This No-Reserve Ford T-Bucket Hides a Stroked 275ci Flathead V8 and a Five-Speed SwapMotoriousJohnny PuckettThu, September 10, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleThis No-Reserve Ford T-Bucket Hides a Stroked 275ci Flathead V8 and a Five-Speed SwapA yellow fiberglass-bodied T-bucket built around a stroked Ford flathead V8 is currently up for grabs at no reserve, with bidding already past $35,000 and climbing. The roadster, titled as a 1927 Ford, is listed on Hagerty Marketplace, where fifteen bids have landed in the days leading up to the sale's close. It's a fitting home for the car, since the Model T that inspired this build is largely credited with putting everyday America behind the wheel in the first place.The chassis underneath that yellow paint has little in common with a stock Model T. The frame has been built up around a Bell front axle and a Chevrolet Vega steering box, with an elliptical front leaf spring and friction shocks doing the work up front. Out back, a narrowed Ford nine-inch axle rides on a triangulated four-bar setup with coilovers, and the whole car stops on four-wheel disc brakes. Staggered aluminum wheels, 15x4.5 inches up front and 15x10 inches in back, fill the fenderless openings and hint at the car's drag-strip-adjacent attitude.Power comes from a flathead V8 the seller says began life in a 1953 Mercury before being stroked out to 275 cubic inches. Offenhauser aluminum heads, dual Stromberg 97 carburetors on progressive linkage, a 404 Iskenderian cam, and Mallory ignition round out the recipe, with an eight-quart pan and a header-style side exhaust doing the housekeeping. That output routes through a TREMEC five-speed manual and into a nine-inch rear axle geared at 3.50:1, giving the little roadster real gearing options beyond a straight-line blast.AdvertisementAdvertisementInside, black vinyl bucket seats and matching carpet sit ahead of a three-spoke padded steering wheel on a quick-release hub, with Stewart-Warner gauges keeping tabs on the flathead. The body itself wears its yellow paint with red and gray pinstriping, and the seller notes some of the wear that comes with driving a finished hot rod rather than trailering it: paint chips, a few smudges near the door hinges, wavy fiberglass doors, and a well-used carpet. According to the listing, the car has moved from California to Idaho and now to its current home in Norwalk, Iowa, and it carries a clean Iowa title in the seller's name.Running the numbers through Hagerty's Valuation Tools shows just how far a build like this strays from the norm. A stock 1927 Model T roadster pickup in #3, or "Good," condition carries a Price Guide value in the neighborhood of $12,500, and the broader Model T market has averaged closer to $17,800 per sale over the past year across roughly a hundred transactions. A no-reserve auction already sitting at $35,000 for a heavily modified fiberglass-bodied car makes clear that buyers are paying for the quality of the build, not the badge on the title. It's a pattern that shows up across the Hagerty Marketplace, whether it's a family-owned Hemi 'Cuda chasing bids well above its stock counterparts or a Meyers Manx dune buggy proving that a fiberglass kit car can hold real value of its own.Bidding is scheduled to close Friday, September 11, and with the reserve already waived, this stroker-powered T-bucket will sell to whoever places the final bid. For anyone tracking how Hagerty's data stacks up against six-figure classics, the same valuation approach used here recently helped frame what a restored Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing is worth heading into its own auction date.⚡️ Read the full article on MotoriousSign up for the Motorious Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.