First of all, save your E-mails and phone calls. We KNOW this lovely little blue coupe looks like a 1936 Ford. We didn’t make a mistake with the year and we’re not idiots. However, it is titled as a 1935, so that’s how we’re presenting it to avoid future confusion when you receive your title and it says “1935 Ford” on it. Why, we can’t say—was it an early production car that was sold in 1935 in a state where cars were titled by the date they were sold instead of their model year? Is it a ’35 with a ’36 nose on it? We don’t know. What we do know is that it’s beautifully built, a joy to drive, and includes all the upgrades that make it easy to live with but which don’t erase its wonderful flathead Ford personality. Regardless of year, this is a good one.

Restored and rebuilt over the course of about eight years, this gorgeous coupe could be called a mild custom. It's not chopped, it's not over-powered, but it does have a few subtle touches that give it a great look. None of the original flathead Ford feel has been erased, it just got streamlined a little bit. The most notable modification is the removal of the rear bumper, and it looks so right that we're surprised that everyone doesn't do it. The grille was painted black to offer a bit of contrast, but the rest appears to be just the way Henry intended. Luscious Washington Blue paint is both traditional and dramatic, just right for attracting attention without looking too obvious about it. Paint and bodywork are extremely good, which you can see just by glancing at the reflections in the body panels. The hood fits beautifully and latches without a lot of effort and both doors snap closed with just gentle pressure. Rumble seat lids (yes, this car has a rumble seat, not a trunk) are particularly problematic, but this one swings up and down easily. All the factory trim is still in place, too, from the streamlined V8 emblem up front to the stylized louvers on the hood to the lovely taillights that are like sculpture all by themselves. We particularly like the fact that they kept the rear-mounted spare, which gives the car that vintage look. A single white pinstripe on the belt molding finishes it off properly. This is a great-looking car!

The interior was likewise properly restored with just a few custom tweaks. Brown leatherette upholstery on the original bench looks great and replicates the original patterns. The same is true for the door panels, which also feature painted garnish moldings and new bright handles and knobs. A rubber mat protects the floor, which was how Ford did it (remember that this was a working man's car) in the mid-30s. All the factory gauges are still in the dash and most are still working, although with a 12-volt conversion, a quartet of auxiliary dials were added underneath to supervise the engine. The big steering wheel makes it easy to wrangle the car around, even with unassisted steering, and the long shift lever really is a joy to run through the gears. Modern turn signals were strapped onto the column, as was a tachometer, but they wisely eschewed installing an overpowered stereo system and chose to let the smooth-talking V8 provide the entertainment. The rear window cranks down both for pleasing ventilation and to provide contact with the passengers in the rumble seat, which is equally well finished.

The heart and soul of this coupe is the built flathead V8 living under the hood. Based around a 59AB block and using a 4-inch Mercury crank, it's bigger than its peers and puts out perhaps twice as much horsepower. There's a ¾ race camshaft inside which delivers a nice burbly idle and a wide power curve, with a particular swell of torque as the tach passes by 3000 RPM. Edelbrock aluminum heads and a matching Offenhauser dual carb intake make this flathead breathe better than most, so it never feels like it's straining, even at high RPM. Twin Ford 97 carburetors are a traditional choice and work on a fixed linkage to provide snappy throttle response at just about any speed. You'll note that there's still a mechanical fuel pump, which works just fine even with twice as many mouths to feed, and traditional bell-style air cleaners up top make it look like the 1950s all over again. A modern MSD ignition system lights it up with ease and there's a 12-volt alternator up top making the electricity, so no more dim headlights at night. Red paint on the block is a nice contrast to the blue bodywork and while it has been driven a bit, this is still a great-looking engine compartment.

We've never had a flathead that starts faster than this one. Turn the key and it's running so quickly you're almost afraid that you'll burn out the starter. It's a little fussy when it's ice cold, but that ends within seconds and it's ready to play. Custom headers and a dual exhaust system with glasspack mufflers gives it that traditional flathead V8 sound and it’s a lot of fun to run it through the gears. It’s a stock transmission with just three speeds, but it also preserves the car’s vintage feel and has zero effect on performance, which is entertaining to say the least. It’s also punchy around town with 3.55 gears out back and the upgraded engine gives it the ability to cruise pretty happily at 65 MPH, so the vintage feel isn’t too vintage. The suspension is fairly stock save for a dropped front axle and some lowering springs out back, and those are Ford hydraulic drums at all four corners. It’s finished with a set of beautiful artillery wheels painted a contrasting shade of dark red that really pops inside those 6.00-16 wide whites.

This isn’t a car for the purist, but it’s not quite a hot rod either. Instead, it’s an ideal car for someone who loves flathead Fords, cool coupes, and a vintage feel. Impossible to duplicate for the price, it’s the rare old car that actually lives up to the legend. Call today!