1932 Ford Speedster

 

Ford Model 18 Speedster

 

The 1932 Ford Speedster had a flathead V-8 engine, the forerunner of the modern Ford V8. It also came with a starter button, as opposed to an in-ignition key which is only now, 90- years later, starting to catch on

“The coolest part about this car is that it’s as close to a factory hot rod as any car could possibly be, ... The bones of it are steeped in history, and its DNA is all Ford." - Dave Kinney, publisher of the Hagerty Price Guide.”

Edsel, the crown prince of the Henry Fords Automotive Empire travelled to pre-World War I continental Europe where he observed trends in European car design . Upon his return from one such trip in 1932, Edsel teamed up with designer, E.T. “Bob” Gregorie, to mastermind a speedster that reflected the styling in European cars that he venerated. The end result was a sleek elongated and streamlined low rider,

There was a similar model produced by Ford, the Ford Model B. The Model B was somewhat successful but lacked any unique design features that would've peaked the public interest. The Model B was followed by the Ford Speedster and at first glance seemed like its younger twin.

The "new and improved" model B aka the Ford Speedster had several key advantages over its predecessor. For starters it wasn't fully designed by Automobile specialists, but aviation engineers, which may account for its sleek aerodynamic appearance. In addition many of it's parts were taken directly or repurposed from the Ford Tri-Motor Aircraft. Most of all however it incorporated Fords newly released Flathead V8 engine. This Flathead V8 would eventually evolve into what we now know as the Ford V8.

It's possible, but not very likely that you'll find one of these gems hiding behind some old barn boards, if you do however, I'd head off to the closest convenience store and scoff up some lottery tickets because it is truly your lucky day. There were 15,115 produced worldwide, a tad more than 9,000 came with the V8. Only three are KNOWN to have survived.

In 2016 one of the surviving 1932 Ford Speedsters sold at auction for $770,000

Apart from this 1932 Ford Model 18 aka Ford Speedster, the only other Speedster known is owned by the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House museum in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. The museum isn’t likely to ever part with theirs. Allegedly there's a third one out there somewhere but nobody can say where or by whom it is owned.