Last updated on September 24, 2026
Today’s car is a 1940 Ford DeLuxe Convertible Club Coupe owned by Peter Bunetta and his sons, Damon and Julian, which I photographed at the destination of our Bacon Run at Vintage Grocers at Trancas Country Market in Malibu, CA. Finished in black with a tobacco leather interior, it is powered by a 5.0-liter Ford Coyote fuel-injected V8 producing 435 hp, backed by a GM 4L60E four-speed automatic transmission. Four-wheel Wilwood disc brakes provide the stopping power, while a custom TCI chassis features independent front suspension and a four-link rear suspension with coilover shocks, along with power rack-and-pinion steering.
The 1940 Ford was designed under the direction of Eugene T. “Bob” Gregorie, working closely with Edsel Ford, whose influence helped give Ford’s cars a more refined look. For 1940, the DeLuxe models featured a distinctive grille, headlights integrated into the front fenders, and flowing fender lines that gave the car a lower, more streamlined appearance. The DeLuxe Convertible Club Coupe was the only open model offered by Ford that year.
When new, the 1940 Ford DeLuxe Convertible Club Coupe was powered by a 221 cu in flathead V8 producing 85 hp, backed by a three-speed manual transmission, with an estimated top speed of about 80 mph. Priced from approximately $825 to $850, Ford produced 23,704 DeLuxe Convertible Club Coupes for 1940. Over the years, the beautiful, classic lines of the ’40 Ford made it a favorite among collectors and hot rodders, equally at home restored to original condition or transformed into a hot rod or modern street rod.
Peter’s connection to the Ford began with his older brother Al, who was 10 years older and the real car enthusiast in the family. Al had an enthusiasm for classic machinery, anything with gears, wheels, and an engine. Al began collecting cars as his career in the music business grew, eventually building a collection after moving to Nashville. Among those cars was this 1940 Ford Convertible, then finished in red and kept largely stock. Peter wasn’t the collector his brother was, but he shared Al’s enthusiasm from the passenger seat and remembers that his brother had been passionate about cars since he was a little kid.
Cars were more than something Al collected. Whether it was his ’32 Ford, a ’59 Pontiac Bonneville, a ’65 Buick Riviera, or one of the other cars that passed through his collection, he used them. Peter remembers that Al would drive one to work or to a meeting rather than save it for an occasional weekend outing.
When Al died in 2013, his collection was eventually divided and several of the cars were sold. Peter and his family kept the 1940 Ford. It gave Peter something physical that connected him with his brother and the years they had spent together. Peter continues to enjoy the Ford much as Al had.
Then, about five years ago, Peter was driving the Ford along Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) when an electrical fire broke out. He was able to pull over, and with help from a nearby homeowner, the fire was extinguished, but not before badly damaging the engine compartment and interior. For Peter, walking away was never really an option. As he told me, he couldn’t let his brother’s memory be “lost in the ashes.” Through one of his son’s friends, Peter learned about Timeless Kustoms in Camarillo and took the damaged Ford there to see what needed to be repaired and what could be accomplished. Once the car was taken apart, the project became much larger than repairing the damage caused by the fire.
The inspection uncovered problems with some of the Ford’s earlier construction, particularly the chassis and structural work. Peter was also thinking about something Al probably never had to consider: carrying his grandchildren in the car. Rather than simply putting the Ford back together as it had been, Peter and his sons decided to rebuild it around a modern chassis and make it safer, stronger, and more enjoyable to drive while retaining the unmistakable lines of the 1940 Ford with their own personal touches.
The finished Ford may be very different from the red, largely stock car Al once drove, but Peter never intended to erase its past. Inside the glove compartment is a memorial to Al, a quiet reminder of where the car came from and why Peter chose to save it.
The Ford is now shared by Peter and his sons, Damon and Julian, and will someday become part of several generations of the family, changing along the way but never losing the connection that matters most. No matter who is behind the wheel or how many years pass, Peter knows what his family will always call it: Uncle Al’s car.
Today Peter drives the Ford along PCH, where the electrical fire nearly ended its story. Whether showing this beautiful 1940 Ford Convertible at a Ford or hot rod car show, attending a Cars & Coffee event, or taking a Sunday morning drive and having breakfast with a friend or family member, Peter can enjoy the car the way Al enjoyed his. And with Al’s memory tucked inside the glove compartment, his brother is always along for the ride.
Thank you for riding along with me and for being part of the Frank’s Cars in the Hood community.
Frank
