1935 Ford Phaeton

For Ford, the 1935 model year included a complete refresh over previous models. This car had a more modern appearance; the prominent grille was complemented by the more integrated fenders. This gave the car a pleasing streamlined appearance. Few motoring enthusiasts would disagree with Ford’s slogan for the year: “Greater Beauty, Greater Comfort, and Greater Safety.”

This particular car was kept in one Cape Cod family for 78 years. In 1932, when Paul Talbot was 13, he asked his parents for a bicycle. Believing bicycles were unsafe, they made him a deal. If he held off on the bicycle, they would buy him a car on his 16th birthday. Paul agreed. When the appointed date arrived, his parents took him to the Manhattan Ford dealership to purchase this car. They drove it to their house on Cape Cod, where it stayed until it was donated to the Heritage collection in 2013.

Generous gift of Susan Talbot in memory of Paul Talbot

More from our automobile collection:

In our current exhibit, From Carriage to Classic: How Automobiles Transformed America, we present the origin story of the American automobile through 23 cars from Heritage’s permanent collection of antique and classic automobiles. Come along for a ride from the late 1800s to the 1960s and watch the car evolve from a horseless carriage to a streamlined symbol of freedom and independence.