No. 036 of 207
The term 1932 Ford may refer to three models of automobile produced by Ford Motors between 1932 and 1934: the Model B, the Model 18, and the Model 40. These succeeded the Model A. The Model B had an updated four-cylinder engine and was available from 1932 to 1934.
Rather than just updating the Model A, Ford launched a completely new vehicle for 1932. The V8 was marketed as the Model 18 in its initial year, but was commonly known as the Ford V8. It had the new flathead V8 engine. The Model 18 was the first low-priced, mass-marketed car to have a V8 engine, an important milestone in the American automotive industry. The 221 cu in (3.6 L) V8 was rated at 65 horsepower (48 kW; 66 PS), but power increased significantly with improvements to the carburetor and ignition in succeeding years. The V8 was more popular than the four-cylinder, which was essentially a variant of the Model A engine with improvements to balancing and lubrication.
The 1932 Ford was available in 7 body styles; 3-door roadster, 2-door coupe, 2-door sedan, 4-door sedan, 2-door cabriolet, 4-door phaeton (like this one) and a pickup.
The V8 was available in the Model 18 in 1932, and in the Model 40 in 1933 & 1934. The company also replaced the Model AA truck with the Model BB, available with either the four- or eight-cylinder engine.
The three car models were replaced by the streamlined Model 48 in 1935 which used the same chassis as its predecessor. The 1937 Ford would be the last to use the old 1932 chassis until 1940 when the car line of Ford was completely redesigned.
Today, the 1932 Ford is a highly collectible car. However, they were once inexpensive cars popular with hot rod enthusiasts who would tear them apart and use them as the foundation for a hot rod build. This is partly why it is so hard to find an unaltered 1932 Ford today.
This vehicle is a good example of that of a 1932 Ford that was rebuilt as a hot rod.
The picture featured on the front cover of the Beach Boys' 1963 album Little Deuce Coupe was supplied by Hot Rod magazine, and features the body (with his head cropped in the photo) of the car's owner Clarence 'Chili' Catallo and his own customized three-window 1932 Ford coupe.
Specs our car…
1948 Ford engine
Aluminum cylinder heads
Carter 4-barrel carburetor
Pre-War Classics / 1916–1941
