Discoveries during restoration confirm originality of design and engineering.
It has grace, style and a 77-year history shrouded in mystery that has intrigued automotive collectors, enthusiasts and writers worldwide. Edsel Ford’s restored 1934 Model 40 Special Speedster was unveiled on August 17th by Lincoln and the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House at The Lodge, Pebble Beach in Monterey County, Calif. It appearred again on Sunday August 21st, at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Restored to its timeless elegance, Edsel’s personal roadster shared its story of a decades-long journey.
The Speedster’s extensive restoration by award-winning RM Auto Restoration in Ontario, Canada, revealed the stunning, custom made “one off” as it originally looked in 1940 after its final redesign by Edsel and designer E. T. Gregorie. The revelations uncovered during a year-long restoration have resolved many long-held assumptions about the illustrious vehicle’s journey over time. But more than a story of restoration, the vehicle provides a glimpse into the early years of Edsel Ford’s design and automotive styling as President of Ford Motor Company and its luxury Lincoln line.
The Speedster celebrates Edsel’s eye for design that began when as a small boy he would take pen to paper to sketch cars as well as everyday objects.
“My grandfather was an early believer that everyday objects – including automobiles – could be seen as works of art,” said Edsel Ford II, who unveiled the Speedster. “While he wasn’t a designer in the traditional sense, his eye for styling and influence was apparent as he initiated and built the design department at Ford Motor Company.”
After Edsel’s death in 1943, the Speedster crisscrossed the U.S. making limited appearances, then it disappeared – some feared it had been destroyed. It was last seen when it was photographed in Hollywood in the 1950s after which it was purchased by a U.S. Navy sailor in Florida for $603 in 1958. It didn’t appear again until Bill Warner displayed it at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in 1999.
In 2008 it was sold to a Texas car collector for $1.76 million, then, following the collector’s untimely death in 2010, the Speedster returned to Edsel’s home, now operated as an historic site called the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House. Over the years, alterations were made to its grille, engine, paint and interior – it is these alterations that have been reversed by RM Auto Restoration to take the famous car back to the 1940 design and engine.
