1. Ford Speedster
While the name is quite attractive, the details of the design and build are even more interesting. The car was actually created by Henry Ford's son, Edsel and a designer, Eugene Gregorie. This designer was also a Yacht designer and worked on many projects with Edsel from 1930-1940.
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2. Power plant
This unique ride was fitted with a flathead V8 engine. The output was 85 bhp equipped with a Stromberg 81 two-barrel carburetor. The power exits the rear through twin straight pipes.
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3. Body Inspiration
Edsel wanted something “long and low.” Although that was a challenge on the vehicle's short wheelbase, Gregorie used his eye for designing Yachts and incorporated a clever design resulting in a wide and low fender, boat-tailed speedster that visually stretched the roadster’s appearance. The body panels were handmade from sheet aluminum.
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4. Ahead of its time
Before the technology was even thought of, Edsel was able to come up with a starter button inside the cockpit. Talk about futuristic minded! It's a nice touch to the dark-grey brown interior that otherwise seemed completely unassuming. Naturally, it was a 2-seater as any good hot rod should be.
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5. Priceless History
For a vehicle that encompassed the essence of what would later be considered a "hot rod", this classy example was offered once at the very posh RM Sotheby's and sold for $770,000. It was later learned to be wrecked by a young and reckless GM designer. The scrap was then found and restored back to its original form. Since then, only 3 of them exist. The second version was restored by RM Auto Restoration and was owned by the Edsel and Eleanor Ford. The third, sadly, was never found.
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