1937 Rena Phaeton Phaeton

This car was designed and built in 1937, for the MGM Studios by Hibbard of auto design fame (LeBaron). It was built for the feature film 'Babes in Arms' starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland but was never used because the actors could not fit in the back seat to be filmed. It was used in 1947 to promote the midget car races at the Rose Bowl in 1947. Next, it was used in the longest-running stage play in Los Angeles history, 'The Drunkard' starring Buddy Bunson, Jr.

The Rena is much smaller than the normal cars of its day, yet it is perfectly in proportion due to the painstaking efforts of Hibbard. It was constructed on a cut-down 1937 Renault chassis with a custom body that was chopped to give it the look of a smaller Ford. The Rena is powered by a 1937 Flathead Ford V-8 mated to a three-speed manual transmission with a 1932 Ford rear end customized to fit the frame. The dashboard instruments are from a 1936 Ford and the steering column is customized from a 1937 Ford. The total weight of this vehicle is 1,200 pounds. The body is all steel.