1939 Ford Deluxe

1939 Ford Deluxe Four-Door Convertible Sedan Street Rod — Boss 302 V8, Four Two-Barrel Carbs, Full Leather Interior

The 1939 Ford Deluxe was the last pre-war Ford to wear the classic styling that defined the late 1930s. Designed under the direction of Bob Gregorie, the 1939 Ford Deluxe carried a vertical bar grille, sweeping fenders, and a profile that remains one of the most recognizable silhouettes in American automotive history. Ford offered the Deluxe in a broad range of body styles that year, but the four-door convertible sedan was always among the rarest configurations. Unlike a standard convertible, the four-door convertible sedan retained a full set of doors and a rear-hinged back door on each side, giving passengers genuine access to the back seat without sacrificing the open-air experience. Production numbers for this body style were extremely limited even when new, and the passage of more than eight decades has made intact, steel-bodied examples genuinely scarce.

This particular 1939 Ford Deluxe takes the open-air four-door concept and builds on it in a direction that makes the car equally at home on a long cruise as it is at a show field. The builder chose a Boss 302 V8 crate engine as the heart of the build — a logical and historically appropriate choice, since the Boss 302 is a Ford engine through and through. Topped with four two-barrel carburetors, the intake setup is a serious nod to the tradition of multi-carb street and show engines that defined custom Ford builds for decades. The result under that cream-painted hood is a visual centerpiece as much as a powerplant. A complete American Auto wiring harness, electronic ignition, and a chrome alternator mean this is not a car that was given a modern engine and left with antique electrical infrastructure trying to keep up with it.

The chassis work is equally thorough. HEIDTS supplied the front end, which includes tubular A-arms, coil-over front suspension, and rack-and-pinion steering — a combination that addresses the handling limitations of the original transverse leaf front suspension while maintaining a period-correct stance. The 9-inch has been the default rear axle for custom Ford builds for more than sixty years because of its strength, the wide availability of gear sets and carriers, and its known rebuild path.

The finished car presents in cream over a tan full leather interior, with a HARTZ cloth convertible top and blue dot taillights that pay tribute to the accessory customizers were fitting to pre-war Fords as far back as the 1940s. This is a 1939 Ford Deluxe that drives the way it looks — with purpose, presence, and a long list of thoughtful decisions made by someone who understood both the car and the craft.

Key details
Exterior: Cream
VIN / chassis: 91A-74361

Offered by Skyway Classics, 10420 Portal Crossing, Bradenton, FL 34212. Taxes, title and fees not included.

Photos courtesy of Skyway Classics.