1937 Ford Model 78 Darrin Convertible

Howard 'Dutch' Darrin was a leading American designer of custom-bodied cars in the Classic era. He is remembered for the custom bodies he designed for luxury cars from Duesenberg to Rolls Royce. In particular, he is noted for the many Packard Darrins he built for movie stars such as Clark Gable and Errol Flynn.

This Ford Model 78 Convertible was the first car built in the United States by coachbuilder Darrin after Howard 'Dutch' Darrin moved to Los Angeles from Paris. It was based upon the Model 78 Deluxe and giving a distinctive grille and headlights. Power was from the 60 horsepower Ford V8.

There were over 57,000 examples of the Ford in both standard and deluxe trim during 1937, but this is the only one with this style of coachwork. It is the only Darrin-designed car ever built on a Ford chassis. It was designed for a man who imported Ford Jensen cars in the 1930s.

This car was discovered by the current owner in 1969 while looking at a different car in a large old Oklahoma City storage building with a dirt floor. While peeking through a crack in a wall, he noticed this car. The original owner was Percy Morgan of Hollywood, California.