A 1934 Ford Phaeton Deluxe, named Penelope by my father who purchased her in 1949 from the original owner, she is in excellent condition, runs perfectly, and turns heads wherever she goes. She is looking for a home where she will continued to be loved & treasured.
.Below are descriptions from the Hillsborough Concourse 7/14/17, and from the New York Times National Classic Car Contest in 2010, where she was a finalist among 4000 entrants.
From the placard for the Hillsborough Concourse, 7/16/17 1934
Ford Model 40 V8 Deluxe Phaeton
The term “Phäeton” originally applied to close-coupled, luxuriously
appointed carriages. In the 1920's, automobile manufacturers began
using it for majestic open cars with dual cowls and dual
windscreens. By the early 1930s, the comforts afforded by all-steel
enclosed bodies gave the “touring car” an image problem as it was
associated with old-fashioned, wet and drafty impracticality. To
add allure to its open cars, Ford started using Phaeton for these
models. This automobile is powered by a 85 hp, 221 ci. L-head V-8
engine equipped with a 3-speed manual sliding gear transmission.
For safety, the original 4-wheel mechanical, internal-expanding
drum brakes were replaced with the “juice” variety, 12 volt
electrical, new top, sealed beam headlights, new gas & temperature
gauges, and new upholstery. The current owner’s father acquired
this example, Penelope, in 1949 from the original owner, the
proprietor of a Woodstock NY garage. He later declined an offer by
Le Mans-winning actor, Paul Newman, to trade his Ferrari Testarosa
for it. It was awarded 3rd in Class at the Palo Alto Concours
(2012) and it was a finalist from more than 4000 entries in New
York Times Classic Car Contest (2010). The owner says it runs
smoothly and is fun to show off.
from the N. Y. Times Classic Car Contest.
National Finalist among 4000 entries, 2010
PENELOPE: More Than a Car
In 1949, when I was 6, my father spotted a dark green windowless
jalopy at the back of a filling station in Woodstock, N.Y. He
bought it immediately from the mechanic original owner, who had
purchased it new, for the asking price of $150 and christened her
"Penelope". Little did any of us realize at the time that my father
had just adopted a 5th member of our family. Badly in need of
paint, drab green soon became cheerful light cream.
The non synchro mesh transmission, manual steering, and propensity
to boil over, were a challenge on the mountain roads of the
Catskills. The Phaeton was strictly open air, requiring wear rain
gear to drive in wet weather. Needing to rely on Penelope when
Father was at work, Mother sometimes yearned for a cozy plain
automatic sedan. However Father had become enamored of His Fair
Lady, and replacing her was never an option.
Penelope settled into a new home in ‘59 when the family moved
summer residence to Westport, Conn. The transformation of the aging
lady to elegant splendor proceeded in earnest. New upholstery, new
convertible top, mechanical brakes replaced with hydraulic, 12 volt
electrical, sealed beam headlights, authentic original greyhound
radiator cap, spiffy whitewall tires, luggage carrier and a myriad
of other improvements restored a surprising sense of opulence.
Local townsfolk regarded her as a beautiful neighbor and waved.
Strangers smiled as we drove by. People came over to chat. Penelope
made friends everywhere she went. Penelope certainly was a charmer.
One day while loading groceries outside of the fancy local farmers’
market, a man approached my Father. Pointing to a red Ferrari Enzo,
the he queried “want to trade?”. Father looked at the man and the
Ferrari and replied, “ Mr. (Paul) Newman, I am flattered by your
offer, but I must respectfully decline.”
”Yet Penelope was not too classy to enable one of Father’s most
favorite activities—driving to the Westport Dump. Dapperly dressed,
every Sunday he would load up her spacious back seat with bags of
refuse and haul it to the Transfer Station, amusing and astonishing
the townsfolk. She was a born natural leader of local parades.
After Father’s death in ’97, Penelope was carefully shipped to our
home near Palo Alto, Ca.
Like proud new parents, we featured her on our Holiday card.
Dressed as Gangster and Mol, we posed on Penelope’s curvaceous
fender as in “Bonnie and Clyde”. The ’34 Ford, with the first ever
production V8, that could out run police cars, was the notorious
couple’s favorite getaway car. The caption on our card was an
appreciative 1934 note to Henry Ford from Clyde Barrow: “For
sustained speed and freedom from trouble, the (V8) Ford has got
every other car skinned”.
John Dillinger, Public Enemy Number One, also wrote to Henry Ford
in 1934 saying: “ Hello Old Pal, you have a wonderful car. It’s a
treat to drive one.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Charles Lindbergh
and many movie stars drove the 1934 Ford.
