Henry Ford saw the potential of cars to mobilize the masses, but his son Edsel saw the potential of cars as works of art. The Ford founder’s only child, Edsel pushed the company to acquire Lincoln and commissioned one-off cars dripping with Art Deco style. Miami-based Iconic Auto Sports is bringing one of them back.
The SP40 Restomod Speedster is inspired by Edsel Ford’s 1934 Model 40 Special Speedster. The original had custom aluminum bodywork stretched over a modified 1934 Ford Model 40 chassis (hence the name), with flathead V8 power. It was an early example of the modification potential of Ford’s cheap and ubiquitous cars, but it achieved enduring fame as a barn-find story, disappearing for decades before reemerging in 1999 and bringing $1.7 million at auction in 2008. It’s currently on display at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.
The Model 40 Special Speedster’s uniqueness, and the story of is disappearance and rediscovery, inspired Iconic Auto Sports to make a modern tribute. The SP40 Restomod Speedster doesn’t mess with the unique styling of the original, but does swap the aluminum for carbon fiber. The lightweight body sits on a steel-tube space frame chassis with dimensions hewing closely to the Special Speedster’s, including a 117.6-inch wheelbase that’s just two inches shy of an Explorer’s.
Like the bodywork, the engine was updated to something more modern. The Coyote V8 is today’s equivalent of the 1930s flathead, and here it makes more than 480 horsepower, according to Iconic Auto Sports. The engine is connected to a Tremec five-speed manual transmission and a rear limited-slip differential. Independent suspension front and rear, electric power steering, and a Brembo brake system with six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers, ensure the SP40 will only look like a car from the 1930s—not handle like one.
Order books are open, but Iconic Auto Sports isn’t discussing pricing. It probably won’t be cheap, but the SP40 Restomod Speedster is a more fitting tribute to an influential figure in automotive history than the infamous brand that bore his name.