Ford Comète Monte-Carlo 1955

Lot 22
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Estimation :
12000 - 15000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 23 400EUR
Ford Comète Monte-Carlo 1955
Chassis n° 2699 (Last production number) Body n° FMC 2172 Engine n° 4F39FM3003924 French registration Four speed Pont-à-Mousson gearbox Full history of all owners Our Ford Comet Monte-Carlo is in the same family since the end of the 70s. It was the dream of a father, a garage owner in the Paris region for three generations. After consummating his desire, the car was quickly put away and forgotten. We rediscovered it in 2022, immobile for over forty years. The dashboard is complete, except for the radio and the cigarette lighter. The speedometer on the left of the dashboard was an option to have a rev counter, otherwise it was simply marked Monte-Carlo Comete. All the interior upholstery is original, with time and care, some of it will surely be kept. In a subtle way, Facel signs the body construction with a badge on the side of the seat. Part of what makes this car special in our eyes is its serial number. Indeed, after our research, it turns out that the total production of Ford Comète Monte-Carlo amounts to 699 units. (2.001 à 2.699). We were therefore unaware during our first encounter with the Ford, that it was the last Monte-Carlo to leave the Poissy factory. The Facel Metallon nameplate is also present, fixed on the original heat shield which isolated the passenger compartment from the heat produced by the American V8. As for the engine bay, nothing is missing. That said, the Ford 4-litre engine will have to be given a new life. Facel Metallon and Jean Daninos designed a new car for Ford SAF, defined as a "luxurious coach of a style, if not French, at least European". It seems that, as for the SIMCA 8 Sport, it was the master body builder Farina who was asked to contribute the first sketches. This new luxury car, presented at the 1951 Paris Motor Show, was christened Comète, and its engine was the 13 HP V8 already present in the Vedette. To give its sublime Comet coupe a boost, Ford launched the Monte Carlo at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1954. By installing the 3,923 cc Ford V8 under the bonnet, the brand carried out the same operation as that carried out a little earlier with the Vendôme compared to the Vedette. The Ford Monte Carlo now exceeds 150 km/h, a significantly higher speed than in contemporary production. In addition, its handling is much improved by the fitting of the excellent Pont-à-Mousson 4-speed synchronised gearbox. While the exterior of the car has been painted black, probably to save money, the interior has kept its original paint. We can guess a bottle green colour, very fashionable today, which blends perfectly with the small yellow touches of the fittings. Our historical research led us to March 15, 1955, when the car was delivered new in Paris. This was followed by several Parisian owners until 4 January 1965, when Lucien Lagrange registered the car in his name in the Drôme. Mr Lagrange sold the car in 1974 to Pierre Lançon, a company director in Montboucher-sur-Jabron, who in turn sold the car to our garage owner in the Paris region. The car in its present condition will need a complete restoration. Depending on the owner's wishes, he will be able to make it into a show car, or leave it with the old-fashioned charm it has today. Our inspection revealed the presence of corrosion, particularly in the rocker panels. The car is almost complete, the Comet and Monte Carlo lettering are missing, but the spare wheel and the boot mat are present. The Retem Deb sticker, a brand that supplied ignition cables, is an amusing testimony of the end of the 1950s. It attests the installation of a high independence ignition for the modest sum of 3,050 francs. For comparison, the sum was 975 francs for a 2 CV. With its false (real) airs of Ferrari 212 inter GT (once the bumper is removed, the similarity is surprising!). The Ford Comet Monte-Carlo has everything to seduce. A solid American V8 to take you everywhere in the world, an Italian design and a manufacture by the best French craftsmen. What more could you want? Perhaps the most fitting thing is to own the last number, the swan song of Ford SAF, the last Monte Carlo to leave the Poissy factories. Our research has enabled us to find all the owners of #2699. We learnt that it spent the first ten years of its life in Paris, before moving to the Drôme where it remained until 1975, when it was bought by its last owner who brought it back to its region of origin.
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