My story? My family has been a Ford family since my dad bought his first car, a new 1950 Ford Custom 2 Door Sedan. I have been a gear-head for as long as I can remember; so once I was able to start a car collection, there was no doubt it would be Fords! My favorite time in American cars was from around 1938 to 1954, and my favorite Fords had the famous 239 Flathead V8’s!

Our 1948 Ford Super Deluxe Convertible and the 1951 Ford Custom Victoria Hardtop both come from a fellow Ford Flathead V8 friend/collector in Marcy, NY. Both cars were in good shape when we bought them in 2018 and 2020, respectively. I then put in hundreds of hours and way more money than I would like to think about to get them where they are now.

The history of the ‘48 is very difficult to discern before the late 1970’s as Ford did not begin to use VIN numbers until 1949. At best, we know that the car spent 25 or so years in Ohio before it was purchased and brought to Florida for a number of years. Then, our friend bought the car in the early 2000’s and brought it to Marcy, NY; where we bought it in 2018. Our best guess is that we are the fourth or fifth owner. Because the car does not have a VIN number, we have no idea where it was assembled. We only know that the engine came from the famous Ford factory known as Rouge River. We only know this because all of the Ford 239 Flathead V8’s engines made between 1946 and 1948 were made at Rouge River. The engine in the car is the correct layout and has the correct numbered heads for a 1948 engine; so we are relatively confident that the car has it’s original motor, albeit rebuilt (probably more than once). The car has been repainted; but with the original color.

The history on the ‘51 is much easier to determine. It has a VIN number that shows it was built at the Ford plant in Minneapolis, MN (now demolished) in May of 1951. The car then went to a dealership and was originally purchased in Eastern Colorado. It spent its entire life in Eastern Colorado with the original purchasing family, until our friend bought it in 2018 and brought it back to Marcy, NY. That makes us the third owners of the car!

Both cars are listed with the Early Ford V8 Club and the Chesapeake Bay chapter of the AACA.

My wife and I really enjoy being stewards of these two pieces of rolling history. We particularly enjoy sharing them and their stories/histories with everyone!