Welcome to cool car Saturday your weekly source for interesting vechicals and their back stories.
For our first edition we will be covering one of my favorite cars from history the 1949 ford. ![[Image: fordbig.jpg]](http://www.thehenryford.org/exhibits/showroom/1949/fordbig.jpg)
![[Image: Ford%201949.jpg]](http://www.2blowhards.com/Ford%201949.jpg)
The 1949 Ford is generally known as the car that helped save Ford after its initial post war crisis, with the death of both Henry Ford's son, Edsel, and himself, as well as the losses from world war 2. It was the first fully new entry level design from the big three. The car was a major step forward in entry level design do to its low streamlined look which earned it the name "shoe box" due to its compact design. Original options included several levels of trim mostly increasing chrome. Other options included radio, heater, the engine, either L straight head v-6 or the Flat head v-8 generating up 100 horse power. and last but not least the brand new overdrive system, (an overdrive is a mode in some transmissions that allows cars with a drive shaft, to have the wheels spin faster then the drive shaft. Or in other words the wheels are spinning faster then the revolutions the engine is preforming. This is used mainly for medium high speeds such as 60 to 70 miles per hour, or about 95-110khms. which allows the engine to be much softer sounding and more fuel effient.) Anyways the 1949 Ford would go down in history as the car that saved Ford and started a new generation and look that would define American cars in the 50s.
The 1949 Ford is generally known as the car that helped save Ford after its initial post war crisis, with the death of both Henry Ford's son, Edsel, and himself, as well as the losses from world war 2. It was the first fully new entry level design from the big three. The car was a major step forward in entry level design do to its low streamlined look which earned it the name "shoe box" due to its compact design. Original options included several levels of trim mostly increasing chrome. Other options included radio, heater, the engine, either L straight head v-6 or the Flat head v-8 generating up 100 horse power. and last but not least the brand new overdrive system, (an overdrive is a mode in some transmissions that allows cars with a drive shaft, to have the wheels spin faster then the drive shaft. Or in other words the wheels are spinning faster then the revolutions the engine is preforming. This is used mainly for medium high speeds such as 60 to 70 miles per hour, or about 95-110khms. which allows the engine to be much softer sounding and more fuel effient.) Anyways the 1949 Ford would go down in history as the car that saved Ford and started a new generation and look that would define American cars in the 50s.