In 1937, Ford Motor offered car buyers both a 136 cubic inch V-8 and a 221 cubic inch flathead V-8. The 136 put out 60 horsepower and the 221 delivered 85 horsepower.
As a side note, Ford Motor Company was the automaker who came out with the first low priced V-8 engine in 1932.
The first V-8 was introduced as far back as 1907 by the Hewitt Motor Company, but Ford’s 1932 engine was meant for the masses. The new car price for Hewitt’s 1907 V-8 Touring car was about $4,500.
1937 Mechanical and Design Changes
Other changes for the 1937 model year were that all Ford’s had Vee shaped windshields. All Ford passenger cars including most of the light truck line shared a 112.0 inch wheelbase. Engines in 1937 had redesigned block, head and crankshaft.
All 1937 Ford passenger cars had all steel bodies.
The automobile featured in this article is a finely restored 1937 Ford Club Coupe. Ford produced 16,900 of these models and they are American classics. The cars are considered rare today. Total Ford passenger car production for 1937 was 921,000 vehicles. The rarest Ford from that production year would likely be the Ford Roadster Convertible with only 1,250 vehicles built.
In 1937 Ford offered Standard and Deluxe models. All Ford Club Coupes were Deluxe models. The car’s base price new in 1937 was just above $700.
The Club Coupe
A bit of an explanation of what is a Coupe and what is a Club Coupe is found below.
The very first “coupe” was not even an automobile. It was a French horse carriage. The word “coupe” is from the French language word “coupe” and translates to “cut“. In automobile terms the word coupe means a car that is any two door that is smaller than a sedan. If the car line does not include a sedan model then the two door model is a coupe and cannot be a two door sedan. Club Coupes are also known to be sportier than the normal coupe with it’s less overall weight and less weight on top.
The “Club Coupe” can be described as a two-door with two rows of seating and a trunk, smaller than a sedan in the same lineup, generally having a fixed B-pillar, and a rear seat farther forward than in a comparable sedan. This model can also be referred to as a “Close-Coupled Coupe.
The 1938 Fords looked pretty much the same as the 37 models. The 38 Deluxe models had a heart shaped grille whereas the other models used the 37 grille. A recession took place in 1938 which hurt Ford sales and it may have been made a bit worse since the 38’s were essentially 37’s.
1937 Ford Club Coupe Specifications
As mentioned above, Ford offered two sizes of V-8’s in 1937. The 136 cubic inch V-8 and a 221 cubic inch flathead V-8. The 136 put out 60 horsepower and the 221 delivered 85 horsepower.
Transmission was a three speed manual shifted from the floor.
The 37 Ford still had mechanical brakes when a lot of other automakers offered hydraulic. The brakes were operated with cables instead of rods like they had been through 1936. Henry Ford gained a reputation as being very slow in adopting new technology. During this period and leading up to World War Two, technology at Ford wad adopted primarily from the urging of Edsel Ford.
The car’s wheelbase was 112.0 inches. Curb weight was 2,616 lbs.
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Many Ford V-8’s of the 1930’s have bee modified to street rods. A bit more with the 1932 to 1936 models as opposed to the 37’s. With that being said, original Ford Club Coupes from 1937 are rare finds. All restored Fords from the 1932 to 1937 period are highly collectible.
Meticulously restored highly original examples have firm price tags. As of this writing, we see a 1937 Ford Two-Door Sedan with an asking price of $45,000. A 1937 Ford Coupe at $47,000. A 1937 Ford Convertible at $35,000. A 37 Ford Club Coupe at $45,000. A 1937 Ford Cabriolet Convertible at $73,000.
(Article and photos copyright 2014 AutoMuseumOnline)