In the 1930s, Edsel B. Ford, President of Ford Motor Company, tasked his styling chief, Eugene T. “Bob” Gregorie, with designing a distinctive roadster for limited production. Gregorie created various sketches and built a 1/25th scale model, which he tested in a small wind tunnel. The resultant car was based on the 1934 Ford, also known as the Model 40, and was called the Model 40 Special Speedster.
h/t: vintag.es
Assisted by Ford Aircraft staff, Gregorie’s crew constructed a bespoke tubular structural framework and a sleek, tapered aluminum body. The car’s extended, low dimensions were unprecedented for Ford. It had a weight of roughly 2,100 pounds and was equipped with a 100-horsepower Mercury flathead V-8 engine.
Edsel Ford’s Model 40 Special Speedster was owned by him personally, until it was sold to multiple buyers upon his death in 1943. In 2009, Bill Warner sold the car to Texas collector John O’Quinn. Following O’Quinn’s passing, Edsel Ford II orchestrated the acquisition of the Speedster and it was subsequently restored in 2010 by RM Restorations located in Blenheim, Ontario, Canada.
The Model 40 Special Speedster is a remarkable part of automotive history, notable for its aesthetics and its association with a prominent family in the American automobile industry.
