A contribution from Ed Garten
Its always a treat to be able to track down the history of an automobile that may have been in the family many years ago. Recently I encountered this photo of my aunts and uncles playfully sitting on or hanging onto what appears to be an early 1930's Ford Deluxe. Through conversations with elderly relatives and though some Internet searching for similar photographs, I discovered that this was a 1933 Ford Deluxe Coupe. First the 1933 and then the 1934 Ford models are now considered iconic. Of course not only were they favored by the general public, they were often the choice of bank robbers and gangsters due to their speed and good handling characteristics.
The 1933 revision of the car was substantial, especially considering how important the 1932 change had been. For its second year, the wheelbase was stretched, from 106 inches to 112 inches on a new cross member frame. The grille was revised, gaining a pointed forward slope at the bottom which resembled either a shovel or the 1932 Packard. Both the grille and hood louvers curved down and forward. The overall design and grille were inspired by the English Ford Model Y. Power from the V8 was also increased in 1933 to 75 hp with a revised ignition system.
Have you ever wondered why so many family photographs from the 1930s on into the early 1960s found family members gathering around a family car or a relative's new wheels? Today, how rare it seems that people are photographed standing beside or inside their automobiles.
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