Model 40. 85 bhp, 221 cu in L-head V-8 engine, three-speed manual transmission, solid front axle and live rear axle with transverse semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel mechanical drum brakes. Wheelbase: 112"

• Handsome Model 40 roadster with flathead power

• Body-off restoration

Henry Ford’s new V-8 was popular right from its April 1932 introduction. That car, a mildly-restyled version of the Model A that it replaced, had a subtle cachet, while also retaining a distinct marque heritage. Despite some teething problems with the new engine, the car performed well and quickly earned a reputation for spirited acceleration and sturdy construction.

For 1933, Edsel Ford wanted a more graceful design than the 1932 model. It was he who came up with the idea of using E.T. Gregorie’s British Model Y concept for the lengthened 1933 American Ford. The draftsmen scaled it up, and the Model Y’s proportions became, if anything, more beautiful in the process. For 1934, the grille was given a crisper leading edge, and new hub caps were fitted. Mechanical changes included a new Stromberg two-barrel carburetor, good for ten more horsepower.

This 1934 Ford DeLuxe Roadster has been the subject of a body-off restoration. Beautiful in black, with correct Aurora Red wheels and pinstripe, it has a new LeBaron Bonney top and side curtains and correct brown leather interior and rumble seat. Accessories include wheel trim rings and a greyhound mascot. All chrome is excellent, and the glass is all in the correct Ford script motif. The tires are Firestone wide whitewalls.

Ford built barely 6,000 DeLuxe roadsters in 1934, out of nearly 600,000 cars. Uncommon when new, many of them were modified into hot rods or customs, when their value was low. Original and correctly-restored cars are thus hard to find. This is a particularly excellent example.