Henry Ford’s groundbreaking 1932 Ford V8 had a companion model, the Model B, and it proved to be a worthy successor to the popular Model A.

When the Ford V8 was formally introduced to the public on March 31, 1932, it was a genuine sensation. In the new Model 18, as it was officially known (though everyone called it the Ford V8) here was the first V8 engine in the low-priced field. It was only natural, then, that the V8’s four-cylinder companion model, introduced at the same time, would be overshadowed. But the car itself was no oversight.

Actually, the four-cylinder model was fully developed and nearly ready for introduction for 1932 when the idea caught fire with Henry Ford and he decided in October of 1931 to introduce the V8 for ’32. However, the four-cylinder car would proceed as well. To signal to buyers that this new four-cylinder Ford was a worthy successor to popular Model A, it was named the Model B.

As a result, the chassis, running gear, and exterior styling of the Model 18 V8 and Model B are nearly identical. The Model 18 is essentially the already-developed Model B with the addition of the new V8. The only way to tell them apart on the outside, really, is by their hubcaps and the Model 18’s V8 badge on the headlamp bar.

So the important difference in the Model B was in its engine, a more refined version of the Model A four. The first and easiest way to tell the Model A and B engines apart is by the Model B’s fuel pump, mounted on the right front of the block (above). With its cowl-mounted gravity fuel tank, the Model A had no need of a pump.  But there were a number of other improvements, too.

The cylinder block was now both lighter and stronger, while a new crankshaft featured larger 2.00-in main journals and the pressure-lubrication system was upgraded. Intake and exhaust manifolding were revised for greater airflow, while an improved Zenith carburetor with a larger throttle bore and a power valve circuit was adopted. (Model A owners are known to swap in the Model B’s intake manifold and carburetor for an easy power gain.)

A new camshaft included an additional lobe to drive the fuel pump, and while the  engineers were at it, valve lift was increased from .302-in intake and exhaust to .334-in intake/.341-in exhaust and the duration was opened up from 236 to 244 degrees. A revised combustion chamber in the cast-iron cylinder head offered greater efficiency, though the compression ratio was bumped only a bit  from 4.22:1 to 4.6:1. Late in 1932 came another significant improvement, a fully counterweighted crankshaft (above right).

One interesting Model B development that didn’t make it to the assembly lines was a vacuum-operated “Power Clutch,” shown above in this photo of a pre-production engine. For reasons unclear, the feature was cancelled before introduction. In production form, the Model B four was rated at 50 hp at 2,800 rpm, a 25 percent increase over the 40 hp Model A, with 128.5 lb-ft of torque at 1,500 rpm. (On the dyno, it reportedly produced 52 hp.) That compared to 65 hp and 130 lb-ft for the V8, and it was widely known that in a drag race, the Model B could outrun a V8 for the first 60 yards or so until the V8 got up to steam.

One Model B feature not found on the V8 was the “Engine Stabilizer,” essentially a large friction damper fastened to the firewall. (On a ’32 Ford, the firewall is of heavy-gauge steel, serving as the body’s major structural element.) A lever attached to the rear of the engine, which rode on rubber mounts, transmitted lateral motion to the damper, quieting vibration.

While the new V8 suffered a number of defects early on due to Henry Ford’s impulsive development plan, it was priced at only $50 more—irresistible for many buyers. So naturally, the sensational V8 comfortably outsold the Model B in ’32: worldwide, 223,763 to 118,225 vehicles. The four-cylinder engine was continued in ’33 and ’34, but over the two years fewer than 10,000 were sold. The V8 had won over America, and the four was quietly discontinued for 1935.