Is it possible to place a price on perfection? It seems that if the classic in question is this 1948 Ford Super Deluxe Coupe, the answer to that question is a resounding “Yes!” Don’t take my word for it, because this Ford has received one of the most prestigious awards that can be bestowed on a vehicle of this type. It needs nothing and is guaranteed to draw crowds like moths to a flame wherever it goes. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder T.J. for spotting the Coupe listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Handing the seller $37,500 will allow you to drive away in this stunning classic.
The 1948 model year was a significant one in automotive history. American manufacturers continued to market mildly updated versions of their pre-war offerings, but change was in the wind. Affectionately referred to as the Shoebox, Ford’s 1949 model ditched features like the typical separate fenders in favor of the slab-sided “ponton” look. While Ford is often credited with setting the benchmark with this new styling trend, some would argue that Hudson beat the company to the punch with its 1948 range. Our feature car is an end-of-the-line 1948 Ford Super Deluxe Coupe that presents stunningly in Monsoon Maroon. My assessment of this car’s condition following a meticulous restoration isn’t a lone voice in the wilderness, because it has received one of the most prestigious awards available to cars of this type. The Antique Automobile Club of America doesn’t splash trophies around without due cause, and the “National Winner” is the ultimate award they can convey. It recognizes that a car has been preserved or restored to the highest standards possible. This Ford is a worthy recipient, leaving the buyer with nothing to do but admire the overall condition. The paint retains a depth of color and shine that you could walk into, the panels are laser-straight, and you could almost eat off the underside. The chrome sparkles, the glass is clear, and the exterior is rounded out by beautiful whitewall tires.
The stunning presentation continues when we focus on this Coupe’s interior. Nothing has been left to chance, with every upholstered surface finished in period-correct Gray cloth that is flawless. The paint is immaculate, and the dash features gauges with clear lenses and crisp markings. Even the wheel, a weak point in cars of this vintage, is in as-new condition. There is nothing there that shouldn’t be, with the floor wearing a rubber mat instead of the more popular carpet seen in many restorations. The new owner receives a factory radio and clock to provide a luxurious finishing touch.
Henry Ford had never been a fan of engines featuring more than four cylinders, but the advent of larger and more refined motors from the competition forced his hand when he introduced his flathead V8 range in 1932. Many consider it the first affordable V8, and it continued to occupy the engine bays of cars wearing the Blue Oval into the 1950s. This Coupe features the 239ci version producing 100hp and 180 ft/lbs of torque. The power feeds to the rear wheels via a three-speed manual transmission, giving the Ford a top speed nudging 80mph. The seller indicates that the meticulous attention to detail during the build wasn’t restricted to the body and interior, with the drivetrain rebuilt to its original specifications. The bulletproof nature of these components should ensure many years of reliable motoring from a car that runs and drives smoothly. With warm weather almost on our doorstep, parking this classic in your garage ready for when the sun shows its face could prove irresistible to many enthusiasts.
I have always considered it a privilege to write for Barn Finds and to have the opportunity to bring to our readers some truly fantastic classics. However, some cars are what I term landmarks, which are vehicles that are so stunning that they will remain unforgettable. Very few have achieved that status with me, but this 1948 Ford Super Deluxe Coupe falls into that category. I mean, what is there for the new owner to do but to stand back and admire it when they aren’t cruising the roads behind the wheel? In short, nothing. The seller’s price isn’t cheap, but it is justified when you scrutinize the photos. We don’t often have the opportunity to own a car of this caliber, but somebody is destined to do so. Could that person be you?
This is Ford is just stunning. Landmark is definitely appropriate Adam. Looking at the interior even, its just amazing. And that paint job, and body work, just impressive. Thank you for having this Ford on here and writing it up. Its just beautiful.
