High Roller Hot Rods
August 4, 2003
Roy Brizio’s 12,000-square-foot shop in South San Francisco is a beehive of activity as work proceeds on a dozen new and old cars. Brizio’s style could be defined as traditional: He likes to build ’32 Ford roadsters with steel reproduction Brookville bodies on jig-built, strengthened frames created right in his shop. He prefers modern Ford V-8 engines and drivelines with 5-speed manual T5 gearboxes (versus the ubiquitous Chevrolet V-8s and Turbo Hydra–Matics found in a majority of homebuilt cars). Brizio cars have a reputation for utter reliability, and many a Brizio-built rod has been successfully driven cross-country to an event just after the car has been completed. Brizio himself loves long hauls and appears at events on both coasts, often after driving thousands of miles in an open roadster.
“We prefer the nostalgia look,” Brizio says, “and so do a lot of people these days.” Brizio is also completing a full-fendered, big-block Ford ’32 roadster and still another ’36 coupe. “That ’36 has a complete late-model drivetrain with a six-speed, but it will be painted Pagan Gold with steelies [original style steel wheels]. About half of what we do is repeat business,” he says. Brizio’s customers include rockers Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton, former ballplayer Reggie Jackson, and venture capital impresario John Mumford. Brizio also services what he sells. “A lot of these guys won’t even change their own oil,” he says, “so we make sure their cars are in good shape.” The waiting time for a Brizio-built car is about six months, and many customers say, “let’s do two,” to hold an additional place in the line. The cost is about $150,000 for a basic ’32 roadster.
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