The Model B was a new Ford automobile produced in the 1932 model year. It was an updated version of the Model A and remained largely unchanged until the 1935 model year, when the updated Model 48 was introduced.
Strictly speaking the Model B was a four-cylinder car, but it was at this time that Ford began producing a very similar car with Ford's new Flathead V8 engine. The V8 car was marketed as a Model 18, though it is commonly called the Ford V-8 today, and was virtually indistinguishable from the Model B. Until this time, Ford had always produced only one basic car at a time.
Today, the 1930s Model B is a highly collectible car that people will pay thousands of dollars to restore to exact original style. During the WWII period, when they were first getting old the Model Bs and V-8s were frequently altered into hot rods. This continued into the 1960s on a large scale. Since about 1970 1932 bodies and frames have been expensive. This has reduced the sheer number "rods" being created, from the seventies on. Those that are made, however, are quite evolved and always expensive. A typical auto-show hot rod is a $60,000 proposition or much more, in a few cases.
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