1932 Ford by Pinin Farina

[Ryan]

Apparently, even Henry Ford looked to Europe for design inspiration in the 1930's... The above photograph shows a 1 of 1 prototype of the '32 Ford designed by the legendary Pinin F... To read the rest of this blog entry from The Ford Barn, click here.

[34pickup]

Beautimous.

[deuce lover]

Stunning !

[TStiles]

The writeup on this car by Sotheby's is absolutely worth the read. I had no idea the car existed. Beautiful isn't a strong enough word to describe it.

[DavidG]

I saw this car post-restoration at Hershey a couple of years ago. It is gorgeous.

Unlike so many of the custom and semi-custom bodies fitted to '32 chassis in Europe (it is not a prototype by any stretch of the imagination), the proportions of this execution are outstanding despite the short 106" wheelbase the builders had to work with. Compared to the British and German semi-custom and custom bodies this one balances the "greenhouse" with the rest of the body perfectly.

[DavidG]

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This car was repeatedly advertised for sale in an unrestored state in "The V-8 Times" and elsewhere for less than $10K. I guess the drawback was that it was located in Italy at that time (20-25 years ago) plus the fact that any missing or worn out body parts would have to be made from scratch.

[Fe26]

Seriously Gorgeousisimo. I wonder why Ford didn't take this design into production. It would have been nice to see a photo of a Trafficator out and lit.

[TonyM]

Originally Posted by Fe26

I wonder why Ford didn't take this design into production. .

Because Pinin Farina bodies are hand made. Cadillac tried this in late 50s early 60s. Each hand made Pinin Farina body had to be shipped to the US for assembly by Cadillac. The cost was just too much.

[Steve/IL]

Absolutely outstanding!

[117harv]

Yes, great lines and proportions. Are those semaphores in the quarter panel?

[Tim Ayers]

I've always been a sucker for Italian design and old Fords. This car combines both. Really beautiful.

[PeteVS]

Originally Posted by Fe26

Seriously Gorgeousisimo. I wonder why Ford didn't take this design into production. It would have been nice to see a photo of a Trafficator out and lit.

Some of the elements seem to be in the '33?

[rossofozini]

Love Italian cars, That's why I have My 1928 model A and a bunch of Fiats.

[Lars]

It was at the Petersen Museum, when we was in LA, at the GNRS in january. A beautiful design.
Lars

[tiger.1000]

makes my old tub look distinctly mundane

[flatheadA]

If you go through the catalog to page 170 there is also the Dick Flint Roadster,
an excellent example of a v8 roadster.

[sportsterbob]

A beautiful design effort with lines that take the standard body and give it a hint of elegance and speed. I've worked at Ford most of my life and never saw pictures or heard of this vehicle.

[sawzall]

Originally Posted by 117harv

Yes, great lines and proportions. Are those semaphores in the quarter panel?

yes semaphores mounted in the quarter.. I also saw it at hershey several years ago.. and was very impressed with the construction and quality of the restoration.

[DavidG]

Semaphores? They're turn signal arms found on many European cars of the period, often illuminated when in operation.

[Drew]

Also know as trafficators!

[Vic Piano]

It is a beautiful car however; I would bet that Henry had nothing to do with the body design... That car has Edsel written all over it!

[1936ford64]

Picture this car with an 8" chop, throw away the fenders, running boards, hood. radiator shell and bumpers and add 24" wide slicks. With a remodel like that you would be made a life member in the L.A. Roadster club.

[Mart]

It's all very nice, but I prefer Henry's effort better. I have not seen a single coachbuilt body that looks better than a production line model.

Mart.

[rotorwrench]

Pininfarina would not build someone elses design. They have always been a design firm and coachbuilder for special applications. If you go to them, you are looking for a different design touch. Their type of production was very slow in the 1932 time frame. They were never known for high production numbers. I just wonder how much wood they used in their construction of that body. Most coach builders were still using a lot of it in that time frame. FoMoCo still used it a lot in the low production type car bodys but they were starting to phase it out more and more as the technology made it outdated.

