1951 Ford Custom Deluxe

1951 Ford Custom Deluxe The 1951 Ford Custom Victoria was Ford's first hardtop, offered only in V-8 guise. It appeared in the last year of the 1949 styling generation - and a bit late at that. Still, the Custom Victoria proved immensely popular, outselling Chevrolet's Bel Air by about 7,000 units that year. The pillarless superstructure was styled by Gordon M. Buehrig, of Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg fame, who had come to Dearborn after leaving the Loewy team at Studebaker. Despite exceptionally clean lines, a relatively posh interior, and good performance from the reliable flathead V8, the first Victoria used to be somewhat overlooked by collectors, but in the last decade has become more desired.