Ford – V8 Cabriolet

Vehicle Overview

Americans have always looked to Europe for design and artistic brilliance. Even in the 1930s, when the United States’ own coachbuilders and design studios were turning out sleek objects of desire, those same designers would travel overseas to absorb that certain, unmistakable élan. Italian designs, in particular, were light, sporting, and spirited, with a feisty personality all their own. That has never been more true than with the lines created by the Farina family in Turin, particularly Battista “Pinin” Farina. This Ford V8 Cabriolet is believed to be the only Classic Era Ford built with custom coachwork by PininFarina. As the story is told, Ford Motor Company commissioned this car from the Italian coachbuilder as a styling study when they were considering options for the production 1933 Fords. Beautifully crafted on the iconic and American-built 1932 Ford Model 18 chassis, its design shows the influence ofofPininfarina’s Pininfarina’s earlier Lancias, with a sweeping beltline and smartly tailored roof, yet it also clearly mimics the production Ford bodies from Dearborn.