By 1931, dwindling sales of Ford’s Model A prompted many to write off Henry Ford’s car company as being unable to keep up with the times. However, Ford had an ace up his sleeve with the revolutionary V-8 model line, which he developed in secret and introduced on March 31st, 1932. Henry Ford’s insistence on a low-priced V-8 engine, against the four and six-cylinder competition, was a stroke of engineering and marketing genius. The Flathead powered most Ford cars and trucks until its replacement by an overhead-valve V-8 in 1954, but aesthetics were not ignored. The new models featured rounded corners, a slanted windscreen and a perfectly proportioned radiator shell. Nearly 300,000 of these “baby Lincolns” were sold in 1932, and the Roadster remains a favorite today, although only a small number of the original 6,893 units built survive in original form today.

This 1932 Ford Deluxe Roadster retains its original V-8 engine and is finished in Washington Blue, complemented by a brown interior. It received a total body-off-frame restoration by Homer Ladd of Placerville, California, who is acknowledged as one of California’s premier early Ford restorers. His considerable abilities are very much evident with this example, which was correctly restored to Early Ford V-8 Club award-winning standards. Period features include dual side-mounted spare tires, wind wings, a rear-mounted luggage rack and a Greyhound radiator mascot. A correct, all-steel example of Ford’s dashing roadsters from the landmark 1932 introductory year of the Ford V-8, this Deluxe Roadster is a lovely example of one of the most beloved and sought-after cars in the classic-car hobby today.