After the surrender of Germany in May 1945, all efforts during World War II were aimed at the Pacific Theatre. For the home front, the victory in Europe meant the government was loosening up some of the war-time restrictions on certain items. Home electronics were highly sought after, new pots and pans and skillets were much needed and, in Detroit, the green light was given for limited automobile production. One requirement automakers had to meet before starting automobile production was to meet all of its government commitments, and Ford was the first domestic automaker to get back into the swing of things.
Ford had completed its major obligation on Thursday, June 28, 1945, when the last B-24 bomber left the Willow Run, a V-8-powered 1942 Ford Super Deluxe sedan that had an original price of $930 now had a base ceiling price of $1,190 wholesale, a price that was set and administered by the government’s Official Pricing Administration. noted that the wholesale price shown was a full 10 percent below the actual wholesale value, and this was done in an attempt to hold down inflation on car values, or so the book explained. A 1942 Mercury “8” Town Sedan had seen a similar value increase, with its 1942 factory price set at $1,065, and the 1944 wholesale price set at $1,345!
