Ford Vedette Price Guide

The Ford Vedette was the large Ford produced at Ford SAF (Société Anonyme Française) in Poissy, France, from 1948 to 1954. It was powered by a flat-head V8, bolted to a saloon styled for the French market. The designs and tooling were eventually sold along with the entire Poissy factory to Simca in 1954, becoming the Simca Vedette. The Ford Vedette is therefore simultaneously the last large French Ford and the first large Simca.

The Car

The Vedette used a 2,158cc flathead V8 producing 60bhp in a body styled with the flowing lines of late-1940s French automotive design. A Cotal electromagnetic gearbox was available as an alternative to the conventional manual. The Comète coupé derivative was the sporting variant. Around 171,000 were produced before the Simca acquisition. The Vedette continued under Simca badging through the mid-1960s.

Buying

The Ford Vedette is rare in the UK and primarily of interest to French classic car specialists. The Cotal gearbox requires specific expertise to maintain.