1933 Ford Cabriolet
Interestingly, the all-new bodywork for 1933 had a British connection. Sir Percival Perry, Ford's Managing Director in England, initiated development of a small car to compete with Austin's Seven. Styling of the car, dubbed Model Y, was delegated to Dearborn and a young designer recently hired at Lincoln, E.T. "Bob" Gregorie. Gregorie proved his abilities quickly, so when the "little English job" came in, he was asked to "design us a nice, up-to-date body for it." For the American 1933 Ford, Edsel wanted a more graceful design than that of the 1932 models and suggested an adaptation of Gregorie's Model Y concept. Edsel asked his draftsmen to simply scale it up, and the Model Y's proportions became, if anything, more beautiful in the process.
A stunningly beautiful car in its design lines, and presentation, this cabriolet, 1 of only 7,852 examples produced, is the beneficiary of a 3 year restoration in which the consigner states "It needed everything", and it got it. Everywhere you look you just have to shake your head and smile, as it is just a work of automotive art. Such a work of automotive art that this beauty has won 11 AACA preservation awards, a grand national senior in 2016, a national award in 2018 and 5, count them 5 Dearborn awards!
Exterior
The lines of this car give one the feeling that they are looking at a British Car, only on a larger scale. From its shield shaped front grille which fronts a long cowled hood, beautiful curvaceous fenders and gracefully sloping rear, this knight in shining armor is bathed in Olive green. Laser straight steel panels, suicide doors, and the "trunk" which houses a mother in law seat, are flanked by pristine black fenders and a perfectly curved running board. Up top is a showroom condition canvas top in tan, and it has a glass rear window. Straw colored 17-inch wire wheels are seen all around including one hanging on the back of the car which is enveloped in a metal covering. Mirror-like finish would best describe the front and rear bumpers which utilize a downward sloping center to pump up the aesthetics even more. Just a wonderful symphony of color, line and use of materials, and we have a magnum opus on our hands, hopefully soon to be your hands.
Interior
Much like a minimalist painting, brown vinyl is put to use, and accoutrements are kept to a scant few, but all present in elegant fashion. Door panels are beautifully crafted, making use of some stitching to create the design in a field for chromed cranks and bakelite knobs. A pristine brown vinyl bench stretches from door to door and there is not a mark on it. Fronting this bench is an artfully rounded shiny lacquered burl dash, which houses a simple metal panel with a machined swirl design, and warm original instruments within. A near perfect steering wheel is in front of this woodworking, and a tight clean vinyl floor covers everything nicely on the bottom. A veritable visual mix of 1930's materials showing off as new here in almost 2020.
Drivetrain
A lift of either cowl, and we are bedazzled by a wonderfully shiny 221 ci flathead V8, fully restored and ticking like a fine pocket watch. There is a 1-barrel carburetor on top, and a 3-speed manual transmission on the back. All has been well attended to and its pure music to your ears and eyes.
Undercarriage
A fine restoration as such in front of us, one would expect the undercarriage on her like new and in a word, it is! Straight black steel, some green floorpans, transverse leaf spring suspension all-around as well as mechanical drum brakes can be noted.
Drive-Ability
An absolute honor and pleasure to drive this showpiece, it runs beautifully, and handles like the British sports cars of yore, but offers easy access and egress, with plenty of interior room.
Truly in my opinion certainly one of the nicest cars to grace our hallowed mall halls, with its big sports car like design and lines. All perfectly and meticulously restored, we have a masterpiece of automobilia.
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 500 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.