The 1949 Fords were the company’s first all-new post-war cars as the transition continued from wartime to consumer vehicle production. As part of the movement away from the bulky styling that dominated pre-war automobiles, the 1949 Fords won awards for their overall fresh new styling. This convertible was one of only about five percent of overall production that year, making it somewhat rare today. It’s been stored under a carport in the Reno, Nevada desert for decades and needs a complete restoration. The Ford Custom V8 is available here on craigslist for $10,000 OBO. Thanks for this neat find, T.J.!

Demand for new automobiles was still pent up in 1949 and more than 1.1 million buyers flocked to Ford’s showrooms to buy a car. But “only” 51,133 were convertibles like the seller’s machine, with a flathead eight-cylinder engine and 3-on-the-tree manual transmission. Unlike the endless choices with today’s autos, only two trim levels were available, Ford and Ford Custom, of which you had to go upstream to get the canvas top. The seller says the car is yellow in color, but it looks more like white, perhaps badly faded from sitting in its carport perch all these years.

We’re told this Custom is all original, which we assume also applies to the paint and interior (not pictured). It’s not in running condition and we don’t know if the mechanical health of the car was why it was parked those many moons ago. It’s a well-optioned Ford, with things like a spotlight, fog lights, deluxe guards, backup lights, and a power mechanism for the top. There is no way to tell how much if any of this will still work when the car gets running again.

While the floors are said to be rusty, the some of the exterior sheet metal looks okay although surface rust may be transforming into something worse in places. As a rolling project, you could restore it to its original condition or opt to go restomod, which we’re hoping is not the case. As part of the deal, this old Ford will come with all new tinted glass and a clear title.