1949 Ford V8 Pilot Saloon

• Model unique to the UK
• One of the more capable family saloons of its day
• Acquired for the Bishop Collection in 2018
• Requires re-commissioning

Produced from 1947 to 1951, Ford's rugged Pilot saloon was created by pepping-up the pre-war 2.2-litre Model 62 with the larger 3.6-litre V8. The V8 engine was no novelty when Henry Ford introduced the Ford V8 in 1932, but never before had such an engine been produced successfully in large numbers and at so low a price. V8 styling followed the lines of the superseded Model A, but with an extra 25bhp on tap the newcomer boasted a level of performance in an entirely different league. Engine development proceeded at a brisk pace and by the mid-1930s the V8's initial problems had been overcome and maximum power raised to 85bhp.
By this time Ford's UK operation had moved from Trafford Park in Manchester to Dagenham in Essex where production of the V8 commenced in 1932, coincidentally with that of the 8hp Model Y. Dagenham's V8 was produced in several variations as the 1930s decade progressed, the Pilot's direct ancestor first appearing in 1937 in the form of the unique-to-the-UK Model 62, which deployed the 22hp (2,227cc) 'flat head' motor in a short-wheelbase chassis.
When civilian production recommenced after WW2, the Model 62 was revived as the Pilot. Originally intended to use the under-powered 2½-litre V8 of pre-war days, the Pilot reached production with the tried and tested 3.6-litre V8 under the bonnet, Ford's change of mind thereby creating one of the more capable family saloons of the era. One of the Pilot's more unusual features was its braking system, which combined hydraulic operation at the front with mechanical at the rear, while its built-in hydraulic jacks were unique among Fords.
Previously owned by a Mr Martyn Callaghan (from 2002), this V8 Pilot was acquired for the Bishop Collection in August 2018. Bills on file include one for an electronic ignition kit (2016) but it failed to work correctly and the car was returned to running on points and condenser. There are other bills on file for regrinding the crankshaft (2020) and rebuilding the cylinder block (2021), while the car also comes with an instruction book and a copy of The Story of the V8 Pilot by Mick Gamble. Re-commissioning will be required before the Pilot returns to the road and thus it is sold strictly as viewed.