MPOSLOT303 It all added up to a sprightly performer that could run Âcircles around rivals from Chevrolet and Plymouth. A '49 Ford couldn't quite reach 100 mph, but hopping up the flathead V-8 was still simple, cheap, and easy. Multiple carburetors, headers, dual exhausts, and other "speed parts" were as close as local auto stores.|Gibson, Cecil (1962). Plastic Model Cars