Model 46. 85 hp, 221 cu. in. L-head V-8 engine, three-speed manual transmission, live axle suspension with transverse leaf springs, and four-wheel mechanical drum brakes. Wheelbase: 112 in.

• Very well looked after and mechanically sorted

• Ex-Richard C. Paine Jr. Collection

Henry Ford championed the American farmer. He envisioned a country full of bucolic family farms and owned large tracts of farmland in Michigan, and he even developed an idealistic series of small factories to employ rural families, building subassemblies for Ford vehicles.

Over the years, he invested millions in the Fordson tractors to bring affordable mechanization to small farms. The Fordson tractor plant was the first large scale manufacturing and assembly operation to go into operation at Ford’s Rouge Plant after World War I’s “Eagle” subchaser production ended, the anchor of what would become the largest vertically integrated manufacturing facility in the world.

Curiously, however, Ford trucks were an afterthought. The first Ford trucks were aftermarket kits created by a wide variety of entrepreneurial manufacturers who perceived the need for commercial transportation and seized upon the opportunity to capitalize on it, creating modification packages to strengthen, lengthen, and raise the carrying capacity of the basic Model T. Even in the thirties, as Ford struggled against competition, and also against the economic collapse of the Great Depression, to utilize its manufacturing capacity, Ford’s enterprise concentrated all its creativity on passenger cars.

This example from 1934 is a very nice representation of the V-8 pickup. It has been in the current ownership for the last six or so years and was used regularly last season. Approximately two decades ago, it resided in the famed collection of Richard C. Paine Jr. Given its placement in such an important collection, it demonstrates the true importance of the flathead V-8 in the life of the American worker. Finished in green with black upholstery, this example requires nothing to continue to serve as a fun driver, parade truck, or even a utility vehicle, just as when new.