Model 48. 85 bhp, 221 cu. in. L-head V-8 engine, three-speed manual transmission, solid front axle and live rear axle with transverse semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four wheel mechanical drum brakes. Wheelbase: 112"

- AACA award winner

- Excellent restoration

- Nicely accessorized

For 1935, Ford received attractive new styling, the work of Phil Wright, a Briggs designer whose previous credits included the Pierce Silver Arrow. Ten body styles were offered in Deluxe trim, including a new convertible sedan and “Tudor” and “Fordor” models with a new built-in touring trunk, as well as five in the Standard line. Among the prettiest was the Deluxe Phaeton, which provided open-air motoring for the whole family. Ford finally had the right recipe, for the year’s sales surpassed Chevrolet’s by nearly 150,000 cars.

Nicely restored in correct Palm Beach Gray, this Deluxe Phaeton presents well with Cinnabar Red pinstripe and wheels. The beige canvas top has attractive brown piping and is furnished with side curtains for use in inclement weather. It has correct accessory wind wings and door hinge mirrors, and the wheels have trim rings. All brightwork is in very good condition, including the accessory greyhound radiator ornament. The interior is upholstered in correct medium brown.

Although closed cars had long surpassed open models in popularity by the mid-1930s, Ford offered a broader range of roadsters, cabriolets and phaetons than any of the competition. Ford’s first convertible sedan, with roll-up side windows, joined the Phaeton during the 1935 model year, but the Phaeton outsold it by nearly 50 percent. Even after the convertible sedan began to lead its fully-open sibling in 1936, the Phaeton was kept on. In its final year, 1938, it still sold at nearly half the convertible sedan’s volume. This Ford Deluxe Phaeton, reportedly an AACA national award winner, represents the high point of the model’s history.