Nice references. Interesting to note that the '51 Victorias all started out as convertibles. In an effort to come up with a viable competitor for Chevys' hardtop,Ford took the convertible bodies and put a very handsome roof on them.
Quick & dirty ways from side/profile view - 49 & 50 look at where grille wraps around front fender - 49 has a pointed "spear" and 50 has a "block". 51 is easy because of ugly trim on rear body line toward taillights. Victoria is obvious. Of course, all these parts can be interchanged and there are several other differences outlined in the literature as well...
This thread is good . If it does nothing else itll teach people to stop calling their 54 Fords shoeboxes.
I haven't looked at the answer yet, but I'll bet it's Robert Mitchum's car from "Thunder Road". He refers to it as "the 50" in the movie, but it IS a '51 with a '50 grille and (as I recall) a '49 hood.
Ayup, and shaved taillight trim and '50 taillights. I went to high school with Robert's son Jim, who brought that car to school one day.
This is a great post--reminds me: I still need a '49 rear bumper! Seriously, though, that '78 spotters guide is cool. Wish it differentiated the various '49-'51 speedometers. And the Thunder Road car is really cool. Never knew it had had that much body panel switching done. Theo
Same here. I must have seen that movie a hundred times over the yrs. (from when I was 8 yrs. old) and I'm now almost 59. I didn't notice the "Hollywood Bodywork" either.
And for those who didn't know, it was his son, Jim, who played his younger brother in the movie. Must have been pretty cool to go to school with. Don't want to hiJack this great '49-'51 thread, but did Jim ever do much further acting? I can't remember ever seeing him in any other role.
Looks like he did a number of roles, but nothing particularly noteworthy: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0593848/
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