The 1936 Fords are considered among the most attractive of the era, courtesy of a front-end restyle by Holden “Bob” Koto, of Briggs Manufacturing Company. Koto, whose career spanned nearly 40 years, later helped Dick Caleal model the 1949 Ford and worked for Raymond Loewy on the 1953 Studebaker. Although the car was in most respects a continuation of the best-selling 1935 models, a number of appearance changes made it seem almost completely new.

As market preference continued to shift toward closed bodies during the 1930s, many manufacturers curtailed their offerings of open models, with some canceling them entirely. While following the trend and offering an array of coupes and sedans, Ford also bucked the competition by keeping a wide range of open cars in the catalogue. All were available only with Deluxe trim, and the models included a roadster, phaeton, two cabriolets, and two convertible sedans. Total soft-top production at Chevrolet and Plymouth failed to reach 8,000 combined. Ford, meanwhile, managed nearly 20,000 open cars.

One of the scarcest of 1936 Ford offerings is the four-door convertible sedan, of which only 5,601 were produced and very few survivors are known. Of those, it is doubtful that any are as fine as Jeffrey Day’s Sky Green beauty, which has counted another legendary connoisseur of V-8 Fords, Jack Hogan, among its prior owners. It was while in Mr. Hogan’s ownership that this car received its present restoration, in which it was carefully taken back to exactly its original factory appearance. The body was refinished in its original, unusual, and rare color, while the front seat upholstery and top fabric were redone in exact matches to the original materials. The finish is excellent, with doors that shut beautifully, and the rear seat remains unrestored and original, to show how well preserved this car was when acquired by Mr. Hogan from Alice Henderson, the daughter of its long-time owner, a schoolteacher from Pocatello, Idaho. There are 45,114 miles recorded on the car’s odometer, which may well be its actual mileage.

The restoration was awarded its AACA Senior Award in national competition, and the car was all-conquering in Early Ford V-8 Club judging, winning its Grand National Dearborn Award in 2004 and the Dearborn Emeritus on numerous occasions. Its finishes remain beautiful throughout, from top to bottom, with the chrome, paint finish, and undercarriage all as nice as the day they were finished and only light cracking on the driver’s seat. The dashboard trim and banjo steering wheel are in excellent condition, and a complete tool roll is stashed in the well-restored trunk. Under the hood is no less impressive, as it features correct finishes throughout.

Simply put, this has been considered one of the very best 1936 Fords in the world for many years, and it will be a centerpiece of any collection.