Can you imagine coming home from the war after dreaming of a brand new car if you made it back alive? I talked with many a WWII vet and that was a pretty universal idea. Unfortunately, the back log for new cars was phenomenal and returning vets were far from the front of the line. Before the war was officially over, car companies were already making plans to get back in the game and dealers starting taking deposits for new ones when available. The people who never went to war were often ahead on those lists. Though, when Johnny came marching home, he to got put on that list and by 1948 was when many like him got their wish. I don’t know if that was the case for this car, obviously, but just imagine the joy a man would feel upon its arrival in the dealership with his name on it.
Simple yet elegant.
Pure beauty on wheels. Haven’t seen one of those backup lights in years. Had a picture of one on my Dad’s ’49 Mercury. Always liked the fat fendered ’40s Fords and this one really represents them well.
A relative bargain. You couldn’t restore one to this condition now for anywhere near the asking price. Stunning.
Absolutely beautiful. Where are you Harrison
Despite my affiliation with GM and International trucks, and just about everything in between, I have always been a fan of flathead V8s. This is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Very well done! Done up to the point where even the engine is the right shade of blue (maybe a shade dark but a few miles will lighten that up). You could park this at my place and I would have a lot of fun driving it.
My first car was a 1948 Ford 2 door sedan. Bought it in a barn, Buffalo Montana when I was 12, about 1970. I still have it and have picked up a few parts cars along the way. I restored a 1947 Mercury sedan for a customer and picked up a few Mercury parts cars also.
My first car was a 1948 Ford 2 door sedan. Bought it in a barn, Buffalo Montana when I was 12, about 1970. I still have it and have picked up a few parts cars along the way. I restored a 1947 Mercury sedan for a customer and picked up a few Mercury parts cars also.
Hello, Frog! I don’t BELIEVE this!!! Each time I work on something to post here, SOMEthing cuts me OFF! — and then I have to START ALL OVER!!! Frustrating! Thank you for inviting comment from me on this one! I’m here, and I saw this (several hours ago, now!). As I think you know, I drove a 1946 Super Deluxe flathead V-8 Tudor sedan for 27 years. It was all original and unrestored, and of course very much like this one. I have tried now for more than five hours to compose a careful comment, here, but I now have run out of energy to do it all over again. Do you mind if I simply post this much “to keep my foot in the door”, and try again tomorrow? I simply don’t have the energy now to spend an hour, only to suddenly get a “sorry! Something went wrong!”, and be bumped off the site, then to have my unposted text gone when I log back on. Six times in one day is ENOUGH! Thanks for understanding.
Just got the same done to me. Getting to be pretty common lately.
Hello, Frog! I don’t BELIEVE this!!! Each time I work on something to post here, SOMEthing cuts me OFF! — and then I have to START ALL OVER!!! Frustrating! Thank you for inviting comment from me on this one! I’m here, and I saw this (several hours ago, now!). As I think you know, I drove a 1946 Super Deluxe flathead V-8 Tudor sedan for 27 years. It was all original and unrestored, and of course very much like this one. I have tried now for more than five hours to compose a careful comment, here, but I now have run out of energy to do it all over again. Do you mind if I simply post this much “to keep my foot in the door”, and try again tomorrow? I simply don’t have the energy now to spend an hour, only to suddenly get a “sorry! Something went wrong!”, and be bumped off the site, then to have my unposted text gone when I log back on. Six times in one day is ENOUGH! Thanks for understanding.
Not a problem Harrison no pressure on my end. Tomorrow is a new day. Carpe diem. Two things on my bucket list. One is to travel the US and visit every car museum and two dine at all of the finest restaurants. Stanley Tucci style.
There is little doubt what a nice car this! I also love 46 to 48 Fords and have had several coupes and sedans. I would not argue about the price, however at that number for that era Ford, you are definitely at high retail. Best to really want it and plan on keeping it!
