Model 68. 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 in.

• Offered from the collection of George Grew

• Ex-Curtis Blake Collection

• Well cared for older restoration

• Freshly recommissioned and ready for show or road

George Grew purchased this Model 68 DeLuxe Phaeton from Roget Lee, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, in 1993. Lee had acquired it from Curtis Blake, co-founder of a New England mainstay, Friendly Ice Cream and Restaurants. Blake had it professionally restored prior to 1988.

It is finished in the correct, archetypical Washington Blue with a tan canvas top, which is in very good condition and is complemented by a matching tonneau cover. The seats are brown leather, unworn and unmarred. Accessories include wind wings and a factory radio with head unit in the dashboard and electronics with a Ford-script speaker behind the steering column. The odometer shows fewer than 14,000 miles. The engine compartment is correctly restored and recently detailed. The undercarriage is painted gloss black, and the car is fitted with Firestone Deluxe Champion wide whitewall tires, in the authentic 6.00-16 size.

Janice Grew Brockman, Grew’s daughter, recalls: “My dad and mom were both very fond of the 1936 Ford Phaeton. I would often hear both of them say, ‘Well, you know this is the same kind of car and same color that FDR drove.’ Both of my parents were products of working class families who grew up during the Depression, and I think they felt that the ’36 Ford gave the president some connection to the average person.”

Her father “would also tell anyone who would listen that this car was from the Curtis Blake Collection…Friendly’s Restaurants were my dad's favorite—whether it was for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just an ice cream. A cheeseburger, plain, with fries and a Fribble and he was all set.” Fresh from a recent recommissioning, it is ready to be enjoyed, as an icon of FDR or simply for an excursion to Friendly’s for ice cream.