CHAPTER SEVEN 1937 FORD EIFEL

By Angelo Van Bogart

THE EIFEL FORD

Restored roadster is unique and rare German immigrant

This 1937 Eifel roadster came to the U.S. in the 1950s, but was then taken off
the road for many years before recently making a comeback.

It took nearly 55 years, but Manny Feijoo’s Ford Eifel experience came full circle at the AACA’s 2010 Eastern Fall Meet in Hershey, Pa.

In 1956, the Johnson City, N.Y., resident saw an Eifel for the first time at the Hershey event. In 1987, Feijoo saw his second Eifel when he was approached about storing a tiny roadster. Although he didn’t have space for such a project, he was interested in learning more about the car.

“My antenna went up and I made an appointment to look at it,” he recalled upon learning about the 1937 Eifel roadster. “The brother of the previous owner said if he didn’t find a place to store it, he’d sell it. I asked for first right of refusal and six months later, he called to sell the car.”

Given its age and imported status, Feijoo found it difficult to put a dollar amount on the unusual car.

“He wanted an offer, but I told him I didn’t know what it was worth,” Feijoo said. “I said, ‘Let’s have an appraisal, and if I can afford it, I will buy the car. If not, we can split the cost of the appraisal.’”

The asking price turned out to be reasonable, and in 1987, Feijoo found himself the owner of the second Eifel he’d ever spotted — a 1937 roadster project car. Twenty-three years later, in 2010, Feijoo drove that 1937 Eifel roadster onto the Hershey show field for the first time, just days after finally completing the restoration.

Ford built the Eifel in Köln, Germany, and in Hungary from 1935 to just 1940, under Adolf Hitler’s control of Germany. That historical fact affected how the car was built, and partially explains its brief life.

All of the parts of the Köln-built Eifel denote their country of origin as Germany. “Hitler wanted all the parts made in Germany,” said Feijoo. “All of the parts have the Ford script… the muffler hanger, the lug nuts…” in addition to the country of origin.

Despite its German heritage, the roadster definitely has the Ford look, from its wind-splitting V-shaped grille to its skirted fenders. While restoring the car, Feijoo immediately discovered the Eifel’s relationship to American Ford products.

“I did the chassis when I first got it,” he said. “It’s a miniature Ford underneath.”

The Ford Eifel is powered by a 1.2-liter four-cylinder capable of 34 hp. There were just 42,000
miles on the engine when owner Manny Feijoo purchased the car in 1987.

The Eifel actually shares the smaller Model C platform of British Anglias and Prefects of the period, which likewise borrowed from the American Ford chassis design, albeit on a smaller scale. Like the British Fords, the Eifel was powered by a four-cylinder engine, the Eifel unit being of 1.2 liters in displacement and 34 hp. Feijoo said the four-cylinder in his Eifel hadn’t traveled more than 42,000 miles before the car was imported to the United States in the 1950s.

“I bought it in ’87 from the brother of the man who brought it home from the service in the ’50s,” he said. “I recently had a conversation with the gentleman’s brother, and he said before they shipped the car [to the United States], his parents and brother drove the car to Amsterdam.” Given the Eifel roadster’s size and two-passenger status, it must have been one cramped cruise!

Once the car landed on American shores, the Eifel’s travels appear to have halted. However, the car remained intact and well preserved.

“It was probably 95 to 98 percent original and complete with no rust,” Feijoo said.

Eifels aren’t common in the United States, so having one in relatively good condition and complete certainly worked in Feijoo’s favor. “I used [nearly] all the original parts,” Feijoo said. That included re-using parts such as the original fuel lines, because the proper size was not available in the United States. In other cases, unique Eifel parts had to be made to put the car in show condition.

“The brother of the previous owner said if
he didn’t find a place to store it, he’d sell it. I
asked for first right of refusal and six months
later, he called to sell the car.”

“Some of the wood [in the body] was replaced,” said Feijoo, whose skills as a tool and die maker helped prepare him for the undertaking of restoring a rare car located a long way from home. “I had to make latches for the roof, a horn bezel, dash insert, all the fasteners and even the key.

“There were 23 teeth missing from the flywheel. I tig-welded then milled teeth after teeth, then hardened and tempered the teeth and ground all of them.”

The tail lamps were among the few missing parts. After spending years collecting literature and photos of Ford Eifels during his extensive research, Feijoo was able to determine the correct appearance and size of the lamps. He also noticed they were very similar to American 1934 Ford tail lamps, so he modified a set from a U.S.-built Ford by lengthening them to the proper size. The result is tail lamps that look as though they have been with the car since day one.

Adding into the rarity is the car’s body style. Feijoo said out of the 62,000 Eifels built from 1935-’40, just a handful were roadsters.

“Stoewer, Karmann and Graber built about 100 roadsters for Ford, and it’s possibly one of six [roadsters] left,” he said.

The remaining Eifels were two-door sedans, cabriolets and similarly diminutive trucks. In 1937, Feijoo said Eifels were available in nine color schemes, and as a two-seat roadster from 1937, his Eifel has some unique features for the model year.

“1937 is the only year for cut-down doors,” he noted.

Feijoo did more than make new parts during the Eifel’s restoration — he also completed much of the other work himself, leaving only the paint, upholstery and wiring harness to other professionals.

Feijoo expects to have some fun with his little restored rarity. “I intend to drive it a little bit and enjoy it,” Feijoo said. “I’ve put about 100 miles on it, and it will do 60 mph. It handles and rides well, but it’s a little short on brakes.”