Ford does not build many cars like the Ford V8: a 2-door roadster / 2-door coupe / 4-door sedan / 4-door convertible / 4-door station wagon / 2-door pickup / 3-door van with 221 cuin Flathead V8, built from 1935 to 1936 when streamlining and independent suspension were arriving together.
Where it came from
The Ford Model 48 is a car produced by Ford Motor Company. It was an update on Ford's V8-powered Model 40A, the company's main product. Introduced in 1935, the Model 48 was given a cosmetic refresh annually, begetting the 1937 Ford before being thoroughly redesigned for 1941. The 1935 Ford's combination of price, practicality, and looks vaulted the company ahead of rival Chevrolet for the sales crown that year, with 820,000 sold.
Under the skin
Under the skin sits 221 cuin Flathead V8. The gearbox is a 3-speed sliding-mesh manual. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 112 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
Where it sits in Ford's history is not in doubt: the Ford Model 18 / Ford Model 40A came before it; the 1937 Ford followed it; it was built at Atlanta, Georgia. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Bugatti Type 57, the Chevrolet Suburban, the Volkswagen Beetle. Nearby in the Ford catalogue sit the Ford 021C and the Ford Escort.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Ford V8 has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.