Model 40. 85 bhp, 221 cu. in. L-head V-8 engine, three-speed manual transmission, solid front axle and live rear axle with transverse semi-elliptic leaf springs, four-wheel mechanical drum brakes. Wheelbase: 112"

• Australian car converted to left-hand drive

• Presentable older restoration

• From the collection of the late Zach Brinkerhoff

Although he had a predilection for big classics, the likes of Packard and Cadillac, Zachary Brinkerhoff was a man of eclectic tastes. Over his lifetime he owned many Hudsons and even a Railton, the Hudson’s English cousin. It was in that vein that a few years ago he acquired this enigmatic Ford. Built in Australia, it has been “Americanized” with left-hand drive and restored as a Model 40 V-8 Deluxe Phaeton.

The success of Ford’s 1932 V-8 was immediate. More than 200,000 were sold in the introductory model year, as opposed to 185,000 Model B four-cylinder cars. For 1933 the Ford was given a new cruciform double-drop chassis frame, and its wheelbase stretched half a foot to 112 inches. Evolutionary upgrades were made to the engine: improved ignition and cooling systems and new aluminum heads with 6.3 to 1 compression that raised horsepower to 75. The major change to Fords for 1933, however, concerned the body. Interestingly, the design had British origins. First penned for the Model Y from Ford of Britain, it was done in Dearborn by E.T. “Bob” Gregorie, a former yacht designer.

With a slanted, flat windshield, it employed a similarly sloped grille whose silhouette suggested a heart shape. Headlamps were mounted directly to the fenders, and the doors were hinged at the rear, opening, in the common parlance, in “suicide fashion.” Edsel Ford like it so much that he ordered it scaled up for the 1933 Model 40 in the USA.

According to its chassis number, this car was built with a four-cylinder engine, still available in the U.S. and abroad, though sold in small numbers. It presently has a 1934-style V-8 engine with the two-barrel Stromberg carburetor and redesigned air cleaner that gave ten more horsepower. Acquired by Mr. Brinkerhoff a few years ago, it is an older restoration and shows some aging. It is of presentable driver quality or could be the subject of a complete restoration. Ford built just 1,483 V-8 Deluxe Phaetons in 1933, making it one of the rarer models.