1937 Ford Deluxe 5 Window Coupe
In the midst of its second wild success, Ford continued to refine the lines of their sedans and coupes with every year getting a redesign with some slight but effective aerodynamic and styling changes. Their slogan "Beauty was built in" was heavily pushed in magazine advertising, and Ford felt it was well worth the glitzy ads to sell more cars.
For consignment, a nice original looking non rodded Ford Deluxe 5-Window coupe right out of 1937. This car was purchased by Bessie Dearing on January 31st 1938 and stayed in her possession until her passing in November of 1974. From there the estate sold the car to a gentleman in Michigan who kept watch over it until it came East to Newtown Square, PA and its 3rd owner in 1981. This owner participated in many shows during his ownership, winning a 2nd place at Hershey in 1982, a 1st place at Rose Tree in 1983, and 3rd place at the York show in 1983. From there the car changed hands in 1986 and came into our consignor's possession in 2012, making him the 5th owner. Since acquiring the car, a slew of maintenance was performed and you could say this car is not only a survivor, but also a driver. To sweeten the pot, a copy of the original bill of sale, service records, prior title copies, and what appears to be a spare original key and original tag are included. Oh, and I certainly cannot leave out the title verified 61,647 actual miles showing on the odometer. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
Exterior
What else but black paint could bathe the exterior panels of this curvaceous coupe? Every now and again there are areas of cracking, fade, some chip offs, and an overall patina making up the finish but certainly no invasive rust. Wonderfully formed steel curves abound on this car, and they are accented with nicely polished brite-work. The bumpers with their upright guards, headlight bezels, handles and mirrors are all nicely presented with no dimpling or rusting. A quick glance at its vertical ribbed "shield" style grille complete with its rocket style hood adornment/hood release and we are rolling in style. A shout out to the curved back where the spacious trunk provides more storage area than most apartments today, and it opens with the twist of a handle. This trunk holds the spare tire and is lined with a ribbed black rubber mat. Nice running boards with textured rubber connect the curvaceous fenders and dual bullet pod mounted tail lights stand off from the rear fenders and are just above the rear bumper. Nice black painted steel wheels are topped with dog dish V8 engraved chrome center caps. These wheels are wrapped with correct and proper wide whites.
Interior
Tan mohair abounds on this interior where it can be seen on the door panels which are slightly worn, and large tufted front split bench. It is also seen on rear parcel shelf, side panels, and pillars as well as on the headliner. A few stains and some discoloration can be noted throughout, but the tufting on the seats is uber plush and fit for a king. The wood grained dash in Art Deco style, has wonderful cream colored gauges with fine pointers and Art Deco numbering and graphics. Fronting the dash is the glossy black 3 spoke steering wheel with its V8 horn button and exterior lighting switch, which is to die for...it's just beautiful. Bakelite knobs that have darkened a bit to cream color and chrome trim and have lots of patina and show a life well used. Tan rubber covers the floors and the long arm shifter grows from the floor center and you have to love the round pedals for the brake and clutch. All very original appearing and all ready for business.
Drivetrain
A rebuilt at 44,650 mile V8 with 221 cubes in flathead form is buttoned up under the rear hinged hood. A professionally rebuilt single 2-barrel carburetor tops this mill, and a 3-speed manual transmission and 3.76 gears make up the drivetrain. Our consignor notes that the engine was recently treated to new plugs, wires, a voltage regulator, and a professionally rebuilt distributor.
Undercarriage
Solid floor pans with just the right amount of aged patina and a black frame with an X section all remain in good condition. The body hangers, rockers, and undersides of the running boards follow suit as well. A single exhaust with a new muffler is seen, and transverse leaf spring, (buggy style), suspension is on all 4 corners and mechanical drum brakes are noted as well. Per our consignor's notes, the front end has been treated to new kingpins and bushings to keep your steering straight and true.
Drive-Ability
It was like stepping back in time with this wonderfully original looking example of the 5-Window coupe. It started right up, ran beautifully, and the mechanical brakes need to be pushed but they do work. It was a nice leisurely spin that was also a head turner with the only flaw being the driver's wiper refused to wipe. I love these test drives!
A nice original looking exterior cleaned up with clean chrome, good bumpers, and those fantastic teardrop headlights, you are in Art Nouveau heaven. Inside, you move to Art Deco heaven and mohair abundance, all in its original form. It's held up nicely, and at present is better unrestored. A fine buy for the asking price. Imagine running about in your coupe, far better looking lines than a Tudor or Fordor...Leave it to Henry to come up with these terms!
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 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.
