1947 Ford Super DeLuxe Sportsman Convertible
Engine: V-8
Displacement: 239.4 Cubic Inches
Horsepower: 100 BHP
Cost New: $2,282
         Looking for a new model after the war, Ford developed an idea from Bob Gregorie's wartime sketches. He had decided to add white ash and mahogany, leftover wood from the production of gliders during the war, to the body panels of the Super DeLuxe convertibles. The Sportsman Convertible was Ford's only brand new design for 1946. The very top of the Super DeLuxe series, only 2,274 Sportsman cars produced. The vehicles were given the best Ford had to offer, including hydraulic-powered windows, pebble-grain cowhide seats and interior paneling, side skirts and a power top. It was the first Ford to retail for more than $2,000 in almost forty years.
         While the 1947 Ford held few changes from the 1946 models, the company was pushed into the spotlight for unfortunate reasons. On April 7th, 1947, Henry Ford died at the age of 83. His grandson, Henry Ford II had already assumed control of the company in 1945.
         This vehicle is a Certified Milestone Car by the Milestone Car Society, as one of the most distinctive and desirable post-war automobiles. There are fewer than a hundred known that still exist.