GTP Cool Wall: 1951-1954 Ford Comète

  • Thread starter Thread starter GranTurismo916
  • 60 comments
  • 5,334 views

1951-1954 Ford Comète

  • Total voters
    127
  • Poll closed .
This existed?

I can't imagine this not selling well Stateside had they brought it over. Would've needed a different name, but damn son. Then again I suppose there wasn't much option for powering it stateside, would've been either a flathead or a straight-6 that there may not have been room for.
 
So basically they built their own engine from the ground up only keeping the block as starting point.
 
CarBastard
As amazing as that sounds, my ignorance makes me ask: HOW THE 🤬 DO YOU SPEND 50k ON AN ENGINE?
Click to expand...

This:

Cano
Basically redoing it completely.
Click to expand...

And this:

XS
So basically they built their own engine from the ground up only keeping the block as starting point.
Click to expand...

You probably can't even find stock parts for these engines. Maybe some grandpa has parts laying around on his attic or in his garage. That made the guy decide to say screw it, I'm all in.

When you're machining every single part inside an engine, the money counter goes pretty fast.

But that's what you get if you want to numbers to match.
 
Last edited:
Rotary Junkie
This existed?

I can't imagine this not selling well Stateside had they brought it over. Would've needed a different name, but damn son. Then again I suppose there wasn't much option for powering it stateside, would've been either a flathead or a straight-6 that there may not have been room for.
Click to expand...
I can't actually find anything detailed in English about the engines it had, but it sounds like those two were just French built variations of the flathead anyway.
 
Very pretty. Also reminds me of the Ferrari 166 MM. Cool.
 
Tornado
I can't actually find anything detailed in English about the engines it had, but it sounds like those two were just French built variations of the flathead anyway.
Click to expand...

Yup. They're engines that weren't very popular in the US, probably because they lacked power. They were replaced by bigger flatheads, making these small ones rare as they are.
 
Dennisch
When you're machining every single part inside an engine, the money counter goes pretty fast.
Click to expand...

Yes, that is why I said redoing instead of rebuilding. To turn a basically unknown to humanity engine into something capable of 9,500 rpm, you need to custom-make everything.
 
I'm guessing the displacement was incredibly tiny and it had one helluva good rod ratio.
 
CarBastard
As amazing as that sounds, my ignorance makes me ask: HOW THE 🤬 DO YOU SPEND 50k ON AN ENGINE?
Click to expand...


That's small change. A competitive Appendix K Jaguar E-Type (as seen at the Goodwood Revival etc) will have a £120k engine.
 
Cano
You don't need to quote meaningless numbers, instead only say "Vignale".
Click to expand...

I think it was 'Touring' who did a majority of the bodies for Ferrari's 50's GT road cars
 
TheCracker
I think it was 'Touring' who did a majority of the bodies for Ferrari's 50's GT road cars
Click to expand...

Yes, with a couple even bodied by Ghia iirc. But this little Ford thingie here really looks like a Vignale donkey.
 
Cano
hahaha yeah, I'd also love to hear @Dennisch, have anything you'd like to share with us all? like an spec list or something?
Click to expand...

No, it has been quite some years since I've worked there.

I can remember him telling us that the oil capacity was doubled, and it had a much larger water pump and cooling system.

I've been thinking about what the guys name was, because maybe I can find the car online.
 
Dennisch
Yup. They're engines that weren't very popular in the US, probably because they lacked power. They were replaced by bigger flatheads, making these small ones rare as they are.
Click to expand...

The story of every interesting engine that existed in the states when the flathead boom happened. Hard to blame the car makers and hot rodders of the time though.
 
It's interesting to see how the votes have played out so far. More or less as I expected, which is nice. Ever since I discovered this car back in October, I've thought it's one of the coolest I've seen in a long time. So you can understand my vote of Sub-Zero: sure, it's obscure, but it looks classy as hell, and I can't imagine anybody not looking correspondingly cool getting out of it. Like a modern day Alain Delon, really.
 
I know absolutely nothing about this car... despite owning several omnibus classic car collections (I should have at least seen it in there somewhere.)

Still... sub-zero... because:
7481675130_98d565f7b8_z.jpg

I want whatever the hell this guy has been smoking to get a grin that goofy.

-

On a more serious note: Beautiful coachwork... as @Rotary Junkie says: I can't imagine it not selling if it had made it to the US.
 
SZ. I'd even have one with the 2.2. I do love a V8-60 and love the idea of one of these with a pair of Rochesters and Smith Jiggler heads.
 
Sub Zero all the way, a classic American car with classic European styling.
 

Latest Posts

Back