Hot Rods Is the 1938 ford standard really the ugliest fat fender car?

It's defiantly the least desirable of all fat fendered cars but in my mind that's mostly because it's the least common... I understand that if we all had the same taste we would all be chasing around the same fat chick, but I would love to hear some thoughts from those of you who don't care for them and why.. So for now let's just compare the 38 standard with the much more popular 38 deluxe model..

 

Are you kidding,one look at Ryan's coupe proves they are not ugly! HRP

 

I think the standard grille is the better looking of the two.. I also feel their popularity is rising fast...

 

Not a chance, 38 coupes are great looking cars.

 

I have always thought they were cool cars.....

 

Either I'm getting old or someone put something in my coffee this morning.
There was a time when those grilles didn't do much for me, and I've never been a big whitewall fan, but that combination really works for me.
I could see myself owning that ^^^^^ car.

 

Maybe it's the " least desirable" fat fendered Ford, at least historically for Hot Rodders, but definitely not the ugliest fat fendered car. I personally prefer the lines on Ryan's car over my 46 Ford. If there was a vote, I find most of the fat fendered Dodge offerings to be ugly, although there are a few out there that have been built to be cool.
The beauty of what we do is that many times ugly can be fixed, and sometimes it doesn't take a whole lot to do so.


Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

Well that's why there are more than one song on a "jukebox"! I've never had the opinion that anyone thought my 38 standard was anything but cool. When we take it out to a freebe car-show or drive thru we get mobbed! Motorcycle guys particularly Harley gents always notice and give us a high five. Oh well to each his own.

 

There was a time, oh say 50 years ago (stop laughing punks) when the '37 was the red headed step child of the hot rod world (except for the roundy round guys who didn't care). Then in 1970 a guy named Orv Elgie finished a '37 sedan delivery that rocked the hobby and '37s took off. That left the '38 to pick up the mantle of "homely" that it's held ever since. Now I really like the '38 standard grille, and the coupe especially, but the deluxe and it's corresponding cousin, the '39 standard, just don't reach me (well, except for the pickup that had that nose grafted on, that looks bitchin'). Scrapmetal is talking himself into buying one, and DD is going blind..............so they can be forgiven.

 

I'd take either, but I'm more particular to the falling grille rather then the mustache in the wind version.

 

I'm a little prejudiced (my '38 in avatar), I like em!!

 

Deef too.
My wife asks; why is it you can never here me but you can here a hot rod from a mile away.

 

I like the standard a little better than the deluxe...but nothing is as ugly as a 46 ford pickup

 

You can make anything ugly if you try hard enough.

The "ugly ducklings" are not ugly at all just depends on who's lookin' at 'em I guess.

 

They ain't ugly as a sin, but they will never be Chevy 46 beautiful.

And the 38 is the red headed step child, when it comes to hot rods.


But they can be made to stand out, can even become a nice custom.

There is a guy on here building a 38 standard into a 3W coupe, looks like an zephyr coupe. Like that and Ryans a lot.

 

I would have to agree, I'm sure this is a question I could simply Google myself but one of you fellas probably knows.. Curious to the production numbers for 1938 deluxe vs standard.. Seems to me that I see more deluxe models that standard.

 

I like the 38 standard more than the 38 deluxe, but I also happen to like a 40 standard more than the 40 deluxe, so I guess I'm just strange

 

I remember a time when the 37 Ford was considered the ugly duckling in the Ford line up,I personally think once they dropped them they took on a entirely different look. HRP

 

note to self...bite tongue

 

They used to be ugly, but the've been rehabilitated as I get older.

 

no, the ugliest fords were made between 1941 and 1948
the '38 is a good looking car

 

Paul,even the 46 through 48 Fords have grown on me in recent years! HRP

 

Both the standard coupe and Tudor outsold the deluxe models in 38.
The rarest 38 model built was the standard sedan delivery, only 13.
This info courtesy of The V-8 Album, produced by the Early Ford V-8 Club of America, great book.

 

Have you ever taken a close look at the '37?

 

From what i have read over the years, the 38 standard was considered "ugly" in the day. Ugly = cheap= race car body. i have been told by old race car guys you could get them very cheap. You don't see a lot of them today. Thats why i like them,If you look at the old film of Daytona , where they are on the sand and hwy 1 ,i think you see quite a few of them.

 

I am with those who think the Standard looks better than the Deluxe. For a while I was thinking that the Standard version WAS a Deluxe because it looked better to me.
I still think the 37 is kinda ugly. I like the 38 Standard better but even the 37 got better looking with age. Wish I could say as much about myself.
But the 39 Deluxe is still perfection.

 

The '38 Ford is not the ugliest of the 'fat fendered Fords.' The '41 is.




But all of the '35-48 Fords are great looking cars with a little work and a good eye.

For the record, I have seen a whole bunch of ugly '36, '39, and '40 Fords. A car can't always rely on the good looks it was born with.

 

Never mind.................

 

There was a time, but not now. I would love to find one.

Oh yeah, I remember 4 Doors of any vintage were considered parts cars. That's changed as well.

 

Just my opinion, but I think the 41s win the ugly contest.