A CT man had a passion for 1936 Fords. One came to the state from the family of Henry Ford.

Donald Yeomans had some beautiful vehicles in his automobile collection before he died, but one stood out in particular — a 936 Ford Siebert Ambulance directly from the family of Henry Ford.

Yeomans bought the vehicle the late 1960s and it was in his possession his entire life, including being fully restored in the mid-1990s, according to his family. He occasionally drove it around town and entered it in car shows. But after his death in 2008, his children went through his 30-plus cars — all ’36 Fords — to raise money for their mother.

The 1936 Ford Siebert Ambulance is now for sale. It was once given to the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville from Edsel Ford — son of Henry Ford. Edsel Ford had two sons who attended the school; the library there is named for him, after a major Ford family donation to it.

Yeomans’ four children have taken inventory of the vast collection. The cars range from mint to models used for parts. In all, about eight cars remain.

Yeomans acquired the Ford Siebert Ambulance in 1968 near the Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts, his family said.

“It’s an interesting piece of history,” Donald’s youngest son, Dwight Yeomans, said. “A couple of guys were going to make a hippie wagon out of it.

“They had bought it from one of the fire departments in Connecticut that was in the Lakeville area. In the mid-’90s my dad had it restored. The body has never been off the frame.”

When the paint was stripped off, the elder Yeomans discovered the original blue body and black fenders and restored it to those colors, his family said.

“Dad bought it for probably a few hundred dollars, and it wasn’t particularly valuable at the time, and I don’t think it was running,” Dwight Yeomans said.

Though the car went through a full restoration about 25 years ago, it has an original flathead V-8, siren, emergency lights, removable stretcher and assorted medical supplies of the day.

“My dad was a car collector and loved going to antique car shows,” Douglas Yeomans said. “He had it out a few times. He had a few cars, but this one was unusual. I remember growing up and he was doing the restoration work.”

His license plate on the car was appropriately: Vee 8.

The car has been stored at Donald and Carol Yeomans’ 16-acre East Windsor farm. Douglas Yeomans said his parents bought the farm in the 1960s and it had been used to farm tobacco. The siblings uncovered the ambulance after going through their father’s items.

“He always loved ’36 Fords and really amassed a collection — just in that make and model,” Douglas Yeomans said. “Myself, my two brothers and my sister are all going through his collection. He had about 30 and we are down to eight now. They were in various states, and some were restored, and some were used for parts. He was always interested in part and cars.”

The family still has the letter from Ford to the Hotchkiss School dated Feb. 15, 1936, addressed from Edsel Ford to Mr. George Van Santvoord.

The letter is three paragraphs and states:

“Dear Mr. Van Santvoord:

I am enclosing herewith two photographs and a pamphlet describing an ambulance which is made from a conversion of one of our panel bodies.

We feel that this is the most satisfactory ambulance that is being made for our chassis, and if it is at all interesting to you, we will be very glad to order one at the price of approximately $1,300.00.

If it is consistent with the policy of the school, I would be very glad to present the school with this ambulance.

Yours very truly,

Edsel Ford

Donald Yeomans passed away at 76 in 2008.

“The car was registered and running, and my dad took it to some shows before he passed,” Dwight Yeomans said. “We are hoping to preserve history.”

The three boys in the family are Doug, David and Dwight and the couple’s daughter is Dawn. Dawn and Dwight still live in East Windsor, David is in Ohio and Douglas lives in West Hartford.

Dwight Yeomans, 56, said that the $1,300 car was expensive at the time his dad bought it. He said the average cost at that time was closer to $400.

All three Yeomans brothers grew up with a love of cars.

“The first cars we learned to drive on were Model A’s,” Dwight Yeomans said. “I still live in town and I can see my father’s property from mine. I got that from my dad and I’m very proud.

“Our sister is the normal one and didn’t get bitten by the car bug, but it was a unique experience growing up. It was simple but we loved living in the country.”