Features 1932 1933 1934 Ford Victoria

The 1934 Ford Victoria is considered BY MANY in the know as the MOST COLLECTIBLE STREET ROD with its beautiful styling for 1934 Ford and its special rear body lines of the coupe sedan Victoria. The Victoria was a deluxe top of the line body style with special sporty styling of a coupe sedan and nicknamed a Vicky. Ford started the Victoria model in 1930-31 as a Model A sedan with a humpback rear body and slant windshield. The 1932 and 1933 Victoria had a humpback rear body with no trunk and other Sedans didn't have a trunk either! Most Street Rods of the 1932 and 1933 Ford Vickies are fiberglass and have the humpback and many of these are mislabeled as a 1934. The 1934 Victoria was the only one with a very stylish slantback rear body with a hidden fold out trunk lid with a trunk which is most desirable. Also I think some early 1934 Ford Victorias had the slantback rear body without a trunk lid. Does anyone know about this?

 

I did not know that.Thanx for posting it.

 

We need some better examples to help decide. Right now I'm going with the '32.

 

Everyone has a special car they like but I personally prefer the 33 Vicky to the 34 with the cute humpback. The 33 is the most desirable by the people I know as they are really rare. The 32 Vicky has always been high on the collectable car list and bring top dollar today. The sloping rear on the 34 makes the car look wrong in the rear in my opinion. Here is the 33.

 

hot rod:32, stock or resto-rod 33, 40's mild custom 34

 

x2 x2

 

You might notice the 1933 Ford Victoria has a rear gas tank cover between the fenders at the rear of the bottom of the body. This compared to the 1934 with no gas tank cover is almost an after thought from the 1932, which had the gas tank made to look like a body panel.

The 1934 Ford Victoria is totally smooth in the back giving a very sleek looking appearance. The gas tank is hidden under the body.

 

I'll rephrase that as one of the most collectible. The 1934 Ford Victoria is now becoming even more collectible as far as 1932-34 Ford Street Rods. This is because they Repro in steel or fiberglass; the 1932 Ford Roadster, 1932 Ford 3-Window. Repro in fiberglass; 1932 Victoria, 1933 Victoria, 1933-34 3-Window, 5-window Coupes, Phaetons, and other bodies. I'm talking about being a collectible car and not just a work of great craftsmanship as many Street Rods are.

 

Actually I like them all, but since I'm building a Duece tudor, I do prefer the 32.

 

'32 Victoria any day of the week. HRP

 

'32 will always win because it's a '32.

 

According to The Early Ford V-8 as Henry Built It by Francis and DeAngelis, which is generally quite accurate, the 1933 style bustle body remained in production until May of 1934, when it was replaced by the slantback body with exterior luggage compartment lid. Both body types carry the same 40-740 model number, apparently. Personally, I've never seen a slantback Victoria without the lid, FWIW.

Great post and fun quiz, thanks!

 

I had a very rough '32 Vicky body, sure would like to have a nice roller some day. If I had the funds I'd talk a friend out of his '33 Vicky. That flat back '34 looks like a Sedan Delivery without the blocked out rear windows IMO. Bob

 

Henry had rocks in his head when he got the back of the 33/34 Vicky.
There's so much style and flow to those cars - until you get to the back.
It's Like somebody ran the sexy swoopy car thru a bandsaw and broke down the corners. I never could figure out the 33/34 ford Vicky and don't like them. If they are the most desirable "street rod", well "street rod" explains a lot.

Henry used the 30/31 Vicky as a test bed for many of the 32 new design ideas. The 30/31 Vicky is quite different than model A cars.

I also think your use of the terms "humpback" and "slantback" doesn't suit the Vicky body style because they are already used to classify other cars. Then when using the terms, making a comparison of the 33 32 into the same rear treatment doesn't seem correct to me at all. The 30-31& 32 have a similar ass treatment and the 33/34 is where Henry lost it, the 33 & 34 have that droopy old ladies ass treatment. Not only that, unless someone chops it very unorthodox to get it right, every single one of them looks like the grill is too high. The roofline throws the flow off.

