Customs 1941 ford Oprah coupe

Anyone ever hear of an Oprah coupe? Are parts and panels hard to get? Are the doors shorter than other 1941 ford coupes?

 

I think you mean "Opera" coupe and I never heard of Ford making one. There was a short door coupe in 41 called a business coupe, and a long door coupe that had doors from the convertible. I saw a business coupe once that had fold down seats in back, maybe someone called that an Opera Coupe but I don't think Ford called them that. I could be wrong, wouldn't be the first time.

 

the landau bars, side lanterns, and porthole windows, is what keeps them out of reach for the average collector.

 

@Bandit Billy
I always heard coupe with fold down
Rear jump seats that folded up under
Back seat pad where called
Businessman coupe,
My fathers 2 door 40 Ply coupe was this way

 

Ford never made a 1941 Ford (or any other year) opera coupe. The term "Opera Coupe" was not a Ford term. The term "opera coupe" evolved over time by folks who owned the cars with the small fold down seats in the rear.
Ford did make 6575 1941 Supe DeLuxe Coupes with jump seats, Model 11A-67B.
Ford also made a 1941 DeLuxe Coupes ,with jump seats Model 11A-67A. 2683 were produced.

 

learned something new-always thought it was a factory term for those!!

 

patsurf:
Other folks will not agree with what I said. Here's an excellent explanation of how the terms "opera coupe" and "opera seats" came to be.
Be sure and read what "Kube" says. He has been restoring 40 Fords professionally for many years.
However, other folks disagree , saying Ford did use the term "opera seats".
It would be interesting to actually see a 1940 Ford sales brochure.
40 Opera Coupe - The Ford Barn

 

I get it sometimes with my 1929 Ford, oval window business coupe. Once at a car show, I had a guy try to tell me for 10 minutes that that's what they call my car. He went on to say that because of the oval shaped quarter windows the term "Opera Coupe" was used to distinguish it from the standard business coupe. I just let him talk.

 

woodiewagon46: Sometimes it's just better to let "the expert" ramble on in their beliefs.

 

All the 40's Ford Brochures.
https://xr793.com/ford-1940-1949

 

I owned one for several years. Business Coupe is correct.
Opera was invented by folk
The jump seats were fastened ( hinged ) to the side of the rear area.
The seat bottoms were supported with a simple metal rod that one would swing into position as the cushion was lowered.
Passengers would face each other knee to knee

 

Thank God there's absolutely nothing to do with hot rods by the name of Oprah.

 

Chevy made an Opera Coupe that had fold up seat bases, and seat backs sat into the rear sides of the 1/4 panels in back. This model also came with sliding 1/4 windows so rear seat passengers could get some air. My '39 Chev gasser is an "Opera Coupe", and has the sliding 1/4 windows, but seats were missing when I bought it. Those seats are impossible to find and the cars with them still in them are just as rare.

 

.....I simply have no words.

 

I believe that the term "opera Coupe" referring to these Fords could best be described as a colloquialism whereby someone in the past described them in this manner, even though Ford didn't use this terminology, and it stuck. It's been a long running argument for years. In my youth in the South I heard them described this way a lot simply because they had the little seats in the back.

 

so that name /word is in print in chevy brochures or just more of the 'ford type' use of the word ?

 

https://www.plymouthowners.club/talk/index.php?topic=1343.0

Basically, it was a 'common use' term that Ford did not officially use.

 

I once owned a '50 Chevy panel truck with original equipment jumpseats in the back.
I guess I can start calling it an "Opera Panel" from here on.

The truck was too much of a trainwreck for me, so I sold it to a friend of a HAMBster who didn't mind a major project. I saved the seats for myself with the intention of installing them in my current AD panel. I have photos of the originally installed seats if anyone is interested. I don't want to post them here because of too much OT, street rod crap.

 

^^^

 

I just don't get the origins of the term Oprah Coupe. I have been to the Opera, it is a suit and tie, perhaps black-tie event. Oprah glasses are like small binoculars with a staff attached so you don't have to wave your elbows about. An Oprah hat is collapsible, so it can be stowed during the show. But who would want to don a tuxedo, top hat and overcoat or fancy-dress gown, tiara and stole and then be wedged into the back of a two-door coupe and forced to ride to theatre in fold down seats designed for children and paratroopers?

This is more my cup of Bourbon when arriving at LaScala for Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. I loved that Bug Bunny short "What's Opera Doc" where he dressed like the Valkyrie Brunhilde and Elmer Fudd did Siegfried. I was disappointed when I saw the Ring cycle. I kept imaging Bugs and Elmer on stage and perhaps that would be the best opera to attend in those mickey mouse seats.

 

My first old car back in the 70's was a '39 Buick coupe. Everyone called it a Opera Coupe, so did I. Even though that wasn't the official name from Buick, they did use 'Opera Seats' in their advertisement. I remember it had little cups in the floor for the seat legs to fit into.

Also had a SW gas burning heater, sounded like a hot water igniting when you'd turn it on.