"Take the wheel! That's the only way to get acquainted with the big new 1946 Ford and the many improvements which make it, in our opinion, the finest car in the low–priced field.“
Right after World War II, only few motorists could “take the wheel”, as America‘s civil car production still needed to ramp up after nearly three years of agony by government decree. The car market faced an incredible demand and acquiring a new car was extremely difficult even if you had all the money. Who got in possession of the newest Ford, though, got a fine and well-engineered automobile. A matured one, too, because it was based on a design for 1941.
Under the direction of Ford’s styling chief Bob Gregorie, the redesign for 1946 was principally carried out by Willis P. Wagner, who had a key role in trim and detail design of all Ford models though 1948. The modifications were merely meant to make the aging prewar construction look “new”. The cars now featured a bold front grille with massive horizontal bars, while everything else was similar to their prewar predecessors. Early 1946 Fords were even assembled with leftover parts from 1942.
The heavy-handed front grille design made the new Fords arguably look wider, but a bit ungainly, too. Accordingly soon nicknamed “Fat Fendered Fords”, these cars certainly weren't the latest fancy in automotive styling. But they excelled in dependability and a super-solid build quality — virtues that mattered in 1946. And of course in today’s Cuba, too, where many of these Fords keep on driving in a magnificent shape, as this fully trimmed example from Sancti Spiritus nicely demonstrates.
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