It looks mean, dark, and fierce. We all know who drives such cars. It's just that we don't say it out loud, capisci? That's the universal mafia word for "Don't pretend you don't understand because otherwise, you won't end up well!" We're just trying to blend in. Is it working? Enough with the Italian classes, however. Meet the 1939 Ford DeLuxe street rod that looks as if it has just been confiscated from the Mafia.
This Ford DeLuxe rolled off the production line in 1939 and it looked nothing like it does today. In fact, not many of the components from 85 years ago have survived. Even its personality has changed over the years.
It may have been this two-door sedan with a huge heart-shaped grille to let the engine cool, and it was all curves and contours. It was long before the era of sharp edges.
Ford came up with the DeLuxe version to bridge the gap between the standard and the Super DeLuxe variants. It was more affordable than the Super DeLuxe, but it was still upscale. And it might have been one of the cars that saved Ford before World War II, when customers still wanted sophisticated luxury cars, but were not willing to pay a fortune for them any longer.
The Ford DeLuxe has always been a muse for restomod experts. It just inspired them to modify it and plant new technologies in it. It just had the potential to stand the test of time and look good no matter how outdated it became over the years.
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They supercharged it, they super-modded it, and super-upgraded it. They even took it to the Hollywood Hills to and superstar it, turning it into one of the most famous cars on the silver screen.
The DeLuxe showed up in "Grease" in 1978, starring alongside John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. It also joined the crew of "The Karate Kid," which hit cinemas in 1984, and joined the "Back to the Future Part II" team in 1985.
Now, in 2024, we still get retro vibes and goosebumps when we look at it. Especially when it's dressed up to the nines in what looks like a mafia car outfit.
There was no way this 1939 two-door coupe could have gone unmodified as if a time machine had teleported it straight into 2024. Few cars from over ten decades ago have survived until today and are still untouched by the restomod contagious virus.
This DeLuxe also underwent through a major plastic surgery, which rendered it unrecognizable. The previous owner had had enough of its classic, tamed attitude, so he converted it into a street rod.
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What better color combination is out there when trying to make the car look mean? Of course! The red and black color combo speaks volumes about the intentions of the owner.
The DeLuxe wears matte black with red pinstriping. It got its roof chopped, its exterior shaved, its hood louvered. Rear fender skirts make it look intimidating. Tunneled teardrop taillights showed up at the front, while dual exhaust outlets enhance all the drama of this apparition at the opposite end. You'll understand what we mean by that if you hit the play button of the video embedded below.
The chrome bumpers match the silver spun-aluminum wheel covers that hide the red-finished steel wheels, mounted with Coker Classic whitewall tires and power-assisted disc brakes at the front and drums at the rear.
The interior could not have escaped the vision of the one who converted it. He came up seats in red and white vinyl. The headliner and floor carpeting are red as well, while the theme continues on the door cards and in the trunk.
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A floor-mounted Lokar shifter controls the auto box. The steering column supports a a Grant GT steering wheel and can go upward, downward, forward, and backward for the comfort of the driver, who will see the relevant driving information on the white-dial Dolphin instrument cluster.
The speedometer is scaled up to 140 mph (225 kph). However, the odometer is not functional anymore. It just shows seven zeros, so no one knows the exact mileage of the street rod.
The previous owner also made a heart transplant using a Chevrolet organ donor. Now, the street rod is set in motion by a 350-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) V8 engine with a four-barrel carburetor, an aluminum intake manifold, and short-tube exhaust headers. A TH350 three-speed auto box helps the V8 put the power down through the rear wheels.
In 1939, the DeLuxe drove through the factory gate powered by a 221-cubic-inch (3.6-liter) CDI Flathead V8 with 84 horsepower (86 metric horsepower). But that was a long time ago.
The previous owner was not going to let this DeLuxe stay underpowered for the rest of its life. The 350 V8 sounds so much better, no matter the era. To put the car closer to the ground, a dropped front axle and a Ford 9" rear end were installed, and lowering blocks were added to the rear leaf springs. That's for whoever thought that only high-riders can be scary when seen in the rearview mirrors.
The model comes with a clean Texas title in the seller's name. The listing informs those interested in the car that there are no windshield wipers and that delamination is visible in the glass. The car is for sale through Bring a Trailer. With seven days to go, bidding reached $10,500. In the comments section, everyone already envies the future owner.
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