Ford Model 18 V8.
The "V8" legend on this Ford's hubcaps signify that this is the eight-cylinder version of the Model B, introduced in 1932 and produced until 1934. Whereas the standard Ford Model B was powered by a four-cylinder engine based on that in the earlier Model A, the Ford Model 18 - or Ford V8 as it was more often referred to as - came with a new flathead eight nestling beneath its bonnet. Bar a few details, such as the legend on the hubcaps, Model Bs and the 65bhp Model 18s looked virtually identical.
|
| (Please click the thumbnail to view full-size image.) |
|
|
|
Four people are shown stood with the Ford. A lady and a hatted gentleman pose alongside the car, while two children are peering out from the sunroof, the lad wearing a chauffeur's cap. The photo is undated but is presumably from the mid-1930s, the car definitely doesn't look in showroom-fresh condition that's for sure.
|
|
Model Bs and 18s were available in a huge number of body styles. The car shown above is a four door saloon, but had the gentleman owner felt like cutting a dash in the British countryside, he could have opted for a roadster, a two-door cabriolet, or one of the coupes on offer, to name just a few. Tradesmen may well have plumped for practicality and signed on the dotted line for the panel van version instead.
|
|
The launch of the Model 18 introduced the American car-buying public to the appeal of a mass-produced V8-powered automobile, and the popularity of the V8 engine continues to this day. Many Model Bs and Model 18s have attracted the attentions of the hot-rodding fraternity, so finding a good original Model B - coupe or roadster especially - can take some detective work.
|
|
A reminder that these cars were also assembled at Ford's facility in France can be found on this page, which features an item of stationery that relates to that period of the early 1930s.
|
|
Return to Page 12 in the vintage and classic car gallery.
|
|
Photos of V8 Fords from the late 1930s can be found on this page of the gallery.
|
