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{{Infobox Automobile
|name=Ford
|image=[[Image:1951 Ford Custom Tudor.jpg|250px|1951 Ford Custom Tudor]]
|manufacturer=[[Ford Motor Company]]
|production=1949&ndash;1951
|predecessor=[[1941 Ford]]
|successor=[[1952 Ford]]
|class=[[Full-size Ford]]
|wheelbase=114&nbsp;in (2896&nbsp;mm)
|engine=226&nbsp;[[Cubic inch#Engine displacement|CID]] (3.7&nbsp;L) ''[[Ford Straight-6 engine|L-head]]'' [[Straight-6|I6]]<br>239&nbsp;CID (3.9&nbsp;L) ''[[Ford Flathead engine|Flathead]]'' [[V8 engine|V8]]
}}
After sticking with [[1941 Ford|its previous model]] for far too long to suit its customers, Ford completely redesigned '''its namesake [[Automobile|car]] for 1949'''. Save for its drivetrain, this was an all-new car in every way, with a modern [[ladder frame]] now supporting a [[coil spring]] suspension in front and longitudinal [[semi-elliptical spring]]s in back.  The engine was moved forward to make more room in the passenger compartment and the antiquated [[torque tube]] was replaced by a modern [[drive shaft]].  Ford's popular 226&nbsp;[[Cubic inch#Engine displacement|CID]] (3.7&nbsp;L) ''[[Ford Straight-6 engine|L-head]]'' [[straight-6]] and 239&nbsp;CID (3.9&nbsp;L) ''[[Ford Flathead engine|Flathead]]'' V8 remained, now rated at 90&nbsp;hp (67&nbsp;kW) and 100&nbsp;hp (75&nbsp;kW), respectively.

==1949==
The 1949 models debuted at a grand gala at the [[Waldorf-Astoria Hotel]] in [[New York City]], with a carousel of the new Fords complemented by a revolving demonstration of the new chassis.  The new integrated steel structure was advertised as a "lifeguard body", and even the woody wagon was steel at heart.  The convertible frame had an "X member" for structural rigidity.
  
From a customer's perspective, the old Custom, De Luxe, and Super De Luxe lines were replaced by new Standard and Custom trims and the cars gained a modern look with completely integrated rear fenders and just a hint of a fender in front.

==1950==
{{seealso|Ford Country Squire}}
1950 saw a new '''Crestliner''' "sports sedan" &mdash; a 2-door sedan with 2-tone paint intended to battle [[Chevrolet]]'s popular [[hardtop]] sedans of 1950.  Another new name was '''Country Squire''', which referred to the 2-door wood-sided station wagon.  All wagons received flat-folding middle seats at mid-year, an innovation that would reappear in the [[minivan]]s of the 1990s.  The 1949 and 1950 styling was similar, with a single central "bullet" in the frowning chrome grille.  The trim lines were renamed as well, with "Standard" becoming "Deluxe" and "Custom" renamed "Custom Deluxe".

==1951==
The 1951 Fords featured an optional [[Ford-O-Matic]] [[automatic transmission]] for the first time.  Ford finally answered Chevrolet's [[Chevrolet Bel Air|Bel Air]] charge with the '''Victoria''' hardtop sedan in 1951.  The car was an instant hit, outselling the Chevy by nearly 10%.  The Crestliner continued for one more year, however.  All 1951 Fords sported a new "dual-bullet" grille and heavy chrome bumpers.

==Sources==
* {{cite book|title=100 Years of Ford|author=David L. Lewis|isbn=0-7853-7988-6|publisher=Publications International|year=2005|pages=135&ndash;151}}
* {{Cite web|url=http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=93327|title=Generations: Ford Model T to Crown Victoria|site=[[Edmunds.com]]|accessdate=August 21|accessyear=2006}}

{{Ford postwar template}}

[[Category:Ford vehicles|1949]]
[[Category:Goods manufactured in the United States]]