1932 Ford Phaeton - $70,000 Maybe not a crazy price?

[Leif in Calif]

A 32 Phaeton with celebrity ownership. A very nice "A" Phaeton recently went of $40K, so maybe this price isn't crazy. 

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/d/san-diego-1932-ford-phaeton/7593268320.html

32 Ford Phaeton Model 18  Formerly owned by Dickie Smothers and Harrah’s Museum
All original 1932 engine and pans, original luggage rack, dual side mount spare tires, whitewall tires, 18” wheels
All steel body-no fiberglass  Interior leather upholstery and top kit by LeBarron & Bonney
Runs well and is in very good vintage condition  We have paperwork from Harrah’s Museum
Title in hand  More photos on request  email: a9c36ce08c673835859f7eea47a110ab@sale.craigslist.org

[deac]

I was all set to buy one of these until I found out the seat does adjust forward or backward.

 

It looks like a very pretty car. I don't think it will sell fast at the 70 grand price. Phaeton's use a lot of wood so are they really that collectible? Moreover the antique car market hasn't really appreciated is some time. I guess it will come down to a buyer who remembers the Bill Harrah's car collection in Reno and Dickie Smothers. Trick to that is finding the right buyer!

Edited February 25, 2023 by deac (see edit history)

[JamesR]

I know nothing about these or their prices, but this car makes it easy to see why the '32 was an instant classic. That's just pretty! 😉

[ericmac]

70 grand? I don't know, but there is no doubt in my mind, this is a very good looking car.

[alsancle]

Can't remember the last time I saw a Phaeton.  It probably is worth something crazy.

 

The wheels are a crime.  Imagine how much better it would look with fender colored wheels and blackwalls.

 

Henry Ford wasn't delivering cars with whitewalls.

[TAKerry]

I agree with AJ about white walls on this one. Those cars are def. top of the food chain for Fords of that era. I would never pay that much for one though. Celebrity ownership means little, although I am just old enough to remember the Smothers Brothers, that chain of celebrity with this car means nothing more than a conversation bit to me. Harrahs museum connection means nothing to me as well, I cant imagine that the two combined are worth a premium. 

[wayne sheldon]

Well, they really don't do much for me (too new!), and I am certainly no expert on them. And I don't have much of an idea of what this one would be worth? However I do know a few people that think the 1932 Ford is the greatest thing on Henry's green Earth! We have chatted about them a number of times, I have sat in on several conversations involving a couple people that knew these cars very well. 

One thing I do know. "Proper" 1932 Fords are as rare as the proverbial hen's teeth! There are a dozen minor details that got changed early and throughout the 1932 model year. Very few 1932 Fords have all those "right" details. One of my mentors was restoring a real original 1932 roadster over fifty years ago, however it had been tampered with over the years, and believe me, he knew every wrong detail on that car! He had no delusions about its place in the 1932 hierarchy, he knew everyone else also knew every wrong (by months!) piece in the car!

Just how "right" this car is? I have no way of knowing. However that a few of those particular details are as they should be is alluded to in the description. IF (big IF!) the car is really "right"? That will make a big difference in just how much it could sell for!

 

And by the way? All chickens have a small tooth on the end of their beak when they hatch out of their eggshell. The "tooth" helps them break through the shell and falls off a couple days later. So, one could argue that "hen's teeth" really are not that rare? However, the proverbial "hen" is no longer a newly hatched chick and as a "hen" does not have teeth.

Sorry for the silly drift.

[alsancle]

17 hours ago, TAKerry said:

I agree with AJ about white walls on this one. Those cars are def. top of the food chain for Fords of that era. I would never pay that much for one though. Celebrity ownership means little, although I am just old enough to remember the Smothers Brothers, that chain of celebrity with this car means nothing more than a conversation bit to me. Harrahs museum connection means nothing to me as well, I cant imagine that the two combined are worth a premium. 

I upvote anybody that agrees with me.