The 1947 Ford Super Deluxe Eight Convertible featured in this article is a beautiful restoration and a valuable collector car. Not many of these Ford Super Deluxe Convertibles in this mint condition remain.
The year 1947 was a difficult one for the Ford Motor Company whereas it’s founder, Henry Ford, passed away in April of that year at eighty three years of age. Son Edsel Ford, who was directly responsible for the Ford innovations during the tough 1930’s, had died suddenly just four years earlier in 1943 of stomach cancer.
The elder Ford’s grandson, Henry Ford II, would take over the reins after Edsel Ford’s death. Ford Motor Company at this time was transitioning through a new wave of management and would even hire a vice-president formerly from Bendix in 1946. Outside hiring at Ford up to that point was fairly rare and someone from outside the auto industry was even rarer.
After the war, Ford Motors Henry Ford II was given a challenge of revitalizing the company and to stem the flow of money losses.
The 1947 Fords
The 1947 model year from Ford was a time when all eyes were focused on when the new post war designs would come to fruition. Ford was the first American automaker to restart civilian car production in 1945. Even so, the company built tweaked 1941 designs through the 1948 model year. Production for the new 1949 design would begin in June of 1948.
Although the 1947 Ford’s still carried much of the prewar design, this Super Deluxe Eight Convertible is a head turner. The car has a lot of sporty appeal. The Super Deluxe Series was the top of the line during the 1947 model year.
The 1947 Ford’s were changed very little from the previous year. Also, the 1948 Ford’s were changed very little from 1947. For 1947, red paint was dropped from the grille, added were circular parking lights and a hood emblem was now seen. Also seen was the car model emblem and engine designation on the front of the grille.
Ford would show off an all new design in 1949. Design credit for this car goes to Ford designer George Walker. This would be the first real post war redesign. The 1949 Ford was also referred to as “The car that saved Ford Motor Company“. The 1949 models had a touch of aerodynamics which were accepted quite well by both the public and the press. A lot of the aerodynamic traits can be seen in the front end of the vehicle.
1947 Ford Super Deluxe 8 Specifications
The 1947 Ford Super deluxe Convertible featured a 239 cubic inch Flathead V-8 engine delivering 100 horsepower. This was one of the best engines ever built by Ford to date. There was also a six cylinder engine available in 1947. This was a 225 cubic inch engine delivering 90 horsepower.
Standard transmission was a three speed manual.
Wheelbase for the 1947 Ford Super Deluxe came in at 114.0 inches. The car’s overall length was 198.2 inches, it’s width 73.3 inches. The curb weight on this car was about 3,200 lbs. These were the same dimensions as the 1946 Ford models.
Ford Motor Company produced 429,600 vehicles in 1947. A total of 22,150 Super deluxe Convertibles were built that model year. largest production total for 1947 went to the Super Deluxe Tudor Sedan at 136,125 units.
Chevrolet led the pack in 1947 with over 671,000 vehicles built. Ford placed second that year with Plymouth coming in third at 382,000 units. Interestingly enough, Ford grabbed first place with their new 1949 designs producing some 1.1 million vehicles, 100,000 units ahead of Chevy.
The relatively small number of Ford Super Deluxe Convertibles built in 1947 demonstrates how rare these cars are today.
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1947 Ford Super Deluxe Eight Convertible Collector Car
As mentioned above, the 1947 Ford Super Deluxe Eight Convertible is a rare automobile and they command some pretty good prices. Only 22,000 were built.
A mint condition original 1947 Super Deluxe Eight Convertible will have an asking price at auction in the $40,000 and $50,000 range. Coupes and sedans will typically come in below that figure. Ford also built woodies in 1947 and a mint condition original may have an asking price north of $60,000.
While the cars still have a lot of the early 1940’s look, they have enough tweaking to the design that adds a sporty touch, especially with the convertibles. The chrome trim adds another good touch.
(Article and photos copyright 2013 AutoMuseumOnline)