THE FRENCH CONNECTION: A Coddington handmade V12 HEMI-powered custom
February 10, 2016
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
Underneath the sleek body of “The French Connection” is an extraordinary Italian-made V12 HEMI engine. Boyd Coddington’s last build crossed the block at the 45th Anniversary Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction in January.
You might just say “The French Connection” is a feast for all the senses. You hear it when the throaty rumble of the extraordinary Italian-made V12 HEMI engine fires up, sounding somewhat like a World War II fighter jet. If you dared to touch the sleek body, you’d feel the flawless, smooth metalwork and the bumps of the exquisite leather upholstery, made from 15 full ostrich skins and two full cow hides. The real feast, however, is for your eyes, as you gaze upon its voluptuous bodywork, painstakingly hammered into perfection over thousands of hours by the talented Marcel Delay and his sons.
This remarkable custom car was the last build of the legendary Boyd Coddington, and it is evident he and his talented team pulled out all the stops for this one. Undoubtedly Figoni et Falaschi-inspired, the Marcel & Sons custom hand-formed aluminum and steel body rides on a custom one-off Art Morrison chassis. Boyd was not a fan of handles; it is said he once even shaved off the handles of a Mercedes he leased and repainted the car. Thus you’ll see no handles on The French Connection’s doors – and interestingly there are also no handles on the matching ostrich-leather luggage tucked into the trunk. Coincidence? We think not.
The car was literally built around that extraordinary V12 HEMI, and the mechanics of the car are as remarkable as the rest. Case in point: a custom-built Turbo 400 transmission and a hand-fabricated fuel-injection system with 12 Weber carbs turned into throttle bodies for easy starting and idling.
Boyd’s son, Boyd Coddington Jr., recently wrote about The French Connection:
Mechanical engineer Emile Delahaye started his company DELAHAYE GFA in 1879 in Tours, France. Soon he began making 4-stroke internal combustion engines. By 1894, he had built his first car, surprisingly when he was 51 years old.
Born almost a century after Delahaye, my dad, Boyd Coddington, was exploring similar passions, but unlike Delahaye, he was allowed more time to express his gift of vision in search of the perfect hot rod. With his passing, my dad left deep and lasting impressions on many generations who know of his work. We hope, through this type of documentation, that future generations will come to know and appreciate his work as well.
“The French Connection” was the last fully formed metal body hot rod to roll out of Boyd Coddington’s Garage. This project was built for longtime customer and family friend Rocky Walker. The inspiration behind this creation started several years before, when we constructed the 1939 Lincoln Zephyr, known as both the “Led Zephyr” and “Lead Zephyr.” The Led Zephyr was the start of the next chapter of hot rods my dad wanted to build. I remember a conversation we had where he said, “Junior, I’m tired of looking at the same old thing – it’s time to take this to the next level.” What he meant by the “next level” was the larger or full-fender cars. With that, the renderings started to fly. Between Todd Emmons, Eric Brockmeyer and Chris Ito, we had them drawing everything from Packards to Auburns.
Through those renderings came the all-steel and hand-fabricated 1936 Delahaye or what came to be known as the “WhattheHaye.” It was based on the French-designed Delahaye of the 1930s. “The French Connection” was patterned after a few of the pre- and postwar Delahayes, principally the 1939 Type 165 and the 1949 Type 175S. For their time, these cars were dramatic extrapolations of the full-fender look. In the car we constructed, we felt that we captured the essence of what Mr. Delahaye’s designers were trying to accomplish – and we added touches from the 21st century.
My dad set a standard for his workmanship, creativity and thinking from which he never deviated. He strived to personalize each hot rod to be different without being odd. The flawless metalwork, paint and wheels were always a given. When he saw a line in the body that didn’t suit his overall vision, there was no hesitation, and that line was changed. “The French Connection” reflects the awesome standards and the creative thinking of my dad.
Virtually impossible to duplicate, this car isn’t something you see every day. “The French Connection” was one of the superstars that crossed the block at the Barrett-Jackson’s 45th Anniversary Scottsdale Auction in January.
For the sale price of this vehicle, click HERE.
Go “behind the scenes” with Auto Revolution and find out how this very special car came to be, through the eyes of Boyd Coddington’s son Chris and others:
The French Connection’s Italian-made 781ci HEMI V12.
THE ULTIMATE HOT ROD ENGINE? The French Connection has an Italian heartbeat with its 781ci HEMI V12
In a world where twin turbochargers, quad-cams, nitrous-injected big blocks and Roots-supercharged Top Fuel refugees are easily available to the custom car builder, it takes something really special to make a statement when the hood goes up. That something is the 12.8-liter BPM V12 HEMI aboard The French Connection. This Italian-born monster’s 781ci absolutely towers above any 383, 426, 502, 572 or even 632 V8 crate engine. So do its estimated 850hp and mountain-flattening 1,000 ft/lbs of torque.
Initially manufactured by BPM (Botta Puricelli Milano), a leading Italian maker of gasoline-fueled marine engines since 1932, American hot-rodder William Rocky Walker adapted one of the firm’s V12 offshore boat racing engines for road use. With its lightweight all-aluminum block and head construction, narrow 60-degree block angle and classical double-rocker shaft HEMI head layout, it’s a wonder more hot-rodders haven’t discovered these Italian powerhouses.
Dry-land conversion entailed cooling system modifications and gutting the exotic (but temperamental) Weber carburetors for compatibility with a modern Electromotive EFI system. Unlike a finicky, high-strung racing engine, the big 12 idles calmly at the curb, burning nothing more exotic than premium pump gas. But when traffic moves, one thousand foot-pounds of torque stand ready. Rocky says, “I have a 3,200-pound ’67 Camaro with an 800hp 572 big-block V8. Even with 850 ft/lbs of torque, The French Connection makes it seem mild. The V12 simply rotates the earth beneath it.”
This particular engine in The French Connection’s V12 HEMI is as rare as it is powerful. It’s said to be one of 25 12.8-liter engines built to accommodate a 13-liter displacement limit set by a European offshore boat racing league. Shortly thereafter, the 13-liter rule was reduced down to 12 liters. Only 20 of the 25 12-liter engines made it into the hands of end users, with the remaining five used as development mules.
It is said the magical sounds left in the wake of a V12 Ferrari are the product of Enzo’s use of a 60-degree cylinder bank angle and specific firing order. The same holds true of the BPM, but on a triple-size scale. You still get the elegant shriek of a thoroughbred, but with its massive 12.8 liters of cylinder displacement, the high notes melt together with the deep thunder of a big displacement V8. It’s magic to hear, magic to see, magic to ride and undoubtedly magic to its new owner.
– Written by independent automotive journalist Steve Magnante
