This old Ford two-door sedan is truly a veteran, not just as an original survivor and bona fide ‘barn find,’ but as an actual Army veteran of World War II. It was owned by an Army general who used it in the U.S. during the war, and in occupied Germany after the conflict.
The Pick of the Day, a 1940 Ford Tudor, still wears the coat of Army Green paint that the general ordered for his official wartime wheels. Obvious clinkers are the added-on bright-yellow wheels and whitewall tires that no self-respecting military man would ever wear. The next owner would be wise to tone them down in keeping with the car’s otherwise original condition.
“This 1940 Ford was originally purchased new by a general in the United States Army,” the Sious City, Iowa, dealer says in the ad on ClassicCars.com. “After purchasing the vehicle, he immediately had it repainted to a darker ‘Army Green.’ The Ford then spent most of its early life traveling by rail to military bases located throughout the United States during World War II.
“After the war, the General had it shipped overseas to Germany, where he was stationed until 1950. After retiring from active military duty, both the general and his Ford returned home to the United States, where the vehicle then served as the general’s main source of transportation until 1955. At that time, it was retired to a dry barn in New Hampshire for storage.”
The Ford remained in the barn until 2013, after which it was sold to a new owner who gave the car a “mechanically refresh,” the listing says, that included a new water pump, fuel pump, tuneup parts, and generator and carburetor rebuilds for the original 85-horsepower flathead V8 engine.
The car also received a suspension rebuild, brake work, new gas tank, muffler and tailpipe, headlights, windshield and rubber parts, the seller says. It was also subjected at that time to the flashy wheel-and-tire combination.
While the car is pretty much a straight-up Ford Tudor without embellishment, its history puts it into a different category of collector car that should appeal to history buffs and military-vehicle collectors, as well as old Ford fans.
The asking price is $15,900 for what is apparently a veteran Ford that is ready to hit the highway. Although given the history and attractive patina, those clashing wheels and tires have got to go.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day
where is this car?
Here’s the link to the ad: https://classiccars.com/listings/view/905170/1940-ford-tudor-for-sale-in-sioux-city-iowa-51104/
Had one idential in high school.