Which car is featured in the Beach Boys song 'Little Deuce Coupe'?

The car featured in The Beach Boys’ “Little Deuce Coupe” is a 1932 Ford coupe, specifically associated with the Ford Model 18.

“Deuce” refers to 1932, and the phrase “Deuce Coupe” became hot-rod slang for a 1932 Ford coupe. The Model 18 was the V8-powered version of that year’s Ford, using the company’s new flathead V8. The song’s car imagery reflects the early-1960s fascination with customized cars, speed, and Southern California youth culture.

Brian Wilson and Roger Christian wrote the song. It first appeared in 1963 as the B-side of “Surfer Girl” and later became the title track of the Beach Boys’ car-themed album Little Deuce Coupe. It reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, an unusually strong result for a B-side.

The album cover shows Clarence “Chili” Catallo’s customized three-window 1932 Ford coupe, but that photographed car is not necessarily identical to every detail of the car imagined in the lyrics. The key identification is the 1932 Ford coupe, not a Corvette or 1957 Chevrolet.