Hello, Frog. As I think you know, I drove a 1946 Super Deluxe V-8 Tudor sedan for 27 years. As much as I would love to have one of these again — especially in this condition: a HARD NO on a coupe, and on a 1947-’48. I will get to that in a moment. The oil-bath air-cleaner, here, has been re-painted, and the spray-paint shows. The paint on mine was original and baked-on, for a very smooth finish that was just shy of high gloss. Mine also had a lovely gold decal, which this one undoubtedly HAD, before it was re-painted. Mine had rear-view mirrors on both sides, which this one lacks, but not the spotlight. If you’ve ever tried to locate a house-number in the night-time darkness on a street you don’t know, the value in having that spotlight becomes obvious. But I had amber foglights, which this one lacks — handy for seeing and being seen in dense fog. Mine also had the backup light, as this one has. I don’t see the turn-signal kit, here, which mine had. And this one has NO HEATER! Admittedly, the hot water heaters in these weren’t much for actual HEAT. And the Southwind gasoline-burning heater, which worked very well, was something of an awful fire-hazard. This one appears to lack the window washer and decorative bumper guards/extenders which mine had. One accessory I utterly LOVED, being short from my seat to my head, was that polarised visor-extender which allowed me to drive straight toward the setting or rising sun, without hurting my eyes, and not having to put the Manhattan telephone directory under me, to get the sun above the edge of the sun visor. I do not see the control for Columbia Overdrive in this one — utterly essential for driving on the Interstate. Mine had the fancier 1942-style parking-lights, not the plain round ones used in 1947 and 1948. The 1946 grille was nicer, too, with red accents, and the 1946 hubcaps were dressier. The dashboard, here, is highly familiar. But in my 1946, the steel frame of it was a very dark metallic bluish-grey, and the plastic (which is plain beige on this ’48), was a kind of swirly mother-of-pearl grey on mine. Mine had a die-cast chrome and red stylised “8” mounted to the stainless glove-compartment strip (if you had the six, you didn’t get one) — they stopped adding that for 1947 and 1948. My steering wheel was the same, except for its colours. The gauges were MUCH nicer on the ’46 — black, with backlit red numbers. Clear gauges on this one are no surprise — their “lenses” are GLASS. But the 1947-’48 gauges have a much cheaper look. The radio looks the same, but the 1947-’48 unit was made by Spartan Radio, whereas my 1946 radio was a Zenith “Long Distance”, which could pick up long-range signals as well as a Packard radio, even though it was rather clunky to tune. I tried the tuning on a new old stock Spartan 1947 radio, and the tuning was smooth — but I have no idea how it would have functioned actually in a car as a radio. Physically, it was just like the Zenith I had, except that the dial-numbers on the Spartan were more finely defined. My radio antenna was atop the peak of the roof, just behind the centre “bone” of the windshield, and it could be raised and lowered from inside the car (one slight disadvantage: in a hard rain, it leaked slightly). This 1948 has the antenna out on the driver’s side fender. Other than these details, the 1947-’48 Ford was essentially the same as the 1946, and not that different to the 1942. But WOW! — the SHOCK in June of 1948, when the all-new 1949 appeared! — like something from outer-space! What I would LIKE to find, is a 1946 Super Deluxe flathead V-8 Fordor sedan in beautiful “survivor” condition (I might be about 40 years too late for that).
Hello, Frog. Your “bucket-list” seems strenuous, at my age. I doubt (even if I had unlimited funds), that my constitution would take all of that, now. Maybe forty years ago, I could have done it. But now, when I travel someplace, I need time to “recover”! (smile). And it seems that any time I consume an item that my stomach has not regularly/routinely encountered, I do PAY for such adventuresomeness for up to three days afterwards! But I am grateful to still walk the earth, and not lie underneath six feet of it!
Hello Harrison,
I’m in agreement with you on that. Sometimes my mind takes on more than I can realistically handle physically. And as overwhelming as the task is i am going to have to streamline my list. I don’t have to consume a massive amount of food. Just a taste or sample will satisfy.
I have a small number of friends that I get together to dine out with. I’m hoping to expand that to include going to visit some of the collector car museums and dealers which would be awesome if Barn Finds would do coverage on. I have visited places in Illinois Iowa and Minnesota that have dozens to hundreds of cars in varying conditions. It might be daunting to look at those that are outside in the elements but those that have been placed indoors might be doable.
To Frog: Acknowledged.