Eric Minoff
Vice President, Head of Department - US
LOT 527
1947 Ford Super Deluxe Sportsman Convertible Chassis no. 799A1705068
Sold for US$179,200 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 527
1947 Ford Super Deluxe Sportsman Convertible
1947 Ford Super Deluxe Sportsman Convertible
Chassis no. 799A1705068
Chassis no. 799A1705068
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
* In the collection since 1957
* Comprehensively restored in the 1970s and preserved since
* Former AACA National First Prize Winner
* Exceptional example of its model
* Much loved family car
THE FORD SPORTSMAN
With the end of World War II, there was a huge demand by the civilian population for new cars. The Ford Motor Company, like other manufacturers, had devoted the previous four years to military orders. To hasten postwar production, Ford and the rest of the industry gave their 1942 models a facelift. One new style however appeared in the Ford line in 1946, the model 71, known as the Sportsman Convertible.
The company had been producing station wagons at the Iron Mountain plant on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan since the early 1930's. They owned extensive hardwood forests and had a state of the art sawmill and woodworking facility. During 1945, Henry Ford II ordered a wooden bodied convertible as a one-off for personal use. With prewar Chrysler wooden station wagons indicating the presence of a market, the decision to produce the "Sportsman" was made. The first car off the line was put on exhibition in Dearborn and on Christmas day, 1945 went to actress Ella Raines in Hollywood, while she was filming White Tie and Tails.
The 1946 model was priced $200 more than a conventional convertible, which sold for $1436. Production began in earnest in July of 1946 and continued until November of 1947. Total production was 3,525; with 723 in 1946, 2774 in 1947 and 28 for the 1948 model year, making it one of the rarest of all Fords.
The Sportsman used the same "motor-lift" top as the club convertible and had hydraulic push button windows borrowed from Lincoln. The wooden bodies were beautifully detailed and intricate, however the rear deck lid was a masterpiece of compound curved, dovetailed and finger-jointed craftsmanship.
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
This is one of the best known cars within this collection and its ownership dates back to its earliest days when the father was enjoying the hobby with his father, and in turn relayed that same passion to his son.
Although it has resided within the group in living memory of all those who knew the collectors, it was actually acquired when it was 10 years old for the princely sum of $420 from Washington Garage in Jamaica, New York, the receipt for which is on file. Its condition at that point is unknown, and it would seem that at that point it was in usable order and continued to be used until the mid-1970s.
At this juncture, as with the 1911 Ford Model T Torpedo Roadster, the Sportsman was subjected to an exceptionally high quality and well-detailed refurbishment for which a variety of letters, notes, research materials and correspondence are on file while this project was undertaken. To read through them is an exercise in understanding of the meticulous detail that the owner felt that work should be carried out when restoring a car properly. Today, such lengths are more often undertaken by an experienced shop, so to know that the work that was carried out was personally managed is all the more impressive.
When the years long rebuild was completed it received an AACA National First Prize Award and would be a noted sight at a variety of events. If one wants to understand the quality of the workmanship in the 1970s, one need look no further than the car itself today. More than 40 years after that rebuild, the car still presents extremely well today.
Its Pheasant Red paintwork has certainly bedded in and shows a little dulling in places, but it remains in remarkably good shape for its age, so too does the interior in rich caramel fabric, and its stylized dash is replete with its correct features. Of course, the most important aspect is the wood, which is in incredibly good shape and we understand from the file and family recollections is almost entirely original to the car, save for an area around the rear license plate, which suggests that the basis was very good to begin with.
Offered from 66 years of continuous ownership and only a two owner car from new, family photos show its owner grinning from ear to ear when posing beside his beloved Sportsman and it is easy to see why.
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
* In the collection since 1957
* Comprehensively restored in the 1970s and preserved since
* Former AACA National First Prize Winner
* Exceptional example of its model
* Much loved family car
THE FORD SPORTSMAN
With the end of World War II, there was a huge demand by the civilian population for new cars. The Ford Motor Company, like other manufacturers, had devoted the previous four years to military orders. To hasten postwar production, Ford and the rest of the industry gave their 1942 models a facelift. One new style however appeared in the Ford line in 1946, the model 71, known as the Sportsman Convertible.
The company had been producing station wagons at the Iron Mountain plant on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan since the early 1930's. They owned extensive hardwood forests and had a state of the art sawmill and woodworking facility. During 1945, Henry Ford II ordered a wooden bodied convertible as a one-off for personal use. With prewar Chrysler wooden station wagons indicating the presence of a market, the decision to produce the "Sportsman" was made. The first car off the line was put on exhibition in Dearborn and on Christmas day, 1945 went to actress Ella Raines in Hollywood, while she was filming White Tie and Tails.
The 1946 model was priced $200 more than a conventional convertible, which sold for $1436. Production began in earnest in July of 1946 and continued until November of 1947. Total production was 3,525; with 723 in 1946, 2774 in 1947 and 28 for the 1948 model year, making it one of the rarest of all Fords.
The Sportsman used the same "motor-lift" top as the club convertible and had hydraulic push button windows borrowed from Lincoln. The wooden bodies were beautifully detailed and intricate, however the rear deck lid was a masterpiece of compound curved, dovetailed and finger-jointed craftsmanship.
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
This is one of the best known cars within this collection and its ownership dates back to its earliest days when the father was enjoying the hobby with his father, and in turn relayed that same passion to his son.
Although it has resided within the group in living memory of all those who knew the collectors, it was actually acquired when it was 10 years old for the princely sum of $420 from Washington Garage in Jamaica, New York, the receipt for which is on file. Its condition at that point is unknown, and it would seem that at that point it was in usable order and continued to be used until the mid-1970s.
At this juncture, as with the 1911 Ford Model T Torpedo Roadster, the Sportsman was subjected to an exceptionally high quality and well-detailed refurbishment for which a variety of letters, notes, research materials and correspondence are on file while this project was undertaken. To read through them is an exercise in understanding of the meticulous detail that the owner felt that work should be carried out when restoring a car properly. Today, such lengths are more often undertaken by an experienced shop, so to know that the work that was carried out was personally managed is all the more impressive.
When the years long rebuild was completed it received an AACA National First Prize Award and would be a noted sight at a variety of events. If one wants to understand the quality of the workmanship in the 1970s, one need look no further than the car itself today. More than 40 years after that rebuild, the car still presents extremely well today.
Its Pheasant Red paintwork has certainly bedded in and shows a little dulling in places, but it remains in remarkably good shape for its age, so too does the interior in rich caramel fabric, and its stylized dash is replete with its correct features. Of course, the most important aspect is the wood, which is in incredibly good shape and we understand from the file and family recollections is almost entirely original to the car, save for an area around the rear license plate, which suggests that the basis was very good to begin with.
Offered from 66 years of continuous ownership and only a two owner car from new, family photos show its owner grinning from ear to ear when posing beside his beloved Sportsman and it is easy to see why.
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