Featured on AutoHunter, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com, is this 1936 Ford Model 68 3-Window Coupe.
A Washington Blue exterior finish, wide whitewall tires, chrome brightwork, and a hood ornament give this nearly-90-year-old coupe a sense of style and presence. It went through a frame-off restoration about three years ago and comes with a rear-mounted spare tire, an AM radio, and a rumble seat. This coupe is being offered by a private seller in Rockdale, Texas with a clear title.
The Model 68 was the V8 deluxe version of the Model 48, which was Ford’s primary automotive offering for 1935 and 1936. It was available with many different body styles but always used a body-on-frame design. Styling updates for 1936 included a concealed horn, new vertical grille bars, and revised side moldings.
One of the most interesting features of this coupe is its rumble seat at the rear. This type of seating offered an innovative solution for adding passenger-hauling utility to a vehicle that otherwise had just one interior seat. Rumble seats were also known as dickie seats, especially in Britain. Early on, most rumble seats did not fold into the body as shown here.
Presumably, the “rumble seat” name itself came from the fact that the seats were positioned right near a vehicle’s exhaust system and therefore were subject to additional movement and noise. Passengers who were brave enough to ride back there were offered little to no protection from the elements. This seating arrangement was phased out of production by the late 1930s among domestic manufacturers, with Ford, Dodge, and Plymouth being the last to discontinue them after 1939.
The clean body of this coupe was recoated in Washington Blue during restoration in 2020 and is accented by running boards, dual mirrors, chrome brightwork, and a rear-mounted spare tire with a body-colored hard enclosure. Even the steel wheels have been color-matched in blue to tie the overall theme together. The seller states that the car retains its original floor pans.
Power for this vintage coupe comes from a 221cid V8 mated to a floor-shifted three-speed manual transmission. A fluid change was performed within the last 500 miles according to the seller. Manually-activated four-wheel drum brakes provide stopping power. A five-digit mechanical odometer shows 2,968 miles, but true mileage on the chassis is not known.
A ride in a rumble seat is something I’ve always wanted try out. Someone buy this car and pick me up!
The auction for this 1936 Ford Model 68 3-Window Coupe ends August 29, 2023, at 12:45 p.m. (PDT)
Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and photo gallery
