Sliliding behind the wheel of my 1936 Ford Cabriolet, I’ve often wondered what the original owners were like and about their excitement when they saw the car for the first time. What was going through their minds when they were driving the car? In 1936, we were in the middle of a deep depression, FDR was president, and Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany hosted the Olympic Games in Berlin. The 1930’s were a stressful time for them, as it was for most Americans, and I can imagine that driving this 1936 Ford Cabriolet brought much-needed joy to its driver.

Fast forward to the present. The ‘36 is an all-steel car with the original frame. Carl Stromberg, an old-school body and fender man, built it in the 1990’s. Carl was well-versed in the art of using lead. Very little bondo, if any, was used in the build. The car was initially built as a tail dragger and used air bags along with fender skirts to achieve the look. It had a white interior and a white top. He loved the beauty of the continental kit, and it fit right in as a tail dragger. Carl used Don Barrington, owner of Barrington Engine in Sepulveda, California. Don was well-known in the Southern California car community for building race engines, and he worked up the small block Chevy that is under the hood. The NSRA inspected the car at the completion of the build in April 2001.

In 2004, Larry Walling of Nevada City, California, purchased the ‘36. Larry spent many hours and a small fortune making the car his own. Just about the only things that Larry didn’t touch on the vehicle were the engine and the candy apple red paint. The complete interior was redone in beige leather, the top was done in tan using Mercedes cloth, new Classic Instruments gauges were utilized, and a banjo steering wheel was installed. The entire air ride system was reworked to accommodate the new ride height, and a 200-4R from Bow Tie Transmission was added. Wire spoke wheels and white wall tires were added as the icing on the cake.

I purchased the car from Larry in 2016 while living in California, shipping it to Florida in 2022. The car has been an award winner of many shows, including the LA Roadster Show and Hot August Nights in Reno, Nevada. It has won the Boyd Coddington/Mickey Thompson award and has been invited to many prestigious invitation-only shows such as Boyd Coddington’s and Blackie Gejeian’s.

I have immensely enjoyed showing the ‘36 in my new home State of Florida and sharing my passion for beautiful cars with the community. I feel honored to be selected to have this 1936 Ford Cabriolet on the cover of Mike Kelly’s Cruise News for all to enjoy. CN