1948 Ford Convertible

The 1948 Ford had the distinction of being the last of the Fords in which Henry Ford had a hand in the development of the basic technology. In plain English, the cars still had solid front axles and heavy-duty torque tube drive.

Chevrolet was leading the marketplace in 1948 and Ford barely beat out Plymouth for second place. From late 1945 to 1947, any new car sold pretty much at retail price (a seller's market). 1948 shifted to a buyer's market and by then, everyone knew Ford was outclassed and outdated. Ford would have to wait until the 1949 model year to more than double production and beat Chevrolet.

This Ford Convertible is historically significant because it was one of ten Ford Convertibles used to give rides at Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes. It was special ordered with heavy-duty cooling and suspension, and specialty rims with large balloon tires for driving in the sand. Hundreds of thousands of summer tourists would have enjoyed a thrilling ride in this car throughout its time in service. This is the only known restored survivor of the fleet of 1948 Ford “Dunesmobiles.”