Although the Ford’s DeLuxe 1940 models have timeless appeal, there is a strong, if smaller, constituency for 1939s. This crossover year boasts the last of the floor shifters, full-pane side windows with “Clear Vision” draftless vent operation, and crank-out windshields with the first year of hydraulic brakes. The ’39s are also the last DeLuxe Fords to have the clean, pointed nose penned by E.T. “Bob” Gregorie, of which Edsel Ford was so fond. For the first time the headlights were recessed smoothly into the front fenders, but for the last time they had free-form lenses, unconstrained by the new round shape of standardized sealed beams.

The sole coupe model was a five-window design, with a single bench seat for three people. This allowed the car to boast two luggage compartments, one reached by raising the trunk lid, the other from inside by lifting the seatback. The coupe was available as either a Standard or DeLuxe model, the former with a choice of the small 60-hp V-8 or the 221-cu. in. 85-bhp powerplant. Standard Fords had a variation of the 1938 nose, less exterior trim, and but a single taillight. In DeLuxe trim, cars had the new Gregorie front end, two taillights, and came with the 85-horse engine as standard equipment. Despite its limited seating, the coupe proved quite popular, with 37,326 manufactured of all types. This placed it third in sales, behind the Tudor and Fordor sedans.

The owner of this DeLuxe coupe, a collector of high-quality early Ford V-8s, learned of it in the early 1990s through Bob Dixon, a dealer in Rockford, Illinois. A well-preserved original, it showed just 36,000 miles, undoubtedly original. Desiring the highest-quality restoration, he consigned it to Wayne Moore, a renowned specialist in these cars and restorer for noted collector Benny Bootle. It was, in fact, the last restoration that Moore completed in his career. No effort or expense was spared, and on its 2000 debut at the Early Ford V-8 Club of America’s Eastern Meet in Concord, North Carolina, it scored an amazing 999 out of 1,000 points.

During the next five years, it advanced in Early Ford V-8 competition to win the coveted “Dearborn Award.” In AACA judging it received Junior Grand National honors in 2000 at Moline, Illinois, culminating in the Senior Grand National award at Sarasota, Florida, the following year. Since retiring from active competition, it has been lovingly kept and exercised sparingly. The current odometer reading shows fewer than 30 miles.

It is equipped with a Ford radio with retractable windshield header antenna and a door-hinge rear-view mirror on the driver’s side. Of great import is the Columbia two-speed axle, a Ford option during the period. With the axle in its higher gear, sustained freeway speeds are pleasurable and sustainable on long journeys. The car is offered fresh from a complete detailing and service at Jim Lowrey’s shop in Tilton, New Hampshire.

While “crossover” vehicles are all the rage today, this sumptuous Ford V-8 coupe is a crossover from another age, when handy old features gave way to new technology. That makes it a milestone on the road of automotive history.