Last updated on September 15, 2024
Today’s car is a customized 1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe owned by Greg Brightwell. I photographed this Deluxe Coupe at the Cruise At The Beach Classic Car Show, held at the Redondo Beach Marina, CA. The car is finished in Vibrant Merlot with a black leather interior with Ostrich inserts in the doors. It is powered by a Chevy 5.0 liter, V8 engine, with a 4 bbl Edelbrock carburetor, mated to a 3-speed GM TH350 transmission with 3.73 rear axle. Slowing this beauty down are disc up front and drums brakes in the rear. The independent front suspension is Mustang II with coil springs. The rear suspension is a Ford 9″ with longitudinal semi-elliptic leaf springs.
A few of the classic custom details that caught my eye are the suicide doors, nosed and decked hood and trunk lid, the inset rear license plate, the gas filler door and a great color choice .
The Ford Deluxe was introduce in 1937 and continued until 1940 as upscale alternative to its base model Ford Standard as a separate marque. The total domestic, Canadian, and foreign production of 1940 Ford Passenger Cars was 642,580, total domestic Ford production for was 541,896 units with 367,364 of them being Deluxe’s and of those 27,919 being Deluxe Coupes. While Ford offered both the 60 hp and 85 hp flathead V8s in the Deluxe models in 1940, Ford claims only 161 units of the 60 hp engines were sold. The MSRP was $720.00. The published top speed of 60 MPH with a 0-60 mph time of 20.2 Seconds. The 1940 Deluxe Coupe goes down in history as a beloved workhorse for delivering moonshine in the southeast United States. What was not to love 85 hp flathead Ford V8 and plenty of storage.
The coupes have always been one of my favorites and continues to be one of the favorites among restorers and customizers today. This beautiful custom has amazing paint and many period custom details that makes the car look just right. What a great car to take to at Ford / FoMoCo car shows, local car shows, or just cruising to your next car event and hanging out with like minded friends. Thank you for riding along. Frank
If you noticed how nicely detailed Greg’s car looks that is because he owns Wax Box Auto Detail. phone 310 993-7740 Web page waxboxautodetail.com
