Happy Birthday 1934 Ford

I’m jumping the gun a bit early as the new 1934 Ford wasn’t actually introduced till the last possible minute, in a classic Henry Ford move of the era. The ‘new and slightly improved’ ’34 Ford models weren’t actually introduced until early December of 1933. So what were the improvements? New hood design, updated grille shell, smaller headlights, a small bump in horsepower, and a few details. It was also the last year that a customer could order the ‘Model B’ 50 hp four-cylinder motor. The big news for Ford’s bottom line was that production sales increased to well over half a million units for the year! In my mind, the 1934 ‘Model 40’ also stands out as the very last year of what could be made into a traditional hot rod Ford… It’s the final model year that someone could pull the fenders and running boards plum off the car and still achieve a ‘racy’ look.  For my money, the Three Window Coupe or Roadster still look like rolling art, with or without the fenders!

Just watch the first 7:50 of this film to see some nifty 1934 Ford promotional footage: