“What will be a future classic?” Ultimately, we can never see the future, but looking into the past, we can make some educated guesses. Obviously, the cars that are designed to be classics will be classics. Your run-of-the-mill Corvettes, Prowlers, Cobras, Hellcats, Ferraris. The truly unexpected classics are always a surprise, though, because they’re generally relatively normal cars. Your Corollas, Bel Airs, Fieros, 500s, Minis, Brats. The disposable cars become classics because it’s just so surprising that they still exist at all. Today’s 1951 Ford F3 is just such a vehicle. You can find it here on eBay, thanks to T.J. for letting us know about it!

Being disposable is not an insult. Henry Ford, in designing his vehicles, wanted them to be used by people who needed them, to mobilize farmers and the general public. After all, what are cars meant for if not to be used? This truck is the truest realization of that ideology. It’s a real farm truck, used and abused for decades. It earned its patina through a lifetime of hard labor, and (at the risk of making people–including myself–feel old) was last registered in the year I was born.

I can’t say anything that isn’t seen in the pictures, and it sounds like the seller can’t, either. This is a barn find in the truest sense of the word: it was found in a barn, and with its most recent tabs from three decades ago, the truck will need work. Rust repair, probably a full rebuild. The interior, though rough, looks relatively complete, not that there was much inside to begin with. Farm trucks aren’t exactly known for their creature comforts and amenities.

It still has its presumably original engine, but you’re going to want to check the numbers to make sure. Not that it matters. I know some people get very concerned about numbers matching and value retention, but…let’s be real, here. This is a farm truck. My own experience growing up and working on farms tells me: if it moves under its own power, that’s a win. It doesn’t matter if the engine is the original Ford flathead or something cobbled together from Farmall spares. Whether you decide to make this a showstopper restomod or you need a quirky work vehicle, if you breathe a little life into it, this F3 is sure to do whatever you ask of it with gusto.