1934 Ford 'Hot Rod' Sedan (RHD)

Description

Having created automotive history with the legendary Model T, Henry Ford went on to stun the world with the announcement his company would begin selling a V8 on March 31, 1932. Ford may not have been the first to offer a V8-powered model, but it was certainly the first time a major manufacturer had and it came not only at low cost, but with an extremely handsome body. Initial bugs were ironed out by the following year, thanks to a new aluminium cylinder head, improved ignition and better cooling system and the 1933 Model 40 developed a very healthy 75 horsepower. With the V-8 selling strongly, changes for 1934 were relatively minor, consisting mainly of minor exterior trim changes, with fenders now painted body colour although black was optional. Bigger news was the end of Prohibition and Ford celebrated by serving alcohol at the company's preview for the 1934 model range! The legendary flathead V8 displaced 221-cid, had a Stromberg two-barrel carburettor and now developed 85 hp thanks to a revised manifold. Sold in both Standard and Deluxe models, no less than thirteen body styles were catalogued by the factory. A number of Canadian-built Fords were exported to Australia and assembled locally - these differed from the American cars in minor ways, with some unique body styles like the Coupe Utility. The V8 Fords earned a reputation for having great performance potential and cleaned up in stock car events during the Thirties. A Ford was even the getaway car of choice for criminals like Bonnie and Clyde, the latter writing a testimonial singing the praises of the V8.