Topic: 40 Business Coupe how many?


thunder road    -- 07-06-2017 @ 4:04 AM
  There were a total number of 15,047 "1940" ford standard "business coupes" produced. How many 1940 deluxe "business coupes" were produced? Lastly how many 1940 deluxe "coupes" were produced, and how many standard 1940 "coupes" were produced? Domenic

Domenic


TomO    -- 07-06-2017 @ 6:13 AM
  The V-8 Album shows the following numbers:

Ford V-8 Coupe 33,693
Ford V-8 Business Coupe 16,785
Ford V-8 Deluxe Coupe 27,919
Ford V-8 Deluxe Business Coupe 20.183

This book is bargain priced on this website and on The Early Ford V-8 Foundation Museum Site.

http://www.fordv8foundation.org/index.html

Tom


thunder road    -- 07-06-2017 @ 7:56 AM
  Hey Tom , thank you! This was a question that I wondered about for more years than I would like to admit . How many original ones are left? Also I'm interested in this book .Domenic

Domenic


trjford8    -- 07-07-2017 @ 1:48 PM
  Domenic, your question would be tough to answer. Knowing how many un restored originals, restored originals and modified cars would be tough to determine. With restored and unrestored originals one might go through the V-8 times roster and come up with a number. This number would only be approximate as there are many '40 owners who are not club members. Also some of the '40's listed in the roster may be modified cars and not original. As you can see this is impossible to come up with real numbers.


supereal    -- 07-11-2017 @ 12:39 PM
  I certainly agree with both of my "Tom" friends that there is no way to know how many vehicles of each production still exist. Some of the clubs for the woodies and Sportsman types keep a good record of survivors of those type, but the rest are obscured by the passing of time. The late authority on Fords of all types, Lorin Sorensen, suggested that about 6% of any model year of Fords disappear per year. Thus, the older the car, the fewer exist if you apply that formula.


1940 Tom    -- 07-11-2017 @ 4:18 PM
  Domenic---

Years (and years - and years - and years) ago, I contacted an outfit called Automotive Information Clearinghouse to find out how many 1940 Deluxe 4 dr. Sedans were still around. There were 91,756 made and, as of November, 2000 - 248 were still left.

I tried to find current info about this firm - came up empty. You might try to call them to see if they still offer this service - (619) 447-7200. Mailing address is P.O. Box 1746, La Mesa, CA 91944. I did a Google Search for them and could not find a website. They may have gone out of business.

I agree with all the comments that my fellow contributors have told you about the subject.

Good Luck.

Tom



42wagon    -- 07-12-2017 @ 2:52 AM
  Supereal
I agree with you and Sorensen up to a point. If you were to start with let's say a 2017 Ford for the first 10 years there would be a slow decline. Then let's say over the next 15-20 years there would be an increased loss. But once a car became collectible is think the loss would taper off. The problem is to guess how many are left. If I were to take the 1942 Ford station wagon for example the National Woodie Club lists around 40. Now how many more are in the hands of people who don't join clubs and how many are no longer registered but hidden away in a barn somewhere or even a junkyard?

Not so long ago you could get access to Motor Vehicle records. In the guise of homeland security those records are no longer available. So if we can comb through the club directories and arrive at a number, maybe it should be doubled or even tripled.
42 Wagon


thunder road    -- 07-12-2017 @ 5:48 AM
  Hey 1940 Tom,the history of these prewar cars were a hard one. My dad who fought in world war two told me that these cars had to carry everyone though the time period when they were not producing cars so they had a double duty life right from the beginning. Add to that the fact that a four door was by many considered to be a donor parts car. This kind of thinking is a fashionable thing, and changes over time. The four doors are really cool being the fact that you can put four people dressed to the time period, and drive around and freak people out. Right now I am restoring a 1957 Chevrolet 150 two door wagon , the wagon's saw the same fate. If they were able to clone all the women to look like Pamala Anderson maybe over time this would be boring? Maybe not Domenic

Domenic

This message was edited by thunder road on 7-12-17 @ 5:49 AM


kubes40    -- 07-12-2017 @ 6:17 AM
  Those places that estimate how many of any car still exist are pure "snake oil salesmen" in my opinion.
A simple algorithm can't be utilized as there are way too many variables that must be considered.
Obviously cars that were used through the war years, were used HARD and as such many did not survive much longer past the war.
Large cars, especially earlier models were seen as great donors to the metals drive necessary for war material. Packards, Cadillacs, Lincolns, etc. were salvaged in exponentially larger numbers than the "poor man's" cars.

In the early days, sedans were actually valued a bit higher than coupes. That of course changed over time. But, see the reason why this "survival estimate" gets difficult / impossible to do in any meaningful way?
Don't forget the stock car days when early Fords, especially coupes were cut up one after another. Heck, I've seen films of literally dozens of '32 roadsters modified to a great extent and subsequently "used up" on tracks.
Convertibles typically had a poorer survival rate than closed cars.
That place mentioned in a previous response that suggested just 248 Fordor sedans survived surely had their estimates way off. I would suggest not even close to being accurate.
Then, one must consider certain cars that were especially popular, almost to a cult like status. 1940 Fords would probably fit this definition much like '57 Chevy's.
Sure a '39 Ford is very similar but never enjoyed quite the same level of cult status as the '40. 1956 Chevys, again, very popular, but never to the level of a '57.

In summary, a realistic estimate of survival of "old cars" is next to impossible.

Mike "Kube" Kubarth


1940 Tom    -- 07-12-2017 @ 7:03 AM
  Well, as usual, Mike is right on with his comments.
When the 40 coupes were running around dirt tracks and demolition derbies after the war, the 4 dr. sedans generally were sacrificed for new body parts. After all, who wanted an old "family sedan" anyway? The 4dr sedans used during the war were mostly, staff cars. They were run into the ground too.
Even if AIC is no longer in business, and their numbers were wildly inaccurate, it shows that the cars are fast disappearing. They built 91,000 of this body style. Heck, even if 1,ooo are left - they would include those that are chopped, channeled, with flames painted all over them and a blown Chrysler Hemi under the hood.
That's all well and good, but let's hang on to the originals while we can - even the boring 4dr family sedans.
Good Luck with your station wagon project.

Tom


thunder road    -- 07-12-2017 @ 8:55 AM
  Thier's a guy named Marty and he has all the information pertaining to 1967 fords and up. He's called Marty Reports and you can call him and request the information of exactly how your 67 and up ford was ordered and came from the factory. If it was automatic,or had pony interior, Rally Pac. , or any other detail, for a fee he will send you the Marty Report. He said that a long time ago, a guy with the click of one button of the computer deleted all of the pre "67" information. Back in the old days I took my dad to one of the many junk yards that used to be around called" Selicks" He saw Mr. Selick, and told him and me, that he and his friends used to go their, looking to buy heater's out of the newer wrecked cars, and said that a lot of the earlier cars came without one.

Domenic

This message was edited by thunder road on 7-12-17 @ 9:00 AM


sarahcecelia    -- 07-12-2017 @ 2:14 PM
  This belongs in the new 1940 Ford Book.


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