Ford C 1935 (ENG)
Ford C discovered in Valencia. This early example has the same owner since the sixties, it is probably the oldest Model C survivor in Spain.
It was a sunny autumn morning. I had an appointment with Pepe, another old car enthusiast who offered me a spare rear axle for the 1935 Ford C I’m still restoring after 15 years. Indeed the differential of my car seems to be in good shape, but everybody knows that this is one of the main weak points in these cars.
I meet Pepe some weeks before; he said he had a complete rear axle for this car, including the differential and both wheels and tyres. According to him it had been used some decades ago in a horse-drawn cart. I was excited about the possibility of disassembling an axle with no risk of damaging the one of my car. Having two extra wire wheels was also appealing.
After less than an hour drive I meet Pepe, I followed him to the barn where he stored the axle besides to many other old car parts, some aged motorcycles and an early seventies SEAT 124.
At first glance, when he opened the door, I realized that something was wrong; it didn't look like a Model C axle, the wheels seemed too narrow and tall, a quick inspection revealed that they were 21” in diameter. The differential was a two-piece bolt together housing instead the banjo style in the early British small Fords. I immediately googled for Model T pictures and the results revealed what I suspected, what Pepe was offering was a Model T axle fitted with post 1925 wire wheels. Both of us felt disappointed, when I showed him some pictures of a Model T he confirmed that the car he scrapped was the same.
Pepe felt a bit embarrassed about wasting my time; after all he was convinced it was Model C. In fact he was very familiar with Model Y, which he owned one, and Model C. In an attempt to make me to take advantage of the trip Pepe commented that we could visit a friend of him who owns a Fiat Topolino. Unfortunately his friend was not at home, but he wondered if we could meet an old man who still has a Model C. I couldn't believe it, was it really a C or just any other old ford? His friend is 94 years old and Pepe didn't trust he was at home.
Encouraged by the chance it could be one of the few Model C survivors in Spain we went to look for him. We knocked the door and after a while we were to leave when a face emerged behind the door glass, it was Ángel who had decided to spend that morning at his old garage. When he opened I could see the back of the Model C, I was astonished to see that it had its original Valencia registered plate. Half covered with a canvas there was the unrestored car, in its original condition. It had been Ángel’s first car, he used it until he replaced it with a modern SEAT 850 in the seventies which retired in 1989 when Ángel acquired the a brand new Ford Fiesta that can still be seen in the back of the pictures.
The car was lifted on axle stands in order to preserve its wheel bearings. Ángel was checking some electrical connections. As can be seen in the pictures even if the car has never been restored it is in pretty sound rust-free condition. I was particularly amazed about the interior. The car was registered in Valencia in May 1935 and according to the Ford Y&C Model Register, it is among the 10 oldest known Model C survivors in the world, the oldest one in Spain. Ángel still uses it at least once a year in a parade at the local festival.
It was great meeting Pepe and Ángel, even if the rear axle was not suitable for my car I had the chance to find an unknown survivor to the Register.
