1936 FORD WOODY STATION WAGON
Ford built some of their most iconic models before WWII. Of these the Model A’s, the ’32, 33 & 34V-8’s and the 1936 & 1940 models are universally considered to be among the top of the list. Naturally, the open cars like the roadsters, cabriolets and phaetons are always popular as are the three window coupes. But, (although some of you might disagree) many collectors feel that the woody wagons sit on the very top of the list.
There’s no question that woody’s are beautiful and generally at shows they receive more attention and more admiration then any of the other models. It’s also true that these cars can cost a fortune to restore. They have all the usual expenses of metal work, paint, chrome, upholstery, electrical and mechanicals, etc. but, the woody’s have the extra and formidable expense of wood restoration and / or replacement.
At today’s prices just purchasing a kit of unassembled and unfinished wood can be at or close to fifteen grand. Assembling a wood kit is far from easy because they still require hours and hours of trimming, sanding, fitting and refinishing. Then, if you can’t assemble it and finish it yourself (hardly anybody can) you’re going to have to pay someone to do it. This portion of the build can easily be crazy expensive like in the neighborhood of thirty grand or so and it’s getting extremely difficult to find a professional who’s capable of doing it at any price. That money that you’ll be spending for wood restoration is over and above what it will cost you to restore a normal steel car. We all know that restorations were never cheap but, they’ve never / ever been as expensive as they are today.
No wonder it’s easily possible to spend over a hundred and fifty grand or more to restore a Woody in today’s World. For all of these reason’s it makes economic sense to purchase a car that’s already done for considerably less than half or more of what it would cost to build it.
I am the manager of a private car collection in Scottsdale, AZ and I have been given the responsibility to sell this car for the owner. I am fully empowered to complete all aspects of the sale.
The previous owner also told us that the seventy-thousand, eight hundred and eighty eight miles on the odometer were actual and it says that on the title but, we don’t have any way to verify that. The previous owner also told us that according to him the car was a California and Colorado car since new.
During the current owners ownership there’s been a great deal of work performed on the car such as (but not limited to) ….
When the current owner of the car purchased the Woody in 2018 he gave the previous owner fifty-five grand for the running / driving but, unrestored car and since then that amount has more than tripled. The bottom line is that our asking price is approximately one third of the amount of what it cost the current owner to purchase and restore it. The restoration on this car was complete in 2022.
We want to make it clear that although the car is very nice in our opinion it's not perfect. This is not a show car for a National level of competition but, we’re inclined to think it might do well at a regional level show. Certainly it should place very high at a local level of competition. In our opinion this car should not be considered to be in driver condition as it is without question far above that. You won’t find “drivers” with the beautiful paint, interior, chrome, chassis and engine compartment detailing and of course the beautiful wood that this car has.
Where the car falls down a bit is that we don’t have the third seat feature and the rear quarter windows that would have originally had side curtains now have glass although no doubt some people will prefer it this way.
The restoration on this car was completed in 2022. Since then the car has resided in a beautiful temperature controlled private showroom with polished floors and primarily automotive memorabilia on the walls. This is just about as far as you can get from a normal garage.The car is started and run-up to full operating temperature once or twice a month. The car is not being driven on the street. Consequently we feel that the new owner should not expect to jump into this car and start driving it regularly. Basically, with the exception of starting and running it as mentioned above it’s been sleeping for four years. A professional should look the car over for you to determine if it’s fully ready for the road.
True, we’re all aware that the car collector market isn’t as strong as it once was making in some cases (like this one) high quality cars obtainable for exceptionally reasonable prices. These prices are at a fraction of the money invested by the previous owners. At our asking price of sixty-five thousand dollars this car is priced at substantially less than a third of what the owner has invested in it making this woody an excellent opportunity for someone.
