C5
SUSPENSION:
- Independent front suspension: Unequal A-arms w/ coil-over shocks
- Rear: Jaguar rear