Although it was never envisaged by Ford at the time, the 1941 Ford had a very long model life-span. Introduced in 1941, the advent of World War II meant that production of civilian versions ceased in February of 1942, with the car continuing to be produced as a military vehicle until 1945. It was finally replaced in 1949, bringing an end to an 8-year production run. The owner of this 1941 model needs to down-size, so has listed the car for sale with a BIN price of $4,800, but the option is also there to make an offer. The Ford is located in Fort Collins, Colorado, and is listed for sale here on eBay.
This Super De Luxe appears to be a later 1941 model, as it is fitted with the two-piece front fenders rather than the earlier three-piece items. The body of the car looks like it is in generally good condition, although there is a dent in the driver’s side rear fender that will need to be repaired. There is surface corrosion present, but there doesn’t appear to be any real rust. The owner doesn’t mention the state of the floors and frame, but if the external condition is any indication, then it will hopefully be okay. I did notice that the rear glass is also missing, so hopefully, that is with the car. It may look a little rough, but in all honesty, if the car was revived, there’s no reason why it couldn’t be driven as it is.
The interior looks to be a mixture of pieces that have come from different cars over the years. The front and rear seat covers are different colors, and neither of them seems to match the door trims, while the trim in the rear (which I think is original) is different again. The steering wheel and headliner are also looking pretty tired, so the interior looks like it will need a full restoration. The interior of the 1941 model included one innovative feature that would eventually be required by law several decades into the future. It was one of the first cars to be fitted with a crude but effective steering lock mechanism as standard.
The 1941 Ford was offered with two different engines, a flat-head six, and a 221ci V8. The 221 was standard fitment on the De Luxe range, and that’s what is under the hood of this car. The owner says that the engine doesn’t run, but that it does turn freely. He also suggests that it may require a rebuild, and this is quite conceivable given the fact that the car has now been sitting for more than 40-years. In all honesty though, these things are so tough that I wouldn’t be surprised that with a bit of tinkering it might just roar into life. The transmission of the Ford is a manual unit, while the car was often praised when new for the quality of its braking system.
As a restoration project, this 1941 Ford Super De Luxe looks like it is quite a good one. If it is as rust-free as it appears to be, then it seems to represent a fairly straightforward job. Values of the 1941 Fords slumped quite badly about 3-years-ago, but they have begun to rebound quite strongly. Today this means that you can find a reasonable example for around the $20,000 mark, but an immaculate example can fetch twice that figure. That seems to indicate that this is a financially viable project, and I also think that the end product would be an extremely nice car.
While not as popular as a coupe, this one would be a welcome addition to most collections. 1941 and 42 were interesting. I’ve seen a few 221 engines that were actually Mercury engines that were sleeved down. Get rid of the sleeves and you’ve automatically got a 239. I don’t know why Ford did that except that war production was already underway and it might have been an attempt at streamlining the production lines.
My dad was 16 in ’41 and he always wanted to know what it would be like to travel at 100 mph. He got the chance with Grandpa’s new car back then. http://gearheadsncoffeestains.blogspot.com/2019/02/doing-ton.html
Brings back a lot of memories, as a nearly identical car (but dark red) was my daily driver from 1976-1982. Car was an amateur restoration purchased for $900 with the flattie V-8, which vapor locked on me in the middle of a busy intersection. My dad wasn’t amused and decided to “restomod” it for me. A friend had just wrecked his ’69 Torino GT, so we dragged it home and pulled everything- 351 engine,FMX trans, power steering and brakes. Found a ’53 Chevy front end in the junkyard, took the ’41 body off the frame and a few months later, the car was modern underneath and could be driven anywhere. Even had underdash A/C! This one may be destined for the same treatment.
Any car pre war era is cool!! Made when people took pride in there work!! This car has more metal in it than two of today’s imports have!! Simple mechanicals easy to work on! Great car for restoration or a hot rod!
@Time. I was just going to give you a thumbs up until your last two words registered in my head. No way Jose.
Nice
The coupes were sharp, but for me, I prefer the Tudor and Fordor sedans. This would be a fun drive/resto.
Feel free to correct me, but I think the 1942-1948 cars are basically the same. The 1941 is more or less a one year only. Only 1941 body parts will fit.
From what I know, you’re right; 1941 was a transition year. Ford took some things that carried over from the ’40 models and also used stuff that continued in ’42 but the body was pretty much exclusive. A friend of mine restored a ’41 Super Deluxe club coupe and he told me that he had more than a few challenges finding parts…
My neighbor back in the 1980’s had a 1940 Ford coupe that also had the column ignition lock. The article stated 1941 was the first year for that. Was the article accurate & my neighbors car retrofitted? Or were they available earlier?
Steering locks were out and about (I think) as early as 1933. My ‘35 pickup and my friend’s ‘35 sedan have locks. It seems to me that Chevy had locks back in the 20s.