[DavidG]

If it's like the other custom and semi-custom bodies mounted on Ford chassis in this era; all of the structure is wood with sheet metal as the outer skin. It's like the difference between a '32 Chevrolet roadster body and a '32 Ford roadster body. One's structure is all wood and the other has no structural wood. Guess which one lasted longer.

[Torchie]

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Originally Posted by Vic Piano

It is a beautiful car however; I would bet that Henry had nothing to do with the body design... That car has Edsel written all over it!

My thoughts exactly Vic.
Edsel had a great love of design in many things. And he was especialy intrigued by European automotive design.
Once Henry was quoted as saying that "Edsel sure knew how to design a beautiful car". Too bad he didn't let his son have more control.......

[vulture]

Stunning they need to enter that in Americans Moost Beautiful Roadster show
Wish ford would have done some of the mods to the original Cabriolet, shit I guess I can do that to mine

[Christoph]

trafficators
They are called "Winker" over here.
Not just out of "the area".
Can remember that i saw them into the late 1960s.

[Wallace]

Thank you ! I had no idea this car was created. wk

[JeffreyJames]

Oh man, so pretty.

[Deuce_Eddie]

I'd seen this car in pictures on the 75 years' book, and quite liked the look. Some of the details are stunning.

I'm another one to say this marries my two automotive passions, as I'm a sucker for Italian classics too (other than the '32, my fleet is composed of 60's and 70's Fiats).

I second the idea that output was simply too low at Pinin Farina (still a two-word name at that time) for them to seriously be taken as a supplier by Ford. This was simply a design study for inspiration.

Pininfarina would only invest in its first actual production line in late '66, when it got the contract to build both the Fiat 124 Spider and the Alfa Spider. I've got an early 124 (also known as pre-series), said to be one of the last ones built before the line was in full swing, so it was still mostly handbuilt. There are a lot of tiny details that differ from the production model too.

Back to the Pinin '32, I love the fender work, I've often thought about doing something of the sort on mine. I'd love to see this as a roadster, it must look stunning with the top down and no door frames to break the lines.

Cheers, Eddie

[koates]

Well its pretty enough alright, BUT I reckon the ford rouge built roadster or cabriolet is just as nice and likely stronger and would hold up better on the country roads of the day. Yep Ill take Henrys 32 ford designs in preference to that hand built "special" any day. Regards, Kevin.

[FourBangNCanuck]

Originally Posted by TStiles

The writeup on this car by Sotheby's is absolutely worth the read. I had no idea the car existed. Beautiful isn't a strong enough word to describe it.

Sorry to correct ya but the article was actually written by our writing team here at RM Auctions. The car is a complete work of art and it wouldn't be hard to believe that some of Edsel's '33-'34 ideas may have resulted from this body.
The Cowl/A pillars look identical to the '33 Cabriolet.

[FlatheadTed]

If you look at the Factory 32 /3 window all the lines of the mid section of the coming 1933 body's were more or less there ,You can see it in the A pillar and roof .The main innovation in the Pininfarina body is the sloping rear hood line .

[jerseyboy]

Beautiful design. It does seem that this influenced the 33 line. The 33 is my favorite Ford.

[Tommy Gun]

Absolutely gorgeous!

[THE V8 AFFAIR]

Sold yesterday for $319,000 ...

Originally Posted by RM Auctions

Art of the Automobile - November 2013

Lot 115

1932 Ford V-8 Cabriolet by Carrozzeria Pinin Farina

Sold for $319,000 on Thursday, November 21, 2013

Chassis no. 18-81392

* European styling influencing American design
* Formerly owned by Sergio Franchi
* Beautifully restored to exacting original condition
* Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Best in Class winner

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.

Farina began at his brother’s shop, Stabilimenti Farina, but broke off on his own in 1928. “Pinin,” the youngest of the family, soon built himself a stature that defied his years, beginning with a Lancia shown in 1930 and continuing with a one-off Cadillac V-16 for an Indian maharajah. By 1932, four years after its founding and two years after its first body was beaten into shape, Pinin Farina had already achieved such fame that it was being noticed across the Atlantic.

