Features Coachbuilt early Fords

1939 Ford




http://tankspanky.blogspot.com/2011/02/ftj-entry-53-old-cars-and-big-oaks.html





http://www.remarkablecars.com/for-sale/showproduct.php?product=23392


Handcrafted at Ford's British factory for William Clay Ford (grandson of).

 

Another Cunningham Town Car :



http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmentd1/3727816261/

 

Ford V8 Dagenham Specials:



http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/car_spotters_guide_europe_1935.htm

 

A funeral home in Dearborn, just up the street from the Ford Museum, has a Model A hearse. If I ever knew who the body builder was, I have forgotten. I think what's most curious about it is that hearses were usually built from "better" cars.

 

Like this?

 

Lots of cool Fords for sure but many are not Coachbuilt but are really customs. The distinction being that the former is built on a new chassis (which has never been bodied) by company specializing in custom bodies. The later (a custom ) is something done after the chassis is new (and already bodied by the factory).

 

Here is what i have.

1932 Ford with a coachbuilt body by "Buhne"

It`s for sale by the way.

 

and my favourite: an EDFOR with a cast aluminium!! chassis from Portugal, only six or seven have been made, two are still around (one in Portugal and one in Germany)

 

I love that German '35 with WWII ties.

 

Very very cool.

 

Here you go; 1934 Ford Rollston Towncar. This one picture is all i can find on it so far.

 

During 1934 Enos Derham was put in touch with a local Ford dealer who had a several dozen Model A Town car bodies in storage. In late 1929 Ford introduced a limited edition Town Car version of the Model A. As nice as the Model A Town Car was, it was a classic example of the wrong car at the wrong time. Large Ford dealers were forced to buy them anyways, and the expensive cars failed to sell, they typically cut their losses and sold the chassis to local commercial body makers, and either destroyed the bodywork or put them in storage.

Derham felt that a new low-priced custom-bodied vehicle could be sold to some of their old customers who had the money, but were unwilling to be seen in an expensive new luxury chassis in the depths of the Depression. A custom-built Derham body would have made such a vehicle too expensive. However, the unused Model A Town Car bodies were just what the doctor ordered. Derham bought all the bodies that he could locate, and mounted them on new Ford V-8 and Plymouth chassis. So for about half the cost of a new semi-custom Packard or Lincoln, Derham could offer their customers a very attractive alternative. These vehicles helped the firm to keep in touch with their old customers, who they hoped could be counted on to return for more profitable custom coachwork commissions when the economic climate improved.

1934 Fords By Derham pictured below. Thanks to www.coachbuilt.com for the above information and pictures.

 

There seems to be some controversy on those production figures for the B-400.

How many Dueces Were Built?

By Peter Winnewisser

Automotive historians dive into books to determine every facet of an especially when it was new. Without failure, one of those facts historians search for is production numbers.

Usually, this is a relatively simple task, especially when it comes to Ford Motor Co., a company with a well-documented history. But it is not so for the popular 1932 model year.



This DeLuxe Model B Tudor has been owned by Eric Howard for 40 years. A 1959 Ford Research and Information Department production report shows 4,082 DeLuxe Model B Tudors were built in 1932. (Peter Winnewisser photo)

Consider the production figures for the 1932 Ford given in Ford Motor Co. records and contemporary books and articles. You would think that a simple thing like one year of production records should be the same wherever used. But they are not.

The author is not pointing fingers. There are many reasons why production figures vary. For example, does the figure given represent actual production off the assembly line? Does it include both the Model 18 (V-8) and the Model B (four-cylinder)? Is it a domestic production figure only, or does it include Canada? Is it a world production figure? Does it include the station wagons, which are usually listed by Ford under the commercial or light-delivery designation?



Clyde Miller owned this 1932 V-8 Sedan (B-400) when the photo was taken in 1988. Only 884 of these units were built, according to the 1959 Ford Research and Information Department production report. Note the chrome-plated frame. (Peter Winnewisser photo)

Additionally, authors who quote a number don’t always explain what that number represents. For example, does the figure represent total production, or only those cars sold? Is it a calendar year figure or a model year total? In 1932, there were 12,936 Model A and AA Fords assembled in Ford factories. If the 1932 production figure is a yearly one, are the Model A and AA units included?

One example is E.D. Kennedy’s valuable book, “The Automobile Industry” (1941), which states that Ford “sold only 258,000 passenger cars in the United States” in 1932. We can presume that this figure includes both the Model 18 and the Model B. Does it include the Model A Fords sold that year?

It is interesting to note that the Ford Co. itself lists different numbers, depending on which document is used. For example, the “Ford Motor Company World Production Report 1903 through 1955” lists 1932 passenger-car production as 287,285 units. Does that figure include the Model A Fords built in 1932? The station wagons?

A 1959 report from Ford’s Research and Information Department lists the total as 269,368 and 286,449, if the station wagons and chassis are included. These figures are specifically for the 1932 models.

An earlier “World Production Report 1903-1943” gives the total production figure for 1932 as 338,426. However, that includes Model A and AA units and Model BB units. The Model 18 unit production is listed as 191,084. But that does not agree with the 1959 listing of 192,261 units.

It should also be noted that production numbers quoted for individual ’32 models do not always agree. For example, take the best-selling Model 18 Standard Tudor. The 1959 report lists production as a combined 99,810 units for the Tudor, while a well-regarded contemporary publication lists the figure as 94,483. The DeLuxe three-window coupe in its four-cylinder version is credited with 970 units by Ford in 1959 against 968 in a current catalog.

