Sunday, March 29, 2015

1949 Ford Sedan

The 1949 Ford is one of the most iconic and important cars in the history of the American automobile industry. During World War 2 civilian automobile production was halted in the US and all car manufacturing plants converted to making tanks and other military vehicles. The 49' Ford was the first new car design to debut after the war's conclusion. It was one of the first cars to feature a coil spring suspension and a modern driveshaft (which marked the death of torque-tube drive systems in Ford cars.) The sales of the 49' Ford and it's cousin the Mercury 8, broke records and saved Ford from financial disaster. Without this car we would not have Ford with us today. I found this pristine example parked in front of a downtown church. This example is a 4-door model but the car was available in various 2 door configurations as well including sedan, coupe, hardtop, convertible, and station wagon. Buyers had the choice of a inline-6 cylinder engine producing 95 horsepower or the infamous flathead v8 that produced 100 horsepower. Both engines came mated to a 3-speed manual transmission with a column shifter. Revolutionary as the car was at it's time it still serves as a sign of how far we have come as well. The heavy all steel construction car was stopped by drum brakes at all four corners, no seatbelts, worm and ball gear steering system and leaf springs on the rear. The 49 Ford is one of the iconic American cars and it's place in history is secure.

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