Owned by James Brown Family/221ci Flathead V8/3-Speed Manual Trans

1940 Ford Deluxe Sedan

Excerpt from the Foreword section of original owner's manual... "The fact that you are the owner of a new Ford car is, in itself, an indication that you have a keen appreciation of a well-designed, carefully manufactured automobile. It has been designed to perform faithfully for many thousands of miles, and Ford Motor Company has the utmost confidence that this car will fulfill your expectations." I think this wraps it up nicely!

For consignment this beautiful iconic design Ford Deluxe. Presenting in mostly original and weathered condition all around with patina, dings and rust it still shines in the eye of Ford lovers everywhere. Let's add in a dash of star-studded history and we have a sure fire winner. Previously owned by the James Brown family, this Ford Deluxe Sedan will be sold with a copy of the prior registration issued to Mrs. James Brown and Brown's daughter, Yamma, the address on which matches a deed transfer for the James Brown house in Augusta, Georgia. The copy of the deed is signed by James Brown, as the trustee, and appears to match certified original autographs. James Brown, who died on Christmas Day 2006, was known as the Godfather of Soul and enjoyed a career spanning more than 50 years that influenced countless musical styles and musicians along the way.....I Feel Good!!

Exterior
Black paint covers all the straight, some dings, and chipping is showing especially on the passenger's rear quarter panel and the trunk lid, steel panels that make up the exterior of this car. For your added visual enjoyment, black fenders in front and rear adjoined by a running board add to the black charm. Front bumpers show some aging and rust at their mounting points and front a very nice art nouveau style grille is flanked by 2 teardrop shaped headlights which are framed in deluxe oversized bezels. Chrome and brite-work is fair and around the front split glass trimmings have been blackened. In back the wonderfully curved rear has a split oval back glass, long curving trunk lid, and another curved well-worn bumper at the bottom of the lid. Sergeant stripe taillights have nice bright bezels and are mounted on curved black rear quarters which show slight cracking in the paint at the rear bottoms. 16-inch black painted wheels with trim rings at their edges and a center moon cap have black wall bands all around. Ain't It Funky?!?

Interior
Original mohair in total tan supports the door handle and crank as well as the tan mohair covered door pull and armrest. A strip of green carpeting is on the lower door panels. A large expansive mohair bench in tan is seen stretching from door to door. Behind the split bench is another overstuffed couch like bench in the same pattern as the front. A bit of wear off of the fabric is noted on the seats, particularly on the passenger front bench. Up front, the metal dash in taupe metallic color, has a warm creme bakelite center panel inserted that houses the gauges. Next to this panel is a color change to tan and some horizontal ribbing. In the center, these original horizontal ribs of the speaker cover remains with some updated knobs just below. The tight headliner is original mohair and tan showing some staining. Floors are left uncovered and show some surface rust. Hit Me!!!

Drivetrain
Showing patina and use a 221ci Flathead V8 resides under the hood. This is mostly in original condition, showing some peeling of paint and surface rust on the heads. A single 2-barrel carburetor is atop, and a 3-speed manual transmission is on back. A 3.78 gearset sends power to the rear wheels. Overall, the engine bay can be classified as an older restoration with lots of patina. Try Me!!!

Undercarriage
Underneath overall surface rust is noted throughout. The only problem area where rust has gone through a panel is just in front of the fuel tank on the trunk floor underside. Otherwise just road dirt, an X frame that is solid, and some surface rusted running boards and body hangers. Some additional rust is noted on the threshold on passengers' rear panel near the running board. Transverse leaf springs for the suspension all around, and drum brakes are on all 4 corners. Super Bad!

Drive-Ability
As I swung the door to the passenger's side, my partner in crash testing and test driving took the wheel, and we had a great convo about these old Fords. She ran like a top, good power, bias free braking on the panic stopping, and some functions failed to work (speedometer, odometer, heater blower). A pleasurable test drive overall. My Thang!!!!

A wonderful example of the 1940 Ford Deluxe coupe, nice black paint of yore, decent chrome and Art Nouveau styling. Call me a sucker for those teardrop headlights and that curvaceous rising grille. The engine kicks in plenty of original power and the brakes require some planning on the total stopping front! Add in some attachment to the Godfather of Soul and you can relish in some musical history and Ford history all in one. Papa's Got A Brand New Bag!!!!!!!

Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.