In the decades since old cars turned into collectable cars, 4-door sedans have not really received the credit for which they’re due. Convertibles, coupes, and even station wagons have occupied special places, but the truth is, if you’re looking to take a stroll down memory lane and touch the past, a sedan is still a great way to do it. Spacious, practical, and still eminently attractive, this 1951 Ford represents the top-of-the-line and a car that occupied more driveways and garages in 1950s America than just about anything else. From behind the wheel, it drives exactly the same as a coupe, and when you have friends to bring along, nobody will complain about the accommodations. And if there’s a better car for a road trip (more on this in a moment) than a spacious 4-door like this. All things considered, buying a sedan as a hobby car makes a lot of sense. And that’s not just a sales pitch, because my own personal cars include several 4-door sedans and I will tell you that on tours and at events, if the weather turns or it’s a little chilly, those folks in the breezy roadsters and convertibles start eyeing my cozy back seat with envious eyes.

This lovely 1951 Ford Custom Deluxe sedan is one of the best there is. It’s a multiple Dearborn Award winner, which is arguably the highest honor a V8 Ford can receive. It not only means it’s pretty, as is the case with many club awards, but that it’s correct and functional, as the Dearborn process takes hours of intense scrutiny by a team of knowledgeable judges. Owning a Dearborn car means you’ve got one of the best. The restoration is several years old and since it was retired from active competition, it’s been driven about 10,000 miles, so it’s no longer perfect, but it’s very, very nice. The dark blue paint is the car’s original color, called Culver Blue, and it’s dark enough that it sometimes is mistaken for black. But when properly illuminated, people often exclaim with joy and surprise that it’s beautiful dark blue, which is so much better than plain old black. This was a super straight original car before the restoration, and it was completely disassembled, the body was stripped to bare metal, and it was completely rebuilt from there. All four doors fit with the kind of precision we usually associate with cars costing tens of thousands more, the hood latches easily, and if you sight down its flanks, you’ll see no ripples or waves and the doors sit flush with the surrounding bodywork. It’s unlikely that they were this good in 1951 coming off the assembly line.

1951 Fords were also restyled, and they remain very popular with collectors because of their big car look. The “bullet nose” look is gone, replaced by a sophisticated grille with twin pods that make the simple Ford look like a much more expensive car. The clean “shoebox” styling remains elegant and modern, but a few well-chosen pieces of trim accentuate this high-end look. All the chrome and stainless trim on this Custom Deluxe sedan has been restored and remains in top-notch condition and to be honest, we’d have a hard time finding something to point at as a flaw. It’s also nicely accessorized with fog lamps, a very sleek-looking windshield visor, spotlight, and fender skirts, along with optional back-up lamps built into the body. This Ford is anything but basic.

The gray cloth interior is quite correct, and if you don’t feel compelled to slide behind the wheel of this comfortable-looking Ford, then maybe cars aren’t your thing. The upholstery uses correct materials and patterns to re-create the 1951 factory look (which is how you win a Dearborn Award) and even though it’s been driven pretty regularly, it’s in great shape. Two-tone door panels are handsome without being over-done and the jet age was in full swing, as evidence by the big black steering wheel. The instrument panel was slightly revised, still offering a big speedometer in the center with all the secondary gauges inside, but a wide swath of bright metal trim takes this Ford a little closer to the modern concept of a driver-centric instrument panel. Everything works, all the gauges, the clock ticks away reliably, and even the AM radio pulls in stations loud and clear. Heater controls are on the driver’s left, one of the first times they were actually integrated into the car instead of being a dealer add-on under the dash, with knobs for the lights, wipers, and other functions along the top. Of note, the cigarette lighter knob has been re-tasked as a switch for the electric fuel pump, which is a clever update that works rather well. In familiar Ford tradition, the front seat passengers get durable rubber mats, while rear seat passengers get gray carpets that offer a slightly plusher feel. You’ll note the column shifter and only two pedals on the floor, because this car carries the first-year Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission, and it works surprisingly well, adding to the car’s polished feel. And for road trips, there’s a massive trunk fitted with a proper rubber mat and full-sized spare that’s never been used.

The engine is familiar, a 239 cubic inch “flathead” V8. If you’ve never driven one that’s properly sorted, this one will be a revelation for you: once it’s running, you can’t feel it. There’s a nice mechanical whirring sound from somewhere far up front and a meaty V8 burble from the single tailpipe, but from behind the wheel, without revving the engine, you’ll think it’s stalled. That’s how the great ones run. This one is nicely detailed in proper Ford Copper engine paint, which extends to the intake manifold and air cleaner, which is how they were delivered new. Proper Ford script hoses and reproduction clamps ensure things look tidy, and the factory-issued 2-barrel carburetor still lives under the air cleaner. The only notable modification is a 6-volt alternator, which powers up the battery more quickly than a generator would, and it’s easy to reverse if you want to go back to 100% original. There’s even a reproduction battery. It starts quickly by using the electric fuel pump to prime it, and thanks to a recent and extensive fuel system service, that includes a re-lined tank, fresh lines, rebuilt mechanical pump, and a rebuilt carburetor, it runs superbly. It’s most recent outing was a trip to the Ford National Meet in Atlanta, Georgia a few years ago, a trip it made on its own, not on a trailer, cruising at 65 MPH for more than 3000 miles. That’s the sign of a great car!

Of course, the Ford-O-Matic makes it easy and it works just like any other modern transmission. Unlike the guys at GM and Chrysler, Ford was using the now-familiar PRNDL quadrant, giving drivers and actual Park position that makes it even easier to use. On the other hand, like all Fords of the 1950s, it needs to be in Neutral to start, presumably a safety feature whose advantages I can’t imagine. Regardless, it works well, clicking through the gears just about when you need a shift and thanks to the torque multiplication of the fluid coupling, it has lower 3.31 gears than the manual transmission cars, which allow it to cruise at modern highway speeds without working hard. Both the engine and the transmission were rebuilt when the car was restored, about 10,000 miles ago, and they need nothing today.

The undercarriage was treated to a dusting of undercoating, but there’s nothing to hide and you can see every seam, every joint, every weld, strongly suggesting that this car was never, ever rusty. It features a rather rare power brake booster setup, a unique arrangement with the booster set back under the driver’s seat but that’s exactly how Ford did it in 1951. The exhaust system is recent the brakes and suspension were rebuilt, and while it does show plenty of evidence of use, there are no problems or issues that should concern a new owner. This is a car you can drive anywhere with confidence. It has also been fitted with brand new 215/70/15 Firestone blackwall radials, which are the right look and complement the simple hubcaps perfectly.

The car includes numerous awards and trophies that it has won over the years, plus paperwork and historical documents, as well as a high-quality car cover for storage.

Take another look at sedans and you’ll realize they offer a great deal of style, fun, and practicality, all at a very affordable price. This is one of the best-running V8 Fords we’ve ever featured and despite its subtle look, it generates more than its fair share of interest on the showroom floor (and the multiple People’s Choice awards it has won will attest to that fact). This is a flat-out fantastic car that’s ready for a new owner who will drive and enjoy it properly, because, after all, it’s a car. Treat it that way!