Francisco Carrion
When you visit Edinburgh you usually think of seeing castles, green landscapes or pubs, tasting whiskey and marveling at the kilts. The city's monumental old town houses countless ghostly stories and inspired JK Rowling in the creation of the famous Harry Potter saga, the first novels of which were written in a small cafe located in the center of this cold and humid city.
Because of the cold and the fact that in the middle of summer it is rare that the day exceeds 24 degrees, nobody thinks of beaches when they talk about Edinburgh; Of course, it does have them and they are big and beautiful, but due to the temperature and the wind that prevails there during practically the whole year, there is usually no one who dares to step on them.
It was precisely on one of those rare occasions when time allows a walk on the beach that I first saw the main car in this article. As every good fan of the classics should know, the surprise can be hidden anywhere, and if there are narrow streets with several garage doors in between, the more chances we will have of finding it.
Despite the beautiful views and before the incomprehensible gaze of those who accompanied me, I kept looking towards those alleys of the promenade, until suddenly it appeared.
A Ford V8-48 'thrown to the ground'
From afar it puzzled me a bit, as it seemed quite a Ford V-8 of 1935… But how low? And without spoke rims? I got closer and little by little I saw that yes, that was what I thought, but with a customization let's say very elegant.
Maybe I'm a bit of a Taliban in terms of originality or non-modification of classics, so when I had it in front of me the first thing I did was start to list the things that didn't fit me: tires and height, as we have said; steering wheel, no spare wheel ...
Of course, I didn't really know why but I quite liked it. Without references and from a distance it made me similar, especially in the rear, to the Auburn 851, and even from the side it could give an air to the small Packard 120. That the followers of these brands forgive me for these atrocities.
While scrutinizing all the details of this peculiar unit, its owner arrived. The first thing was to congratulate him on his beautiful car, and after the first courtesies I proceeded to ask him about the obvious modifications.
Brennan, who is the name of the creator of the work, noticed my clearly foreign accent and when I answered that I was Spanish he told me "Men! Like the car! ”.
"Like the car? Isn't it an American Ford?" To my amazement Brennan walked into his garage and showed me a photo of his Ford before it was restored. "That's how it was when I bought it" he affirmed, and pointed to the beautiful original old Barcelona license plate.
With these ingredients, the crush was already inevitable. What will the original Spanish license plates have that we like so much? At least in my case they are capable of giving it that little point of interest that an old vehicle might be missing.
The fact is that I was so excited to find a country car in Scottish lands as it did to the owner that being Spanish I was interested in the subject, so we quickly organized a meeting to test the car the following week.
Customizing with a lot of art
When I came back that way Brennan had her garage door open, and that seemed like a real direct entry to the United States of America. All the details made us think of those garages that we have seen on the web or on television: neat, orderly and full of interesting details, all focused on the theme "Hot Rod".
The hobbies of this friendly Scotsman come from the profession that his father practiced for many years, who was dedicated to the labeling of vehicles as was done in the past, with a brush. Thanks to this, Brennan had from a young age contact with the worlds of four wheels and art.
To this day, he teaches at the University of Edinburgh College of Fine Arts, and his hobbies are painting, sculpture, and custom classic cars.
In the garage you can see a collection of miniatures from the 50s and 60s made in the USA and that he restores himself, or several posters of preparers of the time that are no more than replicas currently made by his father.
How could it be less, the modifications made on this 8 Ford V1935 are the result of the search for the greatest beauty and fluidity of lines possible, all this after a conscientious study based on drawings and photographs of the customizations that were made on the other side from the Atlantic during the 40s and 50s.
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The original Ford V8-48
Don't get confused: V8-48 is the official definition of the 8 model year Ford V-1935s, which were unveiled at the 35th New York Motor Show held January 5-12, 1935.
It was curious that at that time the presentation of this new model raised some complaints from Ford's clientele. The previous one, the V8-40 presented in 1933 and famous among other things for being the car in which they were hunted and the well-known criminals Bonnie and Clyde were shot, it had a design that they liked very much and that had created a school, and even at the end of 1934 it was considered modern and current lines.
When the V8-48 was presented, the press agreed that it was a modern but somewhat heavy design, breaking with the aggressive and almost sporty lines of its predecessor, which, as we have said, had caused a sensation among the public.
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However, the mechanics did not receive any changes, as it was still the same chassis with straight beams, rigid axles, mechanical brakes and transverse leaf suspension on both axles, of an outdated conception and surpassed by practically all the European brands of those years.