All of this can get very confusing, so here’s a suggestion: when quoting production figures for the 1932 Ford passenger cars, indicate the source and any information available and exactly what the number includes. In the author’s view, the 1959 report is the most specific. It indicates that the numbers used are for the Model 18 and Model B and that the total of 286,449 units includes the station wagon and chassis for both the V-8 and the B. It also gives the total passenger- figure (Model 18 and Model B) exclusive of the and chassis. Finally, it gives a breakdown for the individual models. The 1903-’55 report does not include a breakdown, nor does the 1903-1943 report.

Readers interested in the entire March 12, 1959, Research and Information Department production report should consult the March-April 1982 issue of V8 Times published by the Early Ford V-8 Club. The Henry Ford Research Center can also be of help. Perhaps some readers have additional documentation regarding 1932 Ford production data and would be willing to share this information with the readers of Old Cars.

 

that 35 Roadster posed on Page 3 has a Twin, it is owned by a guy In Lisbon, ND. I have some pics ill dig them out,. it was a German Coach Built car....

 

some more from France and a strange Buhne (Berlin) Ford truck, dated 1952

 

LOL at "Ford Francisée" - Frenchified Ford!

 

Thank you. Magnificent piece.

 

Calm down, Pimp. Take a blood pressure pill. I remember the Oliver Hines car when it was fairly new. He did not butcher up a Brewster to build his car. It has a Brewster grille, that's all

 

Man O man, isn't this one great? Gary

 

Trying to define coachbuilt and custom is almost impossible as the lines are very blurred. A coachbuilt vehicle can be a custom and a custom can be coachbuilt.

A coachbuilder does not have to use a "new chassis". Coachbuilt cars can be constructed on either a new or used chassis. There are numerous instances where coachbuilt bodies have been removed from a vehicle and replaced with another coachbuilt body from a different coach builder or a newer model body from the original coachbuilder. Older coachbuilt bodies have also been refitted to new/newer chassis and even chassis from a different manufacturer.

Customs could be constructed from either an old vehicle or new vehicle. Customs may be constructed by individuals, body shops, coachworks, specialist custom builder shops or motor dealerships.

 

A coachbuilt Ford -
"The coachbuilt body was lightly constructed with a timber frame and sheetmetal panels. ................"

http://www.oldcmp.net/f15_6seater.html

 

" I know this is a terrible photo but at least you can get an idea of the kind of conversions that were popular in England after the war. This coachbuilt sedan may have been a Ford Ten at one time, with the longer 94-inch wheelbase. The front end sheet metal has been changed with later model parts from a '49 and later Anglia (two-hole grille and beaded front fenders). The back-half is really strange, with Austin A-40 pickup rear fender attached to the new wood back-portion. Spare tire has been mounted on the roof.... Photo was taken in 1952, and was owned by the family of Malcolm Brice of Collingtree, Northants, England."

http://www.angliaobsolete.com/woodie.html

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From this angle, we can see that the car was "coachbuilt," from the rear of the doors back, with aluminum sheets. The original Ford rear wheel arch and fenders, were left inact, and this car retains the original 90-inch wheelbase. What is unusual about this one, is that it was built on a sedan chassis/body, unlike the other survivers, which were built on a Thames chassis, body cowl. Having the sedan longer doors, makes this car, that much better. With the Thames setup, the doors would be 10-inches shorter, and more difficult to get into the rear seat.

...................................... ."

http://www.angliaobsolete.com/woodie.html

 

Czechoslovak coachbuilder Petera made some convertible bodies for US Fords ,"German Style" similar to Glaser or Drauz stuff-very long doors,external trunks . Sorry I couldn't find any photos on the web.

I got the book,but it's not scanner friendly..
http://speedreaders.info/blog/index.php?blog=2&p=329&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

And these are coachbuild Fords too



http://www.kfzderwehrmacht.de/Homepage_english/Motor_Vehicles/USA/usa.html

 

Can you just SEE the similarities in Rootlieb's '33 with this one?!!! And to Dave, I love your Phantom. Incidentally, Brizio is building a '33-'34 Fordoor Vicky for Eric Clapton!!!!

 

Thank you for noticing my 33,I hope to see that Fordor Vicky they are putting together for Mr Clapton.when I built mine I was thinking it may be the first and last,few people have enough respect for Four Doors to invest so much effort into one.

 

Wow! This is a really cool thread!!

 

I see no fault in your logic. I guess there is a spectrum between Coachbuilt and Custom and there are cars that fall in the middle that would be difficult to categorize one way or the other.

This is something I've tried to get my mind around with regards to my Stutz Special. The builder was a professional who built cars as part of his business. He did design drawing and advertised this service (i.e. custom speedster bodies built to order) and built a number of cars. Yet, I've never really thought of my car as "coachbuilt".

 

Coachbuilt, custom, confusion .....

Have a look at these and then check out some of the "others".



or



or




http://www.funeralcoaches.com.au/index.html

 

The next two photos show coachbuilt British Ford Wagons by Abootts of Farnham:







http://www.ask.com/wiki/Ford_Zodiac

The next photo is an Australian Ford wagon built at the Ford factory (not coachbuilt):

- compare the "C" pillar, rear side glass and rear access:



http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/...rts-rare-spares-56k-warning-92020/index3.html

Note: Zephyr and Zodiac were essentially the same vehicles with the Zodiac having some extra "bling". The Consul was also in there, but had a 4 cylinder motor rather than the 6 cylinder of the Zephyr and Zodiac.

 

Sodomka streamlined bus on a Ford Truck chassis (I don't know,if it was US Ford or some European-German?).It was made for Bata company management.



http://veteran.auto.cz/auta/projekt-batovy-dalnice-ceskoslovensko-1938/

http://muzeum-myto.cz/3-souvisly.php?menu=historie-firmy&stranka=historie-firmy