Shown here is a beautifully restored 1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe. There have been few cars produced that inspire such passion in both collectors and hot rodders.
New 1940 Ford Styling
This car has the styling of Ford Motor Company’s Bob Gregorie’s design department along with a lot of influence from Edsel Ford.
There was a lot to talk about at Ford for 1940: Revised front end styling with sealed-beam headlamps and a striking new Deluxe grille; a sleek Art Deco instrument panel as trendy as any on the market, and a column-mounted shifter Conventional steel disc wheels replaced the odd wide-five setup used in 1936-39. 1939 Deluxe and both 1940 Standard and Deluxe Fords were one of if not the best designs in those years. A proven design that still looks great today.
The 1940 model year must rank at or near the top among hot rodders and restorers. Today, you may very well see several of the 1940 Ford Coupes at auto shows with a good number of them modified into hot rods. The hot rodding with the 1940 Ford Coupe took off after World War Two.
The ’40 Ford business coupe was the car of choice for runnin’ moonshine.
1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe Specifications
Three eight cylinder engine configurations were available in the 1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe. These were a 135 cubic inch Inline Eight, a 221 cubic inch V-8 and a 239 cubic inch V-8. Horsepower was 65, 85, 95 in that order. Ford’s biggest competitor General Motors came out with hydraulic brakes in 1935.
Transmission was a three speed column mounted manual.
Brakes were four wheel hydraulic drums. Henry Ford introduced hydraulic brakes a year earlier in 1939 after many years of refusing to do so. Duesenberg was the first to introduce hydraulic brakes in 1921. Franklin introduced hydraulic brakes on their 1928 Series 12 cars.
Dimensions include an overall length of 188.3 inches, wheelbase 112.0 inches, height 68.0 inches. Weight 2,990 lbs.
Total production numbers for all models for 1940 for Ford was 542,000 and for Chevrolet 764,000.
Total Ford Motor production for 1940 was 541,900 vehicles. Out of this total 23.700 were Convertible Coupes and 20,200 were Business Coupes. A total of six production Ford models were available for the 1940 model year.
Related Auto Museum Online articles are found on the links below..
Reference material for this article includes..The Complete History of Ford Motor Company by Richard M. Langworth…The Ford Book of Styling: A History and Interpretation of Automotive Design by Ford Motor Company…
1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe Collector Popularity
Famous for its streamlined style and art deco details, the ’40 Ford is revered among today’s classic car and hot rod enthusiasts.
There have been many automobiles that were deemed handsome designs for their time, but the success of the 1940 Ford DeLuxe can also be attributed to its low price, ample power and improved driveability.
As mentioned above, the 1940 Ford Coupe was and is a popular collector’s car. An original restored 1940 Ford Coupe is going to have an asking price of perhaps $38,000 to $45,000 plus. A 1940 Ford Deluxe Convertible Coupe may be in the $65,000 to $70,000 plus range depending on degree and quality of restoration.Some of these even up to six figures.
(Article and photos copyright Auto Museum Online)