1939 Ford Prefect Tourer Convertible

This Ford Prefect’s current Irish registration document lists the date of manufacture as January 1939, although based on the chassis number it probably rolled out of Dagenham in March of that year.

We know nothing of its history in the UK but it was first registered in Ireland in March 1994 when it was bought by the current owner’s late grandfather - a prolific collector of classic cars from County Wexford.

It has been part of his private collection, stored in a heated garage since purchase and looked after by a private mechanic since purchase.

The exterior’s original grey is now replaced with a rich beige coloured paint, which looks to have been done fairly recently as it remains in a good condition.

The folding roof and removable side panels are also a beige but much lighter and likely faded from the original shade. All parts of the fabric roof look in good condition though, including the clear plastic panels which have a few light scratches in places but no creasing or damage that we could see. The folding roof and slot-in panels - or side curtains - denotes an open tourer rather than having side windows attached to the body and a foldaway roof as in a convertible or cabriolet.

The frame of the roof is painted in a grey colour - probably that of the original body colour - but has spots of surface rust speckling through. Whilst on a negative note, the rubber grommet around the fuel filler neck is somewhat perished.

Front bumper aside, which is badly pitted, the chrome brightwork is generally good with just a light patina and one or two small dents and scratches here and there. The beautifully curved waist-line trim on the doors looks delightful.

For reasons unknown, Ford decided to colour the enamel on the Prefect’s oval badges in red rather than their usual blue. Red ‘10’ badges also adorn the sides of the bonnet.

Just ahead of the doors on the side wings, semaphore trafficators are fitted. Ford was very pleased with the indicators on the Prefect, describing them in the sales brochure as “self-cancelling direction indicators with steering wheel switch” - evidently the height of technology back then.

The Prefect sits on pressed steel wheels painted in cream with body-coloured centres. All look in reasonable order with a few specks of surface rust coming through. As with the rest of the brightwork, the chrome hubcaps have just a light patina. The wheels are fitted with what appear to be Mabor General Tyres - a Portuguese brand - and are showing some age with cracking in the rubber of the side walls.

The interior of the tourer is upholstered in a neutral tan colour, which appears to be leather but could also be a good quality vinyl. With the car at over 80 years old it won’t be the original covering but it looks appropriate to the car and covers the seats front and back, as well as the door cards and side walls. As far as we can see there’s no undue wear or damage to the upholstery.

We think the dashboard is rather stylish and must have been considered achingly modern back in the late thirties, making good use of moulded plastics (Bakelite) to form the smooth, rounded surfaces.

The Banjo-spoke steering wheel is also formed with a Bakelite rim - although the plastic is rather worn and there are cracks at the roots of each spoke.

The top-hinged windscreen (pushed open for ventilation) is fitted with wiper units powered by the vacuum - or with the engine under load, the lack of it - from the engine’s inlet manifold.

Under foot the floor is covered with tan-coloured carpeting, presenting in good order, with brown overmats in the footwells.

Although the engine bay looks a little untidy, with some copper corrosion presumably from a slightly leaky radiator, we understand that the car runs and drives - recently covering the 25km from Waterford to storage in New Ross under its own power.

Having no real history for the car, it’s pretty hard to pick a highlight. So let’s go for a little history highlight of what was going on in Europe when the car was first built in March 1939:

The British government finally realised that Nazi Germany wouldn’t be keeping the promises it had made in the Munich Conference appeasement of the previous year, when it marched into and seized the remainder of Czechoslovakia.

If that highlight is too depressing, it was also the month when actress Lynda Baron - Nurse Gladys Emmanuel in TV comedy Open All Hours - was born. So too was automotive entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin - he of the eponymous gull-winged SV-1 sports car.

There are very few pre-war Ford Prefects still in existence - even though some live on as chopped roof V8-powered hot rods. Tourers are rarer still - in 1978 the Ford Motor Company declared that there were only four remaining in the whole world, although this is thought by some to be slightly on the pessimistic side.

This hard-to-come by example of early British Ford design would be a great addition to a collection or museum or, with a mechanical overhaul, could be returned to regular road use.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.