Sold: Mike Ebeling's cars #1: 1942 Ford WOA2 Heavy Utility Car, UK

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Fuel consumption depended on road speed and conditions but an average figure of 3.7 gallons per 62 miles ...

What an unusually random set of numbers!

I would have thought it would make calculations much simpler to quote consumption in the form, say, of "5 Gal to go 83 miles" or "5.95Gal per 100 miles". Or even the more traditional form of "16.6mpg".

[rob love]

Originally Posted by Tony Smith

What an unusually random set of numbers!
I would have thought it would make calculations much simpler to quote consumption in the form, say, of "5 Gal to go 83 miles" or "5.95Gal per 100 miles". Or even the more traditional form of "16.6mpg".

As a guy who started in miles and had to convert to metric while growing up, when I see a number like 62 it makes me think they were doing their mileage calculation based on 100km and converting it back to imperial.It would work out to 14 liters per 100km.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

And a link to the auction itself: https://www.handh.co.uk/auction/lot/...car/?lot=52432

c.1942 Ford WOA2 Heavy Utility Car

20053086-40_resized.jpg 20053086-32_resized.jpg

Possibly the finest example extant

(Imperial War Museum Duxford, 26th May 2021)

Estimate
£45,000 - £55,000
Buyer's Premium applies (subject to a minimum charge and VAT)


Lot details

Registration No: RBJ 599
Chassis No: 7038837
MOT: Exempt

1 of just six examples known to have survived
The subject of an extensive, chassis up restoration which took some four years to complete
A multiple award winner in Historic Military Vehicle circles and the subject of various articles
Liveried in authentic Headquarters 21st Army Group 1944 markings (a unit that used the WOA2s)

The Miracle of Dunkirk which saw 800 boats (many of them fishing vessels and pleasure craft) evacuate some 340,000 Allied troops over the course of just eight days, May 26th – June 4th 1940, proved pivotal to the outcome of World War Two but also caused a major logistical headache with the abandonment of 85,000 in Northern France. Requisitioning passenger cars for Staff and Command usage as a stop gap, the War Office put out urgent requests to UK manufacturers for more suitable replacements. Ford responded with the WOA1 and WOA2. Both were derived from the Blue Oval’s prewar Model 62 Saloon but with a strengthened chassis, bigger 3.6 litre V8 engine, lower ratio back axle and 9.00 x 13 cross-country tyres. However, while the former resembled a jacked-up version of its civilian sibling, the latter wore a bespoke six-light body of imposing proportions (14ft 5in long, 6ft 3in wide and 5ft 10in tall). Designated as ‘Staff’ and ‘Heavy Utility’ cars respectively despite a comparatively modest 80kg weight difference, the pair saw active service in a variety of combat theatres. Despite Princess Elizabeth (now HM The Queen) famously piloting a WOA1, the Armed Forces showed a marked preference for the WOA2. Ford built some 9,059 of its ‘Heavy Utility’ cars between May 1941 and July 1944 and also released a less butch / more tarmac friendly WOA2/A variant when peace came. Tough, dependable and commodious, the six-seater was repurposed by ambulance services, utility companies and landowners throughout the UK. Literally driven into the ground with more than a few meeting their end via stock car racing (though, not before two starred in the Dambusters and Guns of Navarone), WOA2s are a decidedly rare sight today. Indeed, some sources put the number of known survivors as low as six.

This particular example – chassis 7038837 – took the late Mike Ebeling, a noted WW2 vehicle restorer, four years of intensive work to return to its former glory (1997-2001). Known for his relentless pursuit of authenticity, Mr Ebeling used parts from five donors to renovate the WOA2. Interviewed by Classic Military Vehicle magazine in 2006, he explained his motivation thus: ‘To own a vehicle, or type of vehicle, that played a part in the most awe-inspiring conflict the world has ever known gives me the inspiration to see the restoration through to the end. If I am honest, I get more of a kick from the research and the restoration work than I do from driving the vehicle. Days spent at the Imperial War Museum’s photo library in Lambeth going over photos with a magnifying glass, endless research into the manufacture and variations in design, the arm of service that would have used the vehicle, and even the equipment carried. Maybe, in some way, I do all this work in memory of my father who was killed in France a month or so after D-Day. Of course, my life in the motor trade and service with the REME must also play a part in my enthusiasm for the hobby’.

Liveried in authentic Headquarters 21st Army Group 1944 markings (a unit that operated WOA2s), the Ford has won numerous awards and remains highly presentable some twenty years after its completion. Beautifully and correctly detailed throughout from its sliding steel sunroof to its rear convoy light, the six-seater further boasts such niceties as folding map tables and headlining-mounted canvas blinds. A Command Car with a commanding presence, the styling of which echoes through to today’s SUVs, this wonderful WOA2 is worthy of close inspection. A fitting tribute to the late Mr Ebeling’s remarkable skill, it surely belongs in a museum or major collection.

PLEASE NOTE: The black and white photos are not of the sale car. They were used by the late Mr Ebeling as a reference guide during the restoration with the first one inspiring his decision to replicate the 21st Army Group's livery.

For more information, please contact:
Damian Jones
damian.jones@handh.co.uk
07855 493737