The car offered here is believed to be the only Classic Era Ford built with custom coachwork by Pinin Farina. 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 of Pinin Farina’s earlier Lancias, with a sweeping beltline and smartly tailored roof, yet it also clearly mimics the production Ford bodies from Dearborn. It is clear to the casual observer that Pinin Farina wanted to see its styling carried out by the River Rouge. While that was fated not to happen, it would have been a beautiful thing.

Some five decades later, photographs of a unique Ford in Turin landed on the desk of a prominent American enthusiast. As he recently recalled, several years passed before he next heard of the car, by which time it had been acquired by Sergio Franchi. Franchi was one of the most famous enthusiasts of his era, as he was a passionate collector whose hobby became a well-known part of his public persona. At the time, he resided on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, and the gems of his collection, the Ford among them, were stored in the garage beneath his building. It was here that the American enthusiast finally came face-to-face with the Pinin Farina Ford, and he was able to acquire it for his own collection.

At the time, the Ford was in magnificently preserved, original condition, as photographs included in the file attest. It remained a part of his collection for some two decades before the consignor, a longtime friend, requested to purchase the car, with the hope of restoring it for an upcoming class of custom-bodied Fords at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2003. Knowing that his friend would do the beautiful Ford justice, the enthusiast owner parted with the car, and it was beautifully restored.

The work performed on this Ford is particularly outstanding. The restorer confirmed the car’s excellent original condition upon its arrival at his shop; almost all the hardware throughout is original and restored, as are all of the body panels. What could not be repaired was expertly crafted, using original parts as patterns and photographs of similar Pinin Farina coachwork on other chassis. The body was beautifully finished in a rich, dark green, with matching leather in a simple flat design over the chrome-framed individual front and rear bench seats. Overseeing all is a tan fabric top. The wire wheels are finished in a lighter green and shod in blackwall tires, which are both period-correct and a nod to this Ford’s distinctive European origins. These are the same colors and equipment that the car was fitted with originally.

The result of such glamour was that this car was, once again, the hit of the show. It was shown, as intended, in the Custom-Bodied Ford V-8 Class at Pebble Beach in 2003, and it won Best of Class, an astounding achievement. It was also shown in Antique Automobile Club of America competition, and in addition to achieving Grand National status, it was nominated for a National Award in the 2003 season. Later, it was displayed in 2008 and 2009 within the halls of the AACA Museum at Hershey, Pennsylvania. The result is an unparalleled level of achievement for a V-8 Ford, yet the car is also welcome to be shown at a variety of concours at which it has not yet appeared, and at which it will certainly continue to be a contender for major awards.

European design has always moved the world. In 1932, it even inspired the world’s foremost automaker. This car is that inspiration, presented with all the power that it had over eighty years ago.

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click thumbnails to enlarge

[1936ford64]

A beautiful car. My previous comment was removed by the commissar in charge

[VeryTangled]

Hi Everyone, So does this sale make this the highest paid price for an original V8 "Ford"? It may have some competition from the '36 Jensen that is on the west coast?
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showth...ghlight=jensen

I can't see it loosing money the next time it trades hands, as long as it wasn't bought to flip.

-VT/JeffH

Edit to add photos, snips from posts #37, #15, and of a production '33 Cabriolet.

[deuce lover]

Just sold for $319,000.Ops I didn't see the earlier post.
http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1063787

[matencio]

Someone needs to make a kit car of this. It's nice.

[Henry Hopper]

Full blog won't open ,so just going off the picture in the OP. It looks like a 33 cabriolet with a 32 grillshell.....nice enough, but I would have thought that to a designers eye, the slanted hood lovers were at odds with the upright grillshell.......sort that anomaly and you come up with a 33 grill....the best looking grill Ford ever made IMO.

All in all, I prefer the stock factory offerings from the early days.....if someone offered me the keys to the one off above or a stock deuce or 33 roadster, I would not hesitate in choosing the FoMoCo option.