The engine was also the well-known V-8 Flathead -Flat cylinder head- from Ford, with side valves. This famous propellant had been presented in 1932 to face the 6-cylinder Chevrolet, and since its launch it was a great success thanks to its economy, reliability and, above all, its performance more than acceptable for its price.
Its reputation for mechanics happy and fast was already harvested when in 1934 a first modification by Ford was carried out: a double-body carburetor that increased power to about 90 hp at 3.800 rpm without changing the cubic capacity of 3.621 cubic centimeters (77,8 x 95,2 mm).
In Spain, Ford manufactured the model 40 in Barcelona practically from its presentation, with V-8 and 4 in-line engines from the model B.
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Sales of the blue oval brand were always at the forefront of the Spanish market during the pre-war years, but the hectic atmosphere that was breathed during the Second Republic was perhaps the reason for which the V8-48 presented in 1935 was not assembled in our country.
Ford Motor Ibérica presented during that year as a great novelty the Ford Ten model C - better known as Ford "Cuba" because of its rounded shapes - that it was nothing more than a miniature replica of the V8-48 design, which was created for manufacture and marketing in European markets.
With a small 4 cc 1.172-cylinder mechanic that remained in production until the 50s, it was the direct heir to the successful Ford Y that sold so well in Spain since its introduction in 1932 and was also manufactured in Barcelona.
These small and cheap models were successful in our country, but the older brother The V8-48, despite not being produced in Barcelona, also reached very good sales levels in 1935, in a tough fight for leadership with the Chevrolet and Fiats of those years.
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Therefore, it is not uncommon to see them in photographs from the Republican era in all their body configurations. The one named as "Cabriolet de luxe with spider" of our protagonist is not the most common, since its price was high compared to the cheap Roadsters convertibles or "Coach" of two closed doors.
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From B-62.174 to 886 XUJ
We know little or nothing about the history of Brennan's Ford in Spain, except that it was registered in Barcelona in August 1935. The car arrived in Scotland from a trader who was dedicated to importing and exporting products between the British Isles. and the Iberian Peninsula, for which it has already been acquired by its current owner on his land.
The state was apparently acceptable, as can be seen in the photos, but behind that coat of paint there were quite a few modifications and a shallow restoration carried out in the 80s.
At some point in its unknown history, the cabin had been transformed to house five seats, with which the rear of it was elongated towards the rear, with the consequent alteration of the arching of the hood and the cover of the "theretepudras", which had been cropped.
Another surprise came when the hood was raised, as the original V-8 engine had a strange sunken position at the rear. The reason was none other than the absence of the gearbox; Despite this, the car was fitted with a dummy gear lever, which can be seen in the photos of the cabin before the restoration.
The work of transforming the car into what it is today began 14 years ago like any other serious full restoration work: it was completely disassembled down to the chassis, which was sandblasted.
The bodywork required a lot of work given the modifications it featured. The firebreak was ordered new from the US due to the fact that some false holes had been created in the upper part (to carry tools?), And the "ahtepudras" and the passenger compartment recovered their original sizes by cutting and welding sheet metal. . The hood arch also came from the USA, but had to be completely restored.
After this, the work of customization themselves. The chassis received a lowering of several centimeters with less curved leaf springs and new hydraulic shock absorbers. The rear axle was swapped for a 1937 Columbia-Ford, with overdrive.
A hydraulic brake circuit was adapted, with 1 Ford F1948 Pick-up drums on the front axle and 1946 on the rear axle. The worm gear steering system and the steering wheel are taken from the 1946 Ford model… although perhaps the chrome-plated “banjo” type Spanish-made steering wheel that the car had when it was bought would not have been bad.
The engine section deserves a detailed description. When we open the hood, the first thing that catches our attention they are the finned shapes of almost all the elements that are in sight. The culprits are some Thickstun covers, an American brand that in the 40s and 50s was dedicated to making accessories for ... sports boats !!
Yes, the well-known V-8 Flathead also served to equip speedboats, and to avoid moisture in the wiring, these aesthetic aluminum finned covers were created that were soon adopted by the car trainers of the time.
The striking air filter on top of the two thirsty Stromberg carburettors is also the work of the Thinkstum house, but with a bowl modified by Brennan himself to facilitate better air intake.
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A French American V8 engine
Let's move on to the inside of the engine, which is not what it might seem. The block of this one comes from France and was manufactured in 1981. Yes, you have read that correctly, and it has an explanation.
