The first family car I remember was a beige or khaki 51 Ford Tudor with a velvet textured roof line. I think I was one or two years old, so it is one of my earliest memories. I was born in 1951, and ever since I came to adulthood, I have wanted to get one of these. My first car as a teenager was a 1954 Ford Fordor Customline, also 6 volt, three speed, and the newer Y block V8. Bought it for $25 from an old farmer who was one of the first men to settle in our area.
My first car was a 1951 2-Dr Sedan with a 226 cu in six. The six had 95 hp compared to 100 hp for the flathead 239 cu in V8. But the six had more torque. From 0 to 45 mph I could beat a flathead V8 but from 45 mph up to 70 mph they would catch up and pass me. The six had a long stroke and did not like high RPM. The V8 had some issues. Despite two water pumps they overheated. They were prone to cracking between the cylinders. The exhaust was poorly designed with one side going underneath to link to the other side exhaust, so hot rodders went to dual exhaust. The six manifold could only accommodate a one barrel carb so they were not hot-rodded. The straight six runs pretty smooth too.
Great autos. I had the pleasure of driving my grandfather's 49 flathead Ford and loved the overdrive feature. You could just cruise and the engine just purred at a slow rumble. That engine is a tank.
When I was 5 in 1951, my family bought a brand new 1951 Ford (Base model) dark blue,two-door sedan for $1,650! The car was one of the most beautiful of that year, but since it was the third year of that model, it quickly became 'dated' when the ultra-modern 1952, completely redesigned Ford, came out!/ After more than 70 years, it's amazing to see one of them, still in pristine condition, though! / p.s. My family's car only lasted until 1959-60!
This particular model was called the Crestliner--a gap-filler offered 1950-51 until the Victoria hardtop coupe arrived. The actual CRESTLINE models started with the all-new styling in 1952.
Ford hit the ball out of the park with the shoebox. The paint scheme is unlike any I've seen before. The dash layoutan ornamentation is the best of the lot. Don't understand chroming of the stainless trim. When polished it's as shiny as could be desired.
