Just like in the rise of man, there have been a number of evolutionary dead ends in automotive body styles.  One of those is the phaeton.  Phaetons were open four-door vehicles that used side curtains instead of roll-up windows.  Wildly popular in the first decades of the automobile, they were largely extinct by the close of the 1930s.  Survivors like these two cars are still around and coveted by collectors.  Take a look at these two Ford phaetons, a 1937 and a 1938 model, for sale on craigslist in San Diego, California.  Rarer than the proverbial hen’s teeth, these two drop tops are for sale together in the ad, but only the 1938 model has a price.  Is $37,500 too much to ask for this end-of-the-line Ford?  Thanks again go to Gunter K. for the find!

Think for a second about the emergence of the automobile in the very late 1800s and early 1900s.  Cars were an evolution of the carriage, wagon, and other horse-drawn vehicles of the era.  Minus, of course, the smelly horse and all the aggravations that went with it.  Still, it was hard to move past this way of thinking.  Nearly all of these early cars were open designs, and tops that went up to shield passengers from the elements were an integral part of the experience.  The larger the car, the more doors you have.  While roll-up windows were a ways off, side curtains had been commonplace for a very long time.  These were canvas “curtains” that fit into the doors and sometimes the convertible top mechanism.  To see out, they either had an area that was unsnapped or had a clear section made up of the best material available at the time.  They were cumbersome and slow to install or remove, but they worked.  Somewhat.

The technological evolution of the automobile marched ever forward.  Closed cars became the predominant choice of consumers, and the percentages of open cars in year-end production numbers fell nearly each and every year.  Technology also brought convertibles with roll-up windows, known as the cabriolet or convertible coupe, or convertible sedan.  Roadsters and phaetons were still produced, and customers still had to deal with side curtains, but they became rarer or the choice of the cheapest of customers.  Some state highway patrols still purchased these cars into the 1930s.  I have even heard, but have been unable to verify, that the New Jersey State Police outfitted some of their officers with Ford phaetons in 1935.  Can you imagine how cold it would be in a phaeton during a New Jersey winter?

Ford carried the torch for side curtain-equipped cars longer than everyone else it seems.  The last Ford roadster was built for the 1937 model year.  Phaetons enjoyed an extra year, bowing out in 1938.  Production of phaetons in 1937 was very low 3,723 cars were built.  In 1938, that number was just 1,169.  For a volume manufacturer like Ford to waste its time on a handful of poor-selling models such as this makes no sense.  Both cars obviously used convertible sedan bodies without the roll-up windows.  The top mechanisms were also likely the same or very similar.  The tooling alone to build the phaeton-specific pieces must have eaten up any possible profit.

Despite all of this, these last of the breed phaetons were produced.  While there is no way to tell just how many survived the number has to be a small percentage of production.  To find two of these rare cars in one ad is amazing in itself.  The first is a 1937 model.  Little is said in the ad other than that it is available for purchase as well.  The single picture shows a car that appears to have been headed for a mild custom job.  For some reason, perhaps a lowered front axle, the new appearing steel wheels, and black wall tires seem to be higher up in the fender than stock.  From there what else has been done and what parts are still there is anyone’s guess.  There isn’t even a price listed in the ad.

We know a little more about the 1938 phaeton, and we have a few good pictures.  It is advertised as an original southern California car that runs and drives.  The owner also discusses how rare the car is in the ad, stating that 40 years of vintage car experience has never revealed another one of these.  Of that, I can agree.  I have seen pictures of these, but never have I seen one in the flesh. The car does appear to be in good shape as far as the metal goes.  The interior is obviously not original to the car, but for a sunny day driver, the car isn’t bad.  Restored it would be gorgeous.  However, the costs to bring this one back to Early Ford V-8 Club standards would be pretty high.  Hopefully, an early Ford lover will purchase this one and make it new again.  It is too pretty and too rare to be kept hidden. Have you ever seen a 1937 or 1938 Ford phaeton?  If so, please tell us about the car in the comments.