There were many reasons why we broke away from England during the American Revolution. One of these was the land itself. America was so vast and geographically different than the home islands, that it is fair to say that the continent itself made Americans less British by the day. This radical difference in geography later manifested itself in the automobiles of the two countries. Take for example this stunningly beautiful 1936 Ford C10 phaeton, currently being offered on eBay with just $8,122 bid so far. Finding itself far away from its British homeland in Franktown, Colorado, this unique Ford product is as different from an American Ford of the era as bangers and mash are to hot dogs and apple pie.
There has always been a marked difference between British and American cars. If you look past their stubborn practice of putting the steering wheel on the wrong side, British cars are almost always smaller and they invariably pack less horsepower. One reason is that road conditions are quite different in the Mother Country. The other reason is that Britain taxed cars via a complicated “horsepower” tax. This tax was based on the bore of a car’s cylinders and their number, thus limiting engines to long stroke and small bore designs. Sadly, this draconian limitation hampered the marketability of British cars in America. Nobody wants a weak car in America. We have too much distance to cover, and we are an impatient lot.
This 1936 British Ford is a good example of this difference. Ford struggled when trying to sell cars in Great Britain. While the Model T had been successful, the Model A sales didn’t live up to expectations. The horsepower tax and the car’s size helped to make it more expensive than its British rivals. Finally, when Ford came out with the Model Y in 1932, things began to look up. These were the first Fords to be designed outside of the United States, and they ended up being very successful. They were also very different. The Model Y engine, a four cylinder built to deal with the horsepower tax, put out just 8 horsepower. The car pictured here has an engine derived from that powerhouse. By the British formula, it put out 10 horsepower. In actuality, it was probably closer to 30 horsepower.
To be fair, the weight on these cars was around 1,700 lbs. An American 1936 Ford generally weighed around 2,700 lbs. The difference was that the Flathead V-8 put out 85 horsepower. Sadly, there is no room for a Flathead under the bonnet. Built for the country lanes and cobblestone streets of Britain of the time, this car probably had enough horsepower for the conditions. The brakes, however, were a big problem. An optimist would tell you that a lack of horsepower limited your speed. Thus, this lack of speed would also limit the amount of trouble you could get into.
Despite the lack of power and the car’s slightly shrunken size, you cannot help but fall in love with its flowing lines and jaunty appearance. It has obviously been owned by a Ford collector, as evidenced by the cool garage filled with other early Fords. Information is scarce about these cars on this side of the pond, and Wikipedia is sadly one of the few internet sources available. There is confusion between the ad and Wikipedia, and even in the ad itself. The ad calls this car both a Y and a CX10. There were no convertible Ys unless you had a custom body built. The reason given is that Ford thought the frame was too weak. Reading between the lines points to CX10s being an improved Y, and they were available with a touring car body. More information from the seller would be nice, but this might be family members trying to settle an estate. I wonder if the 1932 and the 1939 Fords in the background are also for sale.
The ad tells us that this car runs and drives. It also is missing just a few parts, and the seller feels that it needs a proper restoration. Other than repairing the convertible top, it would probably be more prudent to just drive this one in its current condition. Despite the car’s charming good looks, it certainly isn’t setting eBay on fire with just 3 bids. An American 1936 Ford convertible in this condition would be well north of $25,000 by now. As it sits it would be a cool back roads cruiser and a car show novelty. You’d just have to stay close to home and plan your stops in advance.
Hmmm… Well, it is kinda cool. But, it really isn’t generating any interest here. Nice looking, but, not very powerful means it isn’t very practical here in OUR homeland. Yeah, all I want or need is something practical. A V6 is in order for me, with about 160 bhp.
LS SWAP!!! LOL
Relocating the firewall back to where the front floorboard once was would have two benefits:
1. Room for above mentioned LS
2. Better weight distribution due to engine set back.
The driver and one passenger would now ride in the former rear seat area, like the “Gassers” built from later English cars like the Anglia and Minor.
yes it’s cool. yes it’s jaunty. yes, it is so slow.
a toy perhaps? or better yet like one of those shrunken quads, 4 wheelers or snowmobile designed as a childs first ride?
seriously, i would not let a child drive this but i would be at a loss as to what to do with it. we are in the golden age of horsepower right now and this is an artifact at best.
Shriner parade car
This is a really well-written article!
I would add the following having been raised in England. Both WWI and WWII devastated Britain far more than most appreciatiate. As a result, metal was st a premium and a hodgepodge of various types. In all not good material, the gasoline rationing was horrific and the taxes ridiculous. Put it all together and it’s a wonder a car could even be produced.
That 390 motor has like 400 ft lbs torque, so I cannot believe stories about how slow Tbirds are.
I live in Phoenix Az. I think I could put some golf clubs in the back and drive around the neighborhood and no one would question that this is not my golf cart!
If you look at the car in the side view, it’s a really beautiful body with great flowing lines but the hood is way too short, if only it could have another foot or 18 inches in front of the windshield and a longer wheelbase, it would be gorgeous. Oh well.
Possibly a repatriation by a seller selling US cars for overseas sale?? Not a big market here for that size car with that size motor.
It’s still a cool car! Being a car guy I do believe this car would be a blast to drive despite the meager horsepower!
If you could find one a V8 60 flathead might just fit it’s smaller than the standard flatie, wouldn’t be that fast, but a big improvement over the lawnmower engine that’s in there now. Just sayin
I’ve worked on this exact car before and you’d laugh at how comically small the engine and engine bay are. It’s also a unibody….well, mostly. The whole thing is super weird and v8 swaps wouldn’t be possible without major reconstruction of the entire nose of the car.
Nice….cool it survived the bombings.
At first, I thought someone out a 36 Ford into a Chevy C10 truck chassis. In light of some of the morphidike vehicles that have been in here, this wasn’t out of the question. Very cute little rig, makes me think of the movie Mrs. Miniver it the Brit WWII series “Home Fires”.This needs to be saved and restored, not resto-modded.
thnx Jeff, nice job!
Hello from New Zealand…. we copped thousands of these little fords and my brother had one when we were teenagers (a sedan) I recall reaching 60 miles per hour downhill in it- the radiator fan nearly set itself free…. the brakes were by steel rods with a multitude of threaded mild steel turnbuckles and an emergency stop would stretch the turnbuckles and cause the need for further adjustment. To stop at a shopping center from 30 miles per hour it paid to apply the brakes several hundred meters out in case of another vehicle pulling out.
Yes – we had them here in Oz too – they were tough to drive – always fighting the vague steering and the strange gear lever and having to stand on the brakes – and hoping and praying that it would stop in time…….. we were always repairing and fiddling with the damn thing …..couldnt park it on a slope ……total nightmare