1934 Ford

edited by David Barth, 30 January 2009.
Courtesy The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Photos were taken in January 2009.

The Ford Motor Company made automotive history in March 1932 when it introduced the new Model 40 V-8. Although production V-8 engines had been built in France as early as 1910 by DeDion-Bouton and in the United States by Cadillac in 1915, they were found only in expensive cars through the 1920s because the cylinder block casting process was very complicated and expensive.

Ford's engine was the first, low priced, mass-produced V-8. Henry Ford had long been noted for his unswerving faith in the four-cylinder engine, but the new V-8 was done in traditional Ford style. The company found a way to cast the cylinders "en bloc," in one piece, in a comparatively simple and cheap process.

The styling of the V-8 Fords changed very little between 1932 and 1934. the 1932 V-8's were handsomely designed to complement the more powerful engine. The radiator shell was slightly V'd with vertical bars. The V-8 symbol was prominently displayed on the radiator grille and on the hubcaps. The body had a longer, lower look with fully crowned fenders. This 1934 roadster is similar to the 1932 design except that it has fewer grille bars in the radiator. Angled side hood louvers were added in 1933 to increase the streamlined appearance. The greyhound hood ornament was an optional extra that was borrowed from the Ford Motor Company's Lincoln Division.

Model: 40
Body Style: DeLuxe Coupe
Original Factory Price: $555
Brake Horsepower: 85
Displacement: 221 cubic inches
Bore: 3 1/16 inches
Stroke: 3 3/4 inches
Cylinders: V-8, cast en bloc (as a complete unit)
Wheelbase: 112 inches
Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Location: Dearborn, Michigan, USA

Donor: Birkett M. Williams