A restored 1939 Ford Convertible got a major power boost from a Hemi V8 engine built by Jesse and Charlie Miller of West Chester, writes Ken Gross for the Hot Rod Network.

Gross purchased the car from Jim Cherry, a self-taught mechanic and fabricator whose cars have been featured in Street Rodder and The Rodder’s Journal.

While the vehicle includes some original and some modernized updates, the highlight is the Hemi V8 engine.

“I love flatheads, but I was really intrigued with the idea of a Hemi V8,” wrote Gross.

Shoehorned in with very little room left on either side, the engine looks like it was coaxed between the frame rails with a whip and a chair.

“On the outside, it looks pretty innocent,” wrote Gross, “but when you drop down a gear or two … this baby flat hauls … and tells onlookers there’s something special under that hood.”

Read more about the 1939 Ford Convertible from the Hot Rod Network here.