Want to build your dream 1940 Ford coupe hot rod, but don't want to feel guilty about cutting up an original '40 Ford? Well now you can build your dream rod thanks to Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts. Just in time for SEMA, Ford will display a bare metal body and a hot rod built using the new preproduction body. The bodies can be bought fairly reasonably at about $12,000. Which is not bad when compared with finding, buying, shipping, and then repairing an original body.
The 1940 Ford is just one of many classic cars gaining the support and blessings of their original manufacturer for a full reproduction. It joins the classic 1932 Ford and 1964-1970 Mustangs. I've also included a picture of an all original '40 Deluxe Coupe spotted in Hershey.
Source: Ford Motor Co.
Press release:
DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 26, 2012 – One of the most cherished
and collected classic cars of the pre-World War II and hot rod era – the
iconic 1940 Ford Coupe – is the latest addition to Ford Motor Company’s
growing stable of officially licensed all-steel reproduction car
bodies.
Available now for ordering, and complementing the 1965-70 Mustang
bodies, the 1940 Ford Coupe body is also constructed of modern,
high-strength steel and is assembled using modern welding techniques.
The new body comes rustproofed from the factory and is ready to be
assembled as a custom hot rod or as a faithful tribute to the original.
At the upcoming Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show
in Las Vegas, Ford will display a custom 1940 Ford hot rod built using a
reproduction body and a new bare body shell that demonstrates the
high-quality construction. Prices start at $11,900 plus shipping. The
full body shell as well as individual steel panels are available through
Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts, http://www.dennis-carpenter.com.
The fully built, copper-colored SEMA show car sports a new
5.0-liter V8 engine, four-speed automatic transmission and Mustang II
front suspension. The roof has also been chopped or lowered to give the
car an even meaner look.
“Like its older 1932 Deuce Coupe and younger Mustang siblings, the
1940 Ford is a bodystyle and design that represents Ford at its best,”
said Dennis Mondrach, Ford Restoration Parts licensing manager. “The
1940 Ford Coupe has always been highly sought after and collectible.
Unfortunately, good, solid restorable examples have become hard to find
and expensive, so this faithful reproduction is bound to prove popular.”
The ’40 Ford: Part of American culture
The 1940 Ford has had a major influence on post-World War II
America, said Detroit automotive historian Joe Cabadas, author of “’40
Ford: Evolution * Design * Racing * Hot Rodding.”
“Bootleggers down south always wanted to know who had the fastest
car,” said Cabadas. “Because of its lightweight V8 engine, they started
racing them on Sundays, and that is the beginning of stock car racing.”
After World War II, the 1940 Ford was at the forefront of another
major cultural movement – hot rodding. The ’40 Ford got noticed by World
War II veterans, who began buying up the cars and turning them into hot
rods by adding performance equipment to the car’s flathead V8 engine.
The 1940 Ford has been a fixture in Hollywood, appearing in
countless TV shows and movies such as “American Graffiti,” “Bugsy” and
“Mulholland Drive.”
“With their big fenders and integrated headlights, the 1937-40 Ford
was one of the first streamlined cars from Ford Motor Company,” Cabadas
said. “Edsel Ford had a hand in its style. He wanted a family look for
Ford and Lincoln vehicles, and so you can see some Lincoln Zephyr in it.
The 1940 was also one of the few cars in its price class with a V8.”
Reproduction body: A blank canvas
Hobbyists looking to build a hot rod using the new 1940 body are
limited only by their imagination and budget. The new body is available
with a stock firewall that accommodates the original flathead V8.
However, for those looking for greater performance from a modern
powertrain, the new 1940 Ford body can alternatively be ordered with a
recessed firewall that will allow much larger modern engines to be
installed.
As with the officially licensed reproduction parts available for
the 1965-70 Mustang bodies, Ford also supports the 1940 Ford with an
array of correct mechanical and trim restoration parts. To see what is
available for the 1940, visit www.fordrestorationparts.com.
Dennis Carpenter, owner of one of the nation’s largest classic Ford
restoration parts companies, owes his start in the business more than
40 years ago to the 1940 Ford.
Carpenter was having trouble locating a good used set of dash knobs
for a car he was restoring – and still owns – so he approached Ford and
obtained permission to reproduce the knobs using original factory
blueprints and designs. Today his company, Dennis Carpenter Ford
Restoration Parts, produces many Ford-licensed parts for the 1940 Ford.
With the body now back in production, Carpenter is gearing up to add
even more trim parts for the car.
“When you see a beautifully restored 1940 Ford, it is like a piece
of jewelry,” Carpenter said. “People just really love the lines of that
car. It is timeless and appeals to all ages.”
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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 168,000 employees and about 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 168,000 employees and about 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.
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