To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Open Roads, Fall event, 11
- 20 November 2020.
Estimate:
$40,000 - $50,000
- The car that Ford "should" have built in 1935
- Painstakingly crafted over a period of many years
- Equipped with 1942 Mercury flathead V-8 and Columbia two-speed
rear axle
- Early Ford V-8 Club President's Award winner; shown at the
Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance
- Truly remarkable build quality and level of factory-correct
detail throughout
The 1935 Ford body style "that never was," this remarkable two-door
DeLuxe Phaeton was built by the Haines Body Shop for noted
collector Bill Sutton over a period of many years and using no
fewer than five donor Fords in its creation. The frame and hood
were extended seven inches and the front wheels, grille, and front
fenders moved ahead by an equal distance, while the length of the
frame, torque tube, driveshaft, and body were all correspondingly
shortened by seven inches in the area of the rear floor, preserving
the original 112-in. wheelbase. Only original Ford chassis
components were used in the modifications.
The body was restyled with the handsome lines of a Ford phaeton,
only in two-door configuration, by grafting the tops of all four
doors of a factory phaeton body onto the lower half of a Tudor
shell. The handsome interior features a band of oak trim around the
tops of the doors and the rear seat, while a chrome windshield
rises from the curved cowl to flow gracefully into the doors.
Again, to preserve the correct 1935 Ford proportions with a
shortened body, the windshield and top were very subtly lowered by
1� inches. Extending the hood and front fenders permitted the
fitment of a single sidemounted spare, while the rear fenders were
carefully reshaped to fit the new body, yet maintain a proper
1935-correct appearance. All of the body work involved proper
engineered-in structural reinforcing whenever necessary to ensure
that the result feels as tight as a factory body.
Headlamps and taillights were borrowed from a 1933 Ford, the latter
mounted on 1936-style brackets, while 1937 Ford accessory fog
lights, subtle under-hood air horns, and 1936 Ford commercial
bumpers with 1936 Lincoln-Zephyr bumper and fender guards were also
mounted. The wire wheels are original 1935 Ford, fitted with
Firestone Air Wheel hubcaps.
Under the hood is an upgraded 1942 Mercury flathead V-8, cooled by
an enlarged radiator with a 1939 electric fan, and adapted to fit a
correct 1935 Ford three-speed transmission with a 1936 shift tower
and lever. A period Columbia two-speed rear axle enhances
performance and drivability, as do the 1939 Lincoln-Zephyr Bendix
hydraulic brakes. The original 1935 starter switch on the
floorboard now operates the starter via a solenoid.
Completed in 1998, following Mr. Sutton's passing, this fascinating
Ford was subsequently awarded the President's Trophy at the Early
Ford V-8 Club Eastern National Meet in 2002, and was shown at the
Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance and at the 2015 Lake Mirror
Classic, winning the Chairman's Award - Non-Classic. It is still in
beautiful condition, and is offered with a detailed written account
of its "build," showing how this car that never was, finally came
to life in spectacular fashion.To view this car and others
currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/0620.