Ford began to produce its V-8 engines in France in 1935, by the Matford company of Strasbourg, just at the same time that the complete V8-48 model began to be manufactured in that same factory.
The construction of this power plant took longer in France than in any other country - for example, in the USA it was discontinued in 1954 - and after several modifications carried out over the years, the old propellant was in charge of motorize the Simca Unic Marmon Bocquet.
The French company Simca had taken over French Ford in the 50s, and the V-8 remained in production under that name. In 1964, a new vehicle for the French army was presented, a small four-wheel drive truck with reduced dimensions that was equipped with a turbodiesel engine of Renault origin and, mainly, with the old Ford-origin cylinder, which then displaced 4,2 liters.
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This Simca-Unic-Marmon remained in production until 1973, but the V-8 engines were manufactured until 1990 as a replacement for the French army, so it is still possible to acquire them practically new to equip old Fords as the subject of this article.
To finish this mechanical cocktail, The front of the engine -distribution pulleys, water pump, etc.- comes from American Ford engines between 1949 and 1953, the camshaft is from a 50's Mercury and the pistons are from 1940's Ford.
All this together with a newly manufactured double exhaust line that produces a husky and delicious sound, manages to deliver a power close to 120 hp, and has a verve and drive worthy of a car of greater power.
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Ford V8-48: Fluency of lines
The design of the V8-48s was quite advanced by early 1935, but looking at Brennan's work it seems that it did not develop to its fullest extent.
For example, just replacing the original spoke rims with "flat" stamped sheet rims like the ones on this unit give it a much more modern, and perhaps elegant, air. In this case, the chosen ones are a 1941 Ford.
The grille was originally chrome, but it was painted the color of the body while keeping only a few chrome touches; the stirrups, originally covered in rubber, are now painted like the rest to give an idea of continuity with the lines of the fins.
Regarding these, the rear wing has a wheel cover installed, a detail that at the time was considered worthy of luxury cars. The bumpers are less separated from the body than they were originally, and the headlights used are one of the 1936 Fords.
Every detail of the body is thought-and a lot- to obtain a very specific aesthetic result: fluidity of lines, elegance and a nod to customizations that were made in the 40s and 50s, always with period elements.
From the rear, all superfluous elements that could distract attention from the true lines of the body were removed, so that even the spare wheel was dispensed with, which should be placed between the bumper and the "theretepudras" cover.
The taillights are the original V8-48s but they are taken from the saloons, as they have longer arms than the convertible bodies originally had, a detail that without the owner's explanation is practically impossible to notice.
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On going!
I had never ridden a classic modified in any important aspect of its bodywork or mechanics. Maybe that's why I expected something totally different from what one feels when riding in a Ford A, B or V-8 in conditions of strict originality.
I imagined lower vibrations, fewer “iron” sounds, fewer bounces and in general, greater smoothness, something like a modernization of sensations, more similar to those of a car from the 50s.
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The engine sounded great, worked perfectly and delivered all its power at the slightest touch of the gas pedal. However, everything else was very similar to what he already knew.
The suspensions bounced and creaked at the slightest irregularity, not being any display of comfort. The lever travels are long and imprecise, and the steering required continuous corrections to keep the trajectory straight.
The open body was writhing like a good cabriolet that it is, and an unmistakable, strong smell of gasoline filled the spacious cabin. You may be thinking that I am putting Brennan's work in stock, but nothing further!
I really enjoyed the walk along the Scottish coast, and against what I expected, I felt like I was in a real old car. Of course, if at the end of the day the unaltered axle, chassis and suspension scheme is more or less the original and it was already a somewhat outdated design in 1935.
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Brennan affixing the original license plate to her "custom" Ford
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Too much engine for so little chassis? Perhaps this is the reason why the current customizations that are made in the US tend to have a scheme of independent front suspensions and wide modern tires, nothing to do with the narrow white-band diagonals Firestone that Brennan's car rides and that by the way they seem like a very wise choice.
In short, it was a beautiful experience that helped me - and I hope it will serve some reader - to break certain taboos around originality. In no case am I going to defend the 124 converted into false FUs, or the 600 painted with pearl effect, not much less the amount of American classics from the 30s, 40s and 50s with the cut-out ceiling, matte paint and thousands of modern pieces, but ...
What am I going to do, I don't like those things and in a way they hurt, but one customization like the one made by Brennan, documented, elegant and in keeping with a bygone era, can produce surprisingly good results.
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