Phaeton Question

john charlton

john charlton

Well-known member
Reading my Sept/Oct "Model A News" touring awards and noticed no phaetons,odd I thought as around 210,000 were built so are they not that desirable??? . I spend part of the year in sunny Chandler AZ and belong to the local A club there but phaetons seem thin on the ground . In fact in USA I cant recall ever seeing one . In the British (England,Northern Ireland ,Scotland and Wales) model A club we have 143 35A and 35B phaetons split 2 to 1 . We have 5 de luxe phaetons as well . Talking to USA folks they do not seem to rate the phaeton very highly yet they are a lovely open fun car and you can get 6 fairly slim adults in one . Just wondered what I have missed, what downside has alluded me .

John in same weather Suffolk County England .
 
I am not the best to respond, but I think that phaetons are popular and desirable
cars. They are not so practical for long tours and given that they are open cars, probably suffered more from the elements than closed cars and therefore are more of a challenge and costly to restore. They were the most inexpensive car at the time, so they had their following. I certainly like them a lot.
 
John,
I agree with mhsprecker that phaetons are one of the most desirable model A's now-a-days. I sure like my 29 phaeton that I am restoring. He is right that many of the multitude that were made were badly damaged by the elements and since they were one of the cheapest of the cheapest brands made (Ford), many were scrapped during the war for the war effort and afterward. Not a lot remain compared to tudors and other closed cars and even their numbers are fairly low, but not as low as open cars. Besides in the northern US climate, not a lot were ever sold due to the cold weather conditions. It had to be pretty miserable driving a roadster or phaeton in zero or below weather, with or without side curtains. Beside now many people like convertibles. We also now treat open cars much, much better than back in the day.
Rusty Nelson
 
I love my 30 standard tub. Looked for a little over a year and saw a few pass by but most seemed to be rough condition, or highly overpriced. About 6 months ago I got one and its gotta be one of the most rust free cars I've ever seen with not even a pin hole of rust. I don't understand whats not to love about these cars.

Now if only the weather was warm enough to get the top stretched out and up. lol

Gordy
 
I'm in Ohio and I have not seen many over the years. Everyone I know locally who has an A own all closed cars, coupes or sedans. I guess I'm one of the rare ones in these parts who has a Phaeton.
 
I love my 30 Phaeton. It is my favorite one in my fleet of Model As. I restored it with leather interior and Hartz cloth top. I know that this is not right for a 30 std phaeton, but it's mine and I love it.
 
I know of 3 in the greater Portland Oregon area, one of which is sitting in our shop getting some work done. The ones I know about are 28/29's.
 
I have owned several rumble seated roadsters in the past 50 years. About fifteen years ago when we sold our last model A roadster, I said that I never wanted to own another rumble seated car. They are too hard to get the back passengers in and out of, and it is too hard to talk with them while traveling. Eight years ago when our 1930 Standard phaeton became available, my wife insisted that we buy it for her. With side curtains and a manifold heater, we now have all of the comforts of a four door sedan and the rear passengers can get in and out of the phaeton with ease. When not hauling passengers, the back seat is very easy to load with groceries and other goods. I have several friends here in NW Washington state that also own phaetons. On summer open car tours, it is a wonderful experience to travel along the scenic areas with their fresh natural smells, and also be immersed in its fantastic outdoor scenery. Being able to share the outdoor experience with our back seat passengers, doubles our enjoyment. My wife's phaeton is her favorite.
 

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Phaetons as they are called over there (Tourer here) are by far the most common body style around here. My first Model A was a tourer. I still have it after many tens of thousands of miles (See a picture on the thread about the camper trailer). I think they give you the best of all worlds. Open car motoring on fine days, weather protection on other days and genuine 4 or 5 passenger capacity. I can see why they were so popular and I have always puzzled why they were not so popular over there - not even in the warmer states.
 
I really like the phaeton for the same reason as SSssteamer and would like to pick one up. That said, I doubt I would ever part with the roadster.
 
As a young teenager, my father and I restored a very solid '29 phaeton (touring car) back in 1965, and I still consider it perhaps my favorite. Living in the southeast, it makes a very nice tour car, and the fact that it has rear doors makes it infinitely easier for friends to get into and out of, than either our roadster or cabriolet with rumble seats. It is admittedly somewhat less appealing during the winter months (even with curtains), but that gives us a chance to enjoy our Town Sedan (never thought that I would ever enjoy a closed car when I was younger, but as I have aged, I have developed a newfound appreciation for windows and cars with heaters). Among our local MARC/MAFCA club, there are six others with phaetons, but surprisingly all of these are 30/31 models.
 
John -
Didn't you stop by my place with Craig Beek last year on your way to Arizona? How could you have missed the FOUR phaetons in my garage??? And there is another one just two houses up from mine, owned by my high school Model A buddy. I think he and I have the phaeton market cornered in Iowa! :)
Marshall
 

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Three years ago I bought a 28 4 door Phaeton basket case. The body is finished and this winter hope to get the rolling chassis finished. But having said that, I agree with John that Phaetons are not very popular in the Midwestern US. Everybody I know has a sedan, coupe or pickup. I have 2 rumble seat roadsters that have taught me to hate rumble seats. Very much looking forward to getting this Phaeton on the road.
 
What I was told by my dad and uncles that worked with cars at the time in Chicago area the open cars were cheaper before and during ww2 and a lot were made into pickups then after the war kids bought up all open cars they could find and beat the crap out of them before collectors got interested
 
The phaeton was only "popular" in OZ because it was the preferred body style imported in by Ford management for the most profit.

Oz customers wanted 4 seaters and phaeton bodies knocked down into kit form is smaller than a tudor of fordor model would.

The tax laws favoured more percentage of local content, so this is why the metal USA subframe was not imported with body.

Oz workers could produce the subframe in wood and trim it so there was less overseas body structure.

Because of this common body style here, they are usually not the most desirable body over here.

I personally prefer the 28/29 coupe as the most desirable and rare here.
 
Thank you all for your responses most illuminating . Phaetons were very poor survivors in the UK . Out of 1615 standard phaetons built in Manchester only 8 are known to have survived .17 de luxe phaetons were built with only one known survivor which in in the Hickory Corners museum . This car has been "Americanised" but still RHD and I would bet the AF small bore engine is long gone . Thanks to you Rusty for the excellent phaeton body pics that you sent me years ago, they have been forwarded to restorers here and have been a great help . My phaeton is "composite" it has a 28 body on a late 29 running gear ex tudor . It is the same colour as Marshalls pic,with the AF engine it cruises at 40 MPH instead of 45 MPH which is fine for English summer country lanes .

John in sunny morning Suffolk County England .
 
About 50 years ago I was in Monterrey Mexico and there was a lot of Model A phaetons as taxis that only came out in the evening. Dunno if they still have them or not.
 
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