Ron Hart's 1951 Ford Club Coupe

This is the earliest known photo of Ron's Ford. The car was Seafoam Green when he purchased it, and the front hubcap is the only thing on the car that isn't stock. Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

Built in 1954, the body of Ron's Ford was sectioned 4 inches. The top was kept un-chopped, but Hart shaved the drip rails from the roof. Up front, the hood corners were rounded, the center of the hood was peaked and smoothed, the headlights and taillights were frenched, the door handles were shaved, the body seams were smoothed, and a Canadian Ford grille was installed along with a Lincoln bumper. Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

We believe the first sectioned version of the car was painted black. Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

A photo of the car running 1955 licensplates and a Cincros car club plaque. Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

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Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

A photo of Ron with the Ford taken at an indoor car show, probably the Belleville Gear Jammers Autorama in 1956. By then, we believe the car had been painted in a copper color. Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

Ron's Ford as it appeared when it was featured in Trend Book 156 Custom Cars 1958 Annual. Photo courtesy of Motor Trend.

Another photo of Ron's Ford from Trend Book 156 Custom Cars 1958 Annual. Photo courtesy of Motor Trend.

A photo showing some of the trophies that Ron won with the coupe. The biggest ones come from the Belleville Gear Jammers Autorama. Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

Another photo that shows how the trophy collection is growing. Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

The old custom as it appeared when it was found. "After two front-end collisions, one in the late 1950s and the second in the early 1960s, the car was bought by a local car guy who put it in the warehouse where he kept his cars and never did anything more with it," later owner Alan Brody told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in October of 2016. According to Vern Litschgi, Ron sold the car to Michael O'Brien after the first accident. He repaired it, but bad luck struck again, and the car was crashed again in the 1960s. After the second accident, it was put in storage in a warehouse near the Ohio River in southwest Cincinnati. The old custom stayed in storage until the early 1990s when Michael moved it to his new home in Cincinnati. At the new home, the old custom was stored outside, and Michael held onto it until he passed away in 2011. According to Alan, it looked like this when Ron Jr. purchased it. Ron decided he didn't have the money or the time to bring the car back, and he sold it to Vern. Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

Alan Brody of Blue Ash, Ohio bought the car from Vern Litschgi in 2014, and he continued the restoration that Vern had started. When this photo was taken, Alan had removed the body from the frame, placed it on a rotisserie, and started stripping it to bare metal. Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

A photo of the Ford as it sat in August of 2016. "I had really hoped that we could save the original sectioning on the quarter panels, but when we got all the lead off and saw how badly corroded the weld line was, I finally gave up," he told Kustomrama. Alan had purchased a 1951 Ford Tudor as a donor for the drivetrain, so he stripped and sectioned the quarter panels of that car before welding them onto the Hart Ford. Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

Late in 2023, Alan decided to advertise the project for sale on Bring A Trailer. By then, the body had been stripped to bare metal, much of the rust had been repaired, and the frame had been refinished in black. It was listed as an auction without a reserve. Click here to check out the auction listing. Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

Photo courtesy of Alan Brody.

1951 Ford Club Coupe owned and restyled by Cincros car club member Ron Hart of Cincinnati, Ohio. When Ron bought the car, it was Seafoam Green.

Sectioned 4 Inches

Built in 1954, the body of Ron's Ford was sectioned 4 inches. The top was kept un-chopped, but Hart shaved the drip rails from the roof. Up front, the hood corners were rounded, the center of the hood was peaked and smoothed, the headlights and taillights were frenched, the door handles were shaved, the body seams were smoothed, and a Canadian Ford grille was installed along with a Lincoln bumper.

Belleville Gear Jammers Autorama

In 1956, the car was shown at the Belleville Gear Jammers Autorama. At the show, it won the best custom award.

The Crashes

"After two front-end collisions, one in the late 1950s and the second in the early 1960s, the car was bought by a local car guy who put it in the warehouse where he kept his cars and never did anything more with it," later owner Alan Brody told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in October of 2016. According to Vern Litschgi, Ron sold the car to Michael O'Brien after the first accident. He repaired it, but bad luck struck again, and the car was crashed again in the 1960s. After the second accident, it was put in storage in a warehouse near the Ohio River in southwest Cincinnati. The old custom stayed in storage until the early 1990s when Michael moved it to his new home in Cincinnati. At the new home, the old custom was stored outside, and Michael held onto it until he passed away in 2011.

Sold in 2012

After Michael's death, the estate was auctioned away in May of 2012. Michael Whitney, a friend of Ron Hart, bought the old custom and delivered it back to the Hart family. In April of 2013, Vern Litschgi of West Harrison, Indiana bought the car from Ronnie Hart, the son of Ron. At the time, the car was in need of a total restoration after being exposed to elements for many years. The sectioned body, rounded doors, and deck lid were still intact, and in a very good condition. After buying it, Vern had the body and frame media blasted and primed in prep for a restoration. In July of 2013, Vern advertised the car for sale on eBay, hoping that someone would buy the car and restore it to its original custom configuration.

Sold to Alan Brody

Alan Brody of Blue Ash, Ohio, bought the car from Vern in 2014 and continued working on the restoration that Vern had started. "I had really hoped that we could save the original sectioning on the quarter panels, but when we got all the lead off and saw how badly corroded the weld line was, I finally gave up," he told Kustomrama. Alan had purchased a 1951 Ford Tudor as a donor for the drivetrain, so he stripped and sectioned the quarter panels of that car before welding them onto the Hart Ford. The front fenders from the donor car were also sectioned and installed before Alan frenched the headlights.

For Sale

Late in 2023, Alan decided to advertise the project for sale on Bring A Trailer. By then, the body had been stripped to bare metal, much of the rust had been repaired, and the frame had been refinished in black. It was listed as an auction without a reserve. Click here to check out the auction listing.

Magazine Features

Trend Book 156 Custom Cars 1958 Annual