Cargolex
L.A. Noir: 1937 Ford Sedan
'37 Fords are extremely popular as hot rods, owing to their streamlined looks, big production numbers, and V8 power. But four-door versions are relatively uncommon - fewer produced, lower survival rate, and less interest from hot-rodders. But the same virtues apply, and Ford's then-radical style shift looks just as good today as it did in the fall of 1936.
Although Henry Ford was not particularly interested in style, his son Edsel was - and Edsel's working relationship with Ford designer E.T. "Bob" Gregorie yielded many beautiful products in the 1930s - including the 1937 Ford lineup.
Gregorie had already been designing for Ford since 1931, but the 1937 Fords began a run of spectacularly stylish cars he would design including the Lincoln Continental, the 1939 Mercury, and the 1939 and 1940 Fords.
Compared with the outgoing '36 Fords, which were rounder but not fundamentally all that different from the 1933-1934 cars, the 1937 models were radically streamlined, with headlamps faired into the fenders and that swept-back grille. Underneath, however, the cars weren't that different from what had gone before - although the body construction was now all-steel (the old fabric roof insert was eliminated) and a smaller 2.2 liter V8 was now optional.
Unfortunately the pairing of Edsel Ford and Bob Gregorie didn't last - Edsel died of stomach cancer in 1943 and Gregorie departed the company soon after. He returned briefly at the request of Henry Ford II, but left again by 1947, instead focusing on designing yachts for the rest of his career.
©2015 A. Kwanten.
L.A. Noir: 1937 Ford Sedan
'37 Fords are extremely popular as hot rods, owing to their streamlined looks, big production numbers, and V8 power. But four-door versions are relatively uncommon - fewer produced, lower survival rate, and less interest from hot-rodders. But the same virtues apply, and Ford's then-radical style shift looks just as good today as it did in the fall of 1936.
Although Henry Ford was not particularly interested in style, his son Edsel was - and Edsel's working relationship with Ford designer E.T. "Bob" Gregorie yielded many beautiful products in the 1930s - including the 1937 Ford lineup.
Gregorie had already been designing for Ford since 1931, but the 1937 Fords began a run of spectacularly stylish cars he would design including the Lincoln Continental, the 1939 Mercury, and the 1939 and 1940 Fords.
Compared with the outgoing '36 Fords, which were rounder but not fundamentally all that different from the 1933-1934 cars, the 1937 models were radically streamlined, with headlamps faired into the fenders and that swept-back grille. Underneath, however, the cars weren't that different from what had gone before - although the body construction was now all-steel (the old fabric roof insert was eliminated) and a smaller 2.2 liter V8 was now optional.
Unfortunately the pairing of Edsel Ford and Bob Gregorie didn't last - Edsel died of stomach cancer in 1943 and Gregorie departed the company soon after. He returned briefly at the request of Henry Ford II, but left again by 1947, instead focusing on designing yachts for the rest of his career.
©2015 A. Kwanten.