1951 Ford Deluxe Convertable

Before the war, Ford had lost its lead by lagging behind General Motors in upgrading their designs. Henry Ford II was determined to get it back, which he did with a bold new design. The Ford was almost completely redesigned with a new chassis and streamlined body. Gone for the first time were the protruding fenders and the high hood. The design earned the name "shoebox." The single bullet in the grille had a little in common with the radical design of the bullet nose Studebaker coming out in the same year. Ford would regain its lead in the popular market and once again lead the industry in forward thinking. The new design of the Ford was retained through the 1951 model, though in its third year, the single bullet was replaced with two bullets. For three years (’49-’52) changed only slightly. then the 1952 model ushered in a newer look that was more square and would again be modified gradually through 1956.

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Background

During the war years, Ford was busy producing jeeps and trucks for the military while production of consumer oriented Fords was put on hold. In 1943, the company's president Edsel Ford died, and his son, Henry Ford II took the helm. When production of cars for the people resumed in July of 1945, it was a modified 1942 model with a more powerful 239 cubic inch engine producing 100 horsepower, but not much in way of new styling.
1948 ford-by Brett Weinstein-300

1948 Ford. Photo by Brett Weinstein

The 1948 Ford had headlights more integrated into the front fenders and a horizontal grille, but the styling had still not changed much since 1940 and really not a lot since the late 1930's. The Ford continued to sport pronounced protruding fenders, a high hood and cab, and a bit of a running board.

1949 ford convertable-300

1949 Ford Convertable. Photo by Alf vanBeem