MarketPlace: 1936 Ford Phaeton 5-Speed Fireball Roberts/Smokey Yunick Tribute

Introduced for the 1935 model year, Ford’s Phaeton represented the final era of open-top touring cars from the prewar American automotive landscape, combining elegant Art Deco-era styling with flathead V8 performance and true four-door convertible practicality. This 1936 Ford Phaeton has been comprehensively restored and reimagined as a period-style tribute to its former owner and NASCAR legend Glenn “Fireball” Roberts, as well as the famed mechanic and race car builder Henry “Smokey” Yunick. Stored for decades before its restoration, the car was painstakingly rebuilt to emulate the type of hot rod Fireball himself may have constructed during the early 1960s. Finished in a Smokey Yunick-inspired black and gold two-tone paint scheme over a custom black interior, it features a 1952 Ford 8BA flathead V8 engine, dual carburetors, a Tremec TKX 5-speed manual transmission, handcrafted bodywork modifications, Stewart-Warner instrumentation, and period-style detailing throughout. A historic hot rod restoration with no-expense-spared, this Ford Phaeton is now being offered for auction in Tennessee. The exterior retains original 1936 Ford Phaeton bodywork and fenders that were reportedly separated from the chassis and stripped to bare metal during the restoration process. Minor rust repairs were identified and repaired using brazed patch panels in a period-correct fashion before extensive body preparation and refinishing in Axalta black and gold paint inspired by the livery used on Smokey Yunick-built NASCAR race cars. Multiple coats of DuPont 7900S clear were applied, and traditional red pinstriping by “Flamin Freddy” accents the bodywork throughout. Custom touches include handmade smoothie running boards, filled exterior door handles, shaved bumper slots, Rootlieb louvered hood sides, frenched 1939 Ford blue-dot taillights, recessed front turn signals hidden behind the original horn grilles, and a custom rear license plate surround fabricated from a 1949 Chevrolet bumper guard with a machine-turned backing plate. The car rides on black-painted 16” steel wheels with red pinstriping mounted with Firestone Classic bias-ply tires sourced from Coker Tire, measuring 5.50-16 front and 7.00-16 rear. The cabin was designed to evoke a traditional 1960s hot rod aesthetic while preserving the character of the original Phaeton interior. Front and rear bench seats are upholstered in handcrafted tuck-and-roll pleated black vinyl, complemented by matching custom door panels with a picture-frame design. Daytona weave carpeting lines the floors, while a fawn suede headliner contrasts against the exposed maple wood roof structure. The factory dashboard is finished in gold paint with hand-applied red pinstriping and fitted with classic Stewart-Warner gauges. A banjo-style steering wheel features a commemorative NASCAR-issued Fireball Roberts coin embedded within the horn button. Power comes from a 1952 Ford 8BA flathead V8 upgraded with Edelbrock aluminum cylinder heads, an Offenhauser dual-carburetor intake manifold, twin 9 Super 7 carburetors, an electronic distributor, a Walker brass radiator, Fenton headers, and Smithy’s glasspack mufflers. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a Tremec TKX 5-speed manual transmission paired with a hydraulic clutch assembly. Chassis upgrades include a dropped front axle with split wishbones, a 1936 banjo rear differential with an open-driveshaft conversion, split rear wishbones with fabricated torque-rod supports, a 4-wheel Bendix-style brake conversion, Pete & Jake’s brake and clutch pedal assembly, and a Coach Controls wiring harness. This sale will include a car cover and a clean title. The seller would like you to know: “The Garaj Mahal is located in Maryville, TN, but we have restored and customized classic cars from all over the world. We specialize in restoring and customizing cars for car collectors, museums, and anyone who has an older car that needs some love! We have over 50 years of experience fixing up your favorite oldie on four wheels! While we have cutting-edge technology, sophisticated training, and diagnostic and repair capabilities, we still enjoy kicking it old school, too! Our rebuilds and custom cars and trucks have won awards such as The Great 8, Legends Cup, AMBR, and the Chicago World of Wheels! Our shop is owned and operated by Glenn See. The passion was triggered when Glenn restored his first car in 1988, the award-winning 1934 Plymouth affectionately known as “Pink Millie.” Glenn was a top graduate of the Universal Technical Institute, where he was awarded the student of the course award an amazing ten times. He was also a 16-time winner of the Director’s Honor Award for his 4.0 GPA.”

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