What is a survivor?

The Continental Motor Company took over the assets of the DeVaux-Hall Company as they owed Continental $500,000 for engines when they went belly-up. This Continental is unrelated to Ford in any way, shape or form.

Continental engines have also been used in many other older & newer cars, trucks, buses industrial, equipment, pumps, marine & boat applications, and, aircraft !

They are still in the engine business today I believe ! ?

Barry : Did you buy this spectacular old true Survivor auto from that little old lady that only drove it to church on Sunday ? !

Was it in a climate controlled garage or cacoon all it's long life?

I will have to get you to start hunting for these fantastic Antique Survivor cars for me !

What a Fine & Rare Antique auto find indeed !

WOW !!!!

Yes, they are in the aircraft engine business, now named Teledyne-Continental.

Seriously, this car is a time capsule. It leaked just enough to keep everything under the car nicely preserved. I started cleaning up the cable brake mechanism today. There's no wear on any of the connections as the rear seal on the trans kept everything nicely covered in goop.

However, there were a few maintenance items left undone. There was barely anything in the differential, and what came out made the tar pits look like 30 weight.

Each axle hub in the rear has it's own zerc fitting, which went unused for far too many years. The universals have no zerc fittings, but seem to have no wear or slop. They appear to be original.:eek: Is that possible?

The first couple that owned it put 33,000 miles on it in 33 years. In the next 44 years only 17,000 miles were added, but it was used every year.

It truly is a "little old lady" find.

Barry:

I know what you mean about all that underside grease and gunk protecting everthing from rust ~

When Dad & I bought a 1927 Springfield Rolls~Royce Phantom I the entire underside & suspenion was coated in 1/4-1/2 inch of greasy goop from the original owner using the onboard Bijur automatic chassis lubricating system ! This complicated & extensive system lubricated the entire auto's chassis and suspension system with about 50 lube points on the entire car !

At 85 years old Dad laid on his back for two weeks scraping this goop off and using Kero K-1. to clean up everything. The underside

of this car looks like new now ! He filled several hefty trash bags with this goop !

Just for fun he weighed the bags and found they combined weighed 15 pounds !

That greasy goop sure did preserve everything and prevent all rust !

OK, here we are, nearly a year later. I've showed the car at 4 events, CoA at St. John's, the Krasl Art Center Concours, the Glenmoor Gathering and the Orphan Car Show in Ypsilanti and have taken trophies at all 4. I truly can not figure that out. Maybe that's it that my wife sang the NA at 3 of the 4, but that's probably not it.

West has seen it in person, as has Steve M. It pales in comparison to most in its class, yet we are batting 1000. I asked the chief judge of the OCS why he thought the car has been met with such favor. He says it's the story, and the fact that none of the automotive experts have ever seen one, let alone one that's actually roadworthy. Some have said that that's a factor, since I always let the judges know that it's driven. People are actually astounded that we made the trek across Michigan on the old stagecoach route. I don't tell them that I had a trailer and tow vehicle with a half hour of me at all times.

It is a stylish car, amongst its price driven peers, having been designed by a Russian Baron, famous for swoopy bodies, but it's no Cord or Packard.

West and Steve, after seeing it, am I in good stead showing it as a survivor?

Photo by Kevin Wilson.

I wish that I had had more time to look it over. As you said, most "experts," let alone anyone, have never seen one. As I recall, you said the interior and paint were both redone in the 1960s. I think it's up to the individual concours as to what they allow in their survivor class. While the paint and interior were redone, the car has never been restored. It's kind of like my car. Some paint and interior work, but never restored.

So, is that a qualified "maybe"?

That's a definite maybe.

I have a 1922 Moon with 7000 original miles on it. Nothing replaced but tires, battery, and hoses. I don't call it a survivor, just a dang good original. Anything that still exists and runs is a survivor. Will

I have a 1922 Moon with 7000 original miles on it. Nothing replaced but tires, battery, and hoses. I don't call it a survivor, just a dang good original. Anything that still exists and runs is a survivor. Will

I agree,but not "P"reserved elminates HPOF for my 1935 Ford Pickup Truck.

I personally think there should be a definitive definition for cars that are unmolested and road worthy and are a specific age. They deserve to be recognized as such and why shouldn't there be a definitive term for them? A loose "it still exists" is not specific enough to be sure. But to say 99% has to be factory is too tight. Certainly the usual wear parts should be excluded, but not things that are not normally replaced should remain unmolested.

Tough question to answer, but I think it should be defined at some point.

I agree, on all counts.

I had the master cylinder on my 1962 Olds rebuilt. It is factory on the outside with new internals. How does that impact "survivor" status?

The engine is the same as it came from the factory, as well as the trans and all body panels/trim and the interior. Now it is a convertible so the top has been replaced.

Under any proposed definition is it a survivor? Food for thought -

How old does a car have to be before it can be called a survivor? Maybe there's a magic formula Im not privy too?

I've sold all my 50 year old and older cars, the oldest I have now is only 35 years old. I still remember it being new on the showroom floor so it doesn't seem that old to me.

25 years old to be able to be registered as a special interest car in Oregon. That's 1990.

The cars that are being produced these days will run a few hundred thousand miles compared to around 100,000 miles being considered used up in my parents day.

A 1990 car is just an older car that are still daily drivers these days.

Maybe 50 years old would be a more fitting number.

Trouble is, 25 years ago was just like yesterday to most of us.

Maybe an age, but before a specific year? The vast majority of cars now are built with recyclable materials not designed to withstand the test of time. Soy based insulation on wires will be dust by the time they are 50. Certainly if any will ever be road-worthy or be able to be made road-worthy when they are 50.