Eric Minoff
Vice President, Head of Department - US
LOT 83
1947 Ford V8 Super Deluxe Sportsman 'Woodie' Convertible Chassis no. 799A1675807
Sold for US$50,400 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 83
1947 Ford V8 Super Deluxe Sportsman 'Woodie' Convertible
1947 Ford V8 Super Deluxe Sportsman 'Woodie' Convertible
Chassis no. 799A1675807
Chassis no. 799A1675807
239ci OHV V8 Engine
Single Holley Carburetor
100bhp at 3,600rpm
3-Speed Manual Gearbox with Overdrive and 2-Speed Columbia Rear Axle
Front and Rear Leaf Spring Suspension
4-Wheel Drum Brakes
* One of only 102 survivors
* Restored in the USA
* European owned since 1984
* Long-term private ownership of 38 years
THE FORD SPORTSMAN
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. Styling followed the lines of the superseded Model A, but with an extra 25bhp the newcomer's performance was in an entirely different league. Engine development proceeded at a brisk pace and by 1936 the V8's initial problems had been overcome and maximum power raised to 85bhp. The original 221ci (3,622cc) V8 was joined by a smaller 136ci (2,227cc) 60bhp version from 1936.
While the number of body styles available on the long-running Model T chassis had been relatively limited, the arrival of its Model A successor for 1928 had ushered in an era of much greater variety and choice. New body styles for '29 included a wood-bodied Station Wagon, the first of the latter being built on 25th April 1929. The station wagon's body style was nicknamed 'Woodie', and in later years would be extended to other models such as the Sportsman two-door convertible offered here. Ford's '47 convertibles were available only on the top-of-the-range Super Deluxe chassis, and so came with the 239ci (3.9-liter) V8 engine producing 100 horsepower. The V8 engine was a big success in performance and reliability as a million units had been exported to China as stationary engines for the production of electricity in Chiang Kai-shek's army.
Commencing in the autumn of 1945, surprised like the other manufacturers by the sudden end of the war, Henry Ford II commissioned his designers to produce a spectacular model using the company's expertise in using wood, thanks to their factory located at Iron Mountain in the forests of Michigan. This artisan type construction was made possible with the experience and knowledge of working both mahogany and ash in this specialist craftsmanship.
THE CAR OFFERED
One of a mere 102 still existing, this rare sporting Ford was purchased, completely restored, in the USA and imported into Switzerland in April 1984 by a Swiss collector. The honorary president of the Royal Historical Vehicle Club of Belgium, the current vendor, purchased the car from him and imported it into Belgium in September of the same year. It subsequently visited Switzerland again, as evidenced by the Category Award obtained in 2002 at the Geneva Motor Show. In 2007 this Ford 'Woodie' was one of the star attractions at the Sports Utility-themed exhibition at the Brussels Motor Show (photograph on file). Other photographs show the car in the American section of the Autoworld Show in Brussels, and at Spa Francorchamps where it was used to drive Formula 1 stars Michael Schumacher and Ricardo Patrese around the circuit prior to the Grand Prix.
Returning to the land of its manufacture for the auction, this delightful and very rare 'Woodie' has been rallied cautiously on a close to yearly basis, but not too much, and is presented in nice overall condition. A desirable and rare post war Ford 'woodie' returning to its country of origin.
M. Schumacher and R. Patrese on the Spa-Francorchamps drivers presentation before the Grand Prix
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