How many 1936 Ford Cabriolets were made?
There is no official public tally from Ford that breaks down production by body style for 1936. Most credible collectors place the Cabriolet production in the low thousands, but a precise count remains uncertain due to incomplete archival records and varying catalog terminology.
This article examines what is known about the Cabriolet’s place in Ford’s 1936 lineup, why exact numbers are hard to pin down, and how enthusiasts approximate production for this relatively rare open-body model.
Defining the Cabriolet in Ford’s 1936 lineup
In 1936, Ford used the Cabriolet designation for certain two‑door open-body cars with folding tops. The term often overlaps with Convertible and Phaeton in catalogs and dealer literature, and the exact naming can vary by market and trim. Understanding what researchers count as a Cabriolet is essential to interpreting any production figure.
Definitions and variations
Ford’s era literature sometimes uses Cabriolet and Convertible interchangeably, while other materials distinguish by specifics like top design or weather protection. This ambiguity can complicate efforts to assign a single, definitive production number to Cabriolets alone.
Why the numbers are uncertain
Several factors combine to make a precise count elusive:
- Ford did not publish a public breakdown of 1936 production by body style.
- Catalogs, dealer literature, and international markets used different naming conventions, creating inconsistency in what counts as a Cabriolet.
- Surviving documentation is spotty and region-dependent, which hinders cross-checking totals.
- Private registries and historians typically offer ranges rather than exact counts due to incomplete archival trails.
As a result, historians describe the Cabriolet’s production as being “in the low thousands,” with a precise tally difficult to verify.
What credible sources say
To gauge the landscape, researchers turn to a mix of period catalogs, modern registries, and historian notes. Here is a representative snapshot of the typical stance among open-body Ford records:
- Hemmings and related vintage-car references acknowledge the Cabriolet as part of the 1936 lineup but generally refrain from publishing an exact production figure, noting instead that it was relatively uncommon.
- Ford historical archives, when consulted publicly, do not disclose a detailed by-body-style breakdown for 1936, limiting external verification.
- Collector registries and auction catalogs often present estimates or ranges rather than a single precise total, reflecting the incomplete archival record.
In practice, most researchers describe the Cabriolet as a small but meaningful portion of Ford’s 1936 output, with numbers varying by market, trim, and provenance.
Bottom line: a best-available estimate
Given the absence of an official by-body tally, the most defensible position is that 1936 Ford Cabriolet production was in the low thousands, with a precise count not publicly confirmed. For those seeking a firm number, the recommended approach is to consult the Ford Historical Archives, contemporary dealer literature, and regional records while recognizing that even these sources may not provide a definitive total.
Summary
The 1936 Ford Cabriolet remains one of the more elusive open-body models from Ford’s mid‑1930s era. While consensus among enthusiasts places production in the low thousands, there is no published, exact number. The combination of shifting naming conventions, incomplete archival documentation, and regional variations means exact figures are not definitively known. Researchers advocate triangulating from catalog references, registry notes, and any available factory records, while accepting that a precise total may not be recoverable.
