1954 Ford Comète Monte-Carlo 5-Speed

This 1954 Ford Comète Monte-Carlo is a French-built, flathead V8-powered coupe with four-seater bodywork produced by Facel-Métallon. The car has been in the US since at least 1964, and by the 1980s it had been relocated to Kansas, where it was purchased by the current owner in 2010. A two-year refurbishment followed at Kansas Kustoms in Wichita, where the exterior was stripped and refinished, the cabin was reupholstered with caramel leather, and the engine was bored and stroked to 265ci with a SCAT crankshaft, Egge pistons, and an ISKY camshaft. A BorgWarner T-5 five-speed manual transmission was also installed, and custom bumperettes were added along with a Nardi steering wheel, a tilt column, and a Vintage Air heater. This Comète Monte-Carlo is now offered on dealer consignment with refurbishment records, historical documents, literature, and a Kansas title. Introduced by French subsidiary Ford SAF (Société Anonyme Française) in 1951, the Comète was based on the contemporary Vedette and shared its flathead V8 engine. Facel-Métallon supplied the steel bodywork, which featured narrow pop-out door handles and a three-piece wraparound rear window. The Museum of Modern Art in New York selected the Comète as one of ten cars displayed in a 1953 exhibit highlighting automobile design. The Monte-Carlo variant debuted in 1954 with updates including an egg-crate grille, a faux hood scoop, and a 3,923cc “Mistral” V8. Ford SAF built approximately 2,200 examples of the Comète, of which 699 were Monte-Carlo models. Following the company’s sale to Simca, production of the Monte-Carlo continued under the latter marque until 1955.