Ford unveils 'new' 1940 Coupe

[Cousin Hepcat]

Ford unveils 'new' 1940 Coupe

By Viknesh Vijayenthiran

Published October 26, 2012

High Gear Media

Link to orig article: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/10/26/ford-unveils-new-140-coupe/#ixzz2AQhR36nC

The popularity of the reproduction Mustang body shells, including one for the 1965 Mustang Convertible and another for the ’67 model, has prompted Ford to approve yet another reproduction of one of its most cherished models, this time a 1940 Ford Coupe hot rod. Like the previous Mustang reproductions, the new Ford Coupe comes just as a shell, either with its doors and hood attached or without them should the customer desire.

It is constructed of high-strength steel and is assembled using modern welding techniques. The shell also comes fully rustproofed from the factory and is ready to be assembled as a custom hot rod or as a faithful tribute to the original.

The shell is available with a stock firewall that accommodates the original flathead V-8. However, for those looking to use a modern powertrain, it can alternatively be ordered with a recessed firewall that will allow much larger engines to be installed.

You’ll find that in addition to owners of original 1940 Ford Coupes looking to do some restoration work, there are many in the performance scene looking to build their perfect hot rod from scratch, which this shell would be ideal for. Thankfully, there are licensed versions of all the necessary parts as well.

The shell is available now for ordering through Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts, though it doesn’t make its official debut until next week’s 2012 SEMA show. It is priced from $11,900 for the basic model and ranges close to $15k once all the panels are included.

The story of the how 1940 Ford Coupe reproduction came to be is an interesting one. Dennis Carpenter, the man behind Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts, originally was having trouble locating a good used set of dash knobs for a 1940 Ford Coupe he was restoring--and still owns--so he approached Ford and obtained permission to reproduce the knobs using original factory blueprints and designs. This was more than 40 years ago, and since he then he's expanded the number of parts licensed by Ford, including this entire shell.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Awsomesauce!

 

[scottyrocks]

That's fantastic. Will it fit on specific modern chassis (chasses? chassises?) or basically to replace a rotted '40 Ford body on an original chassis?

 

[dnjan]

Those don't quite look like 6x16 tires, however.

 

[splintercellsz]

I like it, but I hope these are kept away from the Goodguys Car Shows I love to frequent. I'd hate to see people passing off these as the originals.

Neat idea though!

 

[BigFitz]

That's great! Maybe they'll do a '37 some day.

 

[ButteMT61]

Awesome idea - and might be a key to the US-made comeback. I think it's a great idea - and they (as well as others) should expand it. I don't think it would be too hard to make them identifiable as new. Look at all the parts put into current restores. Numbers are critical and experts will know. We talk about repro jackets being so good that some might be able to pass them off as originals. Yup, they could. But experts will know better - as they say, caveat emptor.

 

[Gregg Axley]

I remember being at a streetrod show in Knoxville TN in the early 90's, when someone debuted an all steel 32 Ford Hi-Boy.
Same reaction among people then, "what if these start showing up at car shows?"
With the National Streetrod Association I'm sure when it came down to actually judging for a place (1st, 2nd, and 3rd), proving it was original would be a must, because there would be no competing with a "new" model.
In today's terms the body and frame for that Hi-Boy were $25K, no drivetrain, no front end, no rear end....
Great idea for reintroducing this model though, they are very hard to find at least where I am.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Most awesome indeed. :eusa_clap I hope the remaining car companies do try more of this sort of thing, from shells like the Ford for do-it-yourselfers, to complete cars with modern drive trains and amenities. I'd love to see a Chrysler Airflow done right. And make them more reliable also, cars that will last a good 10 years or (dare I wish?) more.

 

[DeaconKC]

I hope they do one that will fit on a modern chassis. What a great classic cruiser that could be.

 

[Jaguar66]

Then you have this company making replicas in Brazil

http://www.americanclassic.com.br/

 

[AtomicEraTom]

The '40 Ford Coupe is one of, if not my favorite car of the forties. Absolutely beautiful and what's not to love about that Flathead 8?

 

[Mario]

Beautiful.

This might not exactly belong here but last night I was amazed to come across a wonderful old car which I identified as a 1938 Buick Roadmaster Sedan (you don't see cars like this a lot in the part of Berlin where I live). What I really liked about it was that it had a bit of patina to it, unlike the one pictured below (with a coupe on the left):

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[filfoster]

This is the stuff dreams are made of. One of my favorite cars. It screams Golden Age. I actually sat in one once, owned by a long-ago friend. I recall riding in a different make/model, just-post war coupe of this size, that my aunt had. She called it her 'puddle jumper'.