1948 Ford Super Deluxe SUV
SUVs have become the most ubiquitous cars on the road, to the point that Ford plans to strip its passenger car lineup to one model — the Mustang. But before the SUV craze, and even before the Mustang, there was the station wagon — the forerunner to the SUV as we know it. Following WWII, American automakers continued prewar designs with moderate updates. This 1948 Ford Super Deluxe can trace its roots to the 1941 model year, with one important difference — after manufacture at Ford's Iron Mountain plant in Michigan's Upper Penninsula, it was shipped to Indianapolis where the Marmon-Herrington company converted it to full-time four-wheel-drive. The chassis was braced and a four-speed transmission bolted to the flathead V8 before being reassembled and sent to dealers. Add to that the Super Deluxe trim level and concours-level restoration and this is a truly original American SUV.