Chevy had the same body style but called theirs the "5 passenger coupe", and that one had a trunk. Lots of other manufactures had the Vicky body style and the name "Victoria" was used to differentiate the body styles.

 

I'm pretty sure I like which ever one is cheaper. They all will look great when built right.

 

I have to go against the grain for my choice of which Vicky to hot rod.
Love the A and the 32's body lines and feel you can just do more with the Model A. Fendered, hiboy, Duece grille shell, Model A grille shell. Personally I thnk the 33 and 34 need fenders to look their best.
But, they are ALL beautiful cars. Stock, the Duece wins hands down.

 

This what I mean:
If you can ignore the roofline, you see the body line flows right to the grill. But if you have to look at the whole car, the grill looks too high for the flow of the car. They need about 1-1/2" more chop out of the rear that the rear. Oops, people hit their head on the roof back their.

 

I like the A best out of all of them, but thats just me.

 

I though this was kinda cool
Tequila and tape lol

 

Even my fatass could get in and out of those doors.

 

When I built my 33 ( was a Fordor ) I added a Trunklid having had experience driving and using both 33 and a 34 the storage space is not just a luxury it is a necessity

 

Yes, that is much nicer than the '33 photo you posted before it. Maybe it is the photo angle but the belt moulding droops front to back, in the cut and paste it is dead straight and everything flows nicely. Bob

 

I prefer the Deuce Vicky, but then I am biased;-)
I must disagree with the OP though. 33s are generally preferred to '34s. The 34 Vicky wasn't really a Vicky anymore but more a hump back. Those who find the rears unattractive, should remember that, Edsel and Gregory put the spare wheel or luggage rack there.


Twitter @edsrodshop

 

Bob, the "droop" is optical caused by the eye looking at the roof lines because the body line curves up towards the rear. They drug the body line and bottom of the rear 1/4 windows up so that those windows don't appear to be as much above the fronts as they really are. The top window line goes up and thats so folks in the back dont hit their head and thats because the floor pan does not dip enough. The 33/34 Vicky roof line has a serious forward rake to it, the body line tries to catch up with the roof and the result is Un pleasing to the eyes. Droop, grill too high, broken at the cowl, Maybe the most beautiful thing ever -everyone is different but those are the mechanics of it.

 

From a rear view the 33 is it. The little bustle makes the car. As far as too high or too low here or there, not seein it. 32s tend to get the nod for no more reason than the model year, but if you view the car as a whole I think the 33 combined one of the best closed car efforts from before and that lovely Model 40 grille with the swept hood louvers seals the deal. I almost don't like 34s in any style. Almost, yet they tend to make a very mean and nasty full boogie hot rod coupe. Think Monneyham and Sharpe 554 (?). As a mild driver closed tudor with a rear seat in an early V8 style, 33 Vicky all the way. But of course this is just a prelude to the 36-40 styles that move the soul just as much. My .02

 

I would love to have any ford Vicky ,but money rules so I make do with my clunkers

 

I agree with you about the '33 Victoria. You get the look of a '33-'34 in front, and the look of the '32 Vic in the back.

 

The louvers on that '33 surely look like a Deuce side panel.

 

My feelings are the over all best version is the '32, followed by the "A".

I don't care for the look of either model 40 Vicky, neither the bustle on the '33 or the flat
back on the '34 seem to follow the style of the rest of the body, the way the return on the normal sedan bodies do.

To me, the flat back style goes pretty much OK with the '35-'36 bodies; but really flows nice on the '37's.

 

Here is a photo of a 1934 Ford Victoria slantback with no trunk. Anyone know about this and when it was produced.

I prefer the 1934 Ford Victoria with the hidden trunk lid the best. If you ever put stuff in the back seat of a Sedan Victoria you know what I mean. I like all 1930-34 Victoria's but no trunk is a hassel, especially if you got chairs for sitting at a show. The 1934 Ford Victoria with a trunk is the most collectible and unique with a hidden gas tank under the rear body.