Imagine walking in to a garage, seeing a vehicle under a tarp, and pulling it back to reveal this one of a kind 1937 Ford Housecar? This Housecar is (1) of only (6) said to have been made per year in the mid-1930s at the Ford Plant in St. Paul, Minnesota.
When discovered in a garage (under a heavy cover) in Northern Minnesota in August 2001, this 1937 Ford Housecar had only 19,000 miles, and the owner’s manual was actually still the glove box in like-new condition! She had always been garaged and treated with much TLC as a collector vehicle.
The interior, all wood lined, was still the way it appeared in the ’30s and ’40s, complete with framed photos of the original owner on his travels (mainly to Florida) and his cabin in the North Woods, plus and other memorabilia from the era.
Built on the ’37 Ford Pickup frame and cowling (powered by a 60-hp flathead V8 with aluminum heads), the rear framing is all wood, with the metal skin wrapped around it. The roof structure, too, is all wood, over which the heavy, waterproofed canvas top is still very securely fitted. The structure of the body is solid, appearing from underneath to be all oak, and still in a remarkably unaltered, undamaged condition. The door frames are thick, solid oak, and oak is visible around the window openings (as on the four side windows in back) — though it is painted over.
After being used for a short period of time, the Housecar was shipped to Southern California in September 2001. It was sold for $35,000 to a well-known LA-based collector of old Ford woodies at the ‘Wavecrest’ car show in Encinitas, California.
In 2012, the Housecar was sent to the Barrett Jackson auction in Las Vegas, and was sold for $26,4000. It was described as:
Lot #634.2 – Ford’s first attempt at creating a motorhome. This ultra-rare vehicle was built on a 1937 Ford chassis. It was produced at the St. Paul, MN Ford plant in 1937. Features a single driver’s seat, adjustable window, storage cabinets, hide away table, sink, sleeping quarters and a pop up center roof for camping. Purchased from The Nick Alexander Collection in Los Angeles, CA. Engine was just rebuilt.
Photos:
Click the photos to enlarge.
