Frank Lloyd Wrights 1940 Lincoln Continental coupe with removable hardtop--was it derelict?

I meant removable sectionof roof, the back of the roof (with opera windows added) stayed in place. If you google it with Google images you see pictures of this red car, some pictures it looks good, others sort of clumsily built. I don't know which shop altered it from stock. Did he have more than one? I think he used to drive it in Arizona more than his Midwest shop location. Did he design it himself or have the shop that built it design it? I have seen a documentary on him, he was quite a character. I was wondering if the red Continental was ever derelict, semi-abandoned, left to lie fallow for awhile until it was bought and restored. I put that in the category of "famous owner" cars and depending on how much I liked the fame of the owner I think I'd pay a tad more if I liked his work in other fields.

I think he should have stuck to designing houses.

That's the picture where it looked good. In another shot, the roof looked home-made, like not done by pro shop. Was this car ever a used car lot special, sold cheap? Also was Edsel Ford, father of the Lincoln Continental, still alive to see this car? I wonder what he thought?

I'd love to see this car returned to its former glory as the day it came out of the factory. I found it in the production ledger and sure enough it says "F L Wright, Cherokee Red" O6H-56-18 H92816 "tan leather, tan top"

I'd love to see this car returned to its former glory as the day it came out of the factory. I found it in the production ledger and sure enough it says "F L Wright, Cherokee Red" O6H-56-18 H92816 "tan leather, tan top"

This was originally a Convertible #56 is cabriolet. I have some photos of this car I believe it was at Hersey Natioal LCOC meet and I believe there is a story in The Way of the Zephyr or LCOC. It had just been restored. I'll look at my old issues1960 1970 Lee Waldren

At one point, the FLW car belonged to movie producer and Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Society board member, Joel Silver. Mr. Silver also owns the only Frank Lloyd Wright Plantation, Auldbrass, in South Carolina. He was a member of the LZOC.

Continental Comments #96 spring of 1969 carries a complete history of both cars with photos written by John D. MacAdams. Car #1 was owned by of New york city he purchased in 1962 Thomas E. Murray II. It was used to plow snow in William Woodward Jr. driveway on Rhode Island in the mid 50's. Narragansett Restorations restored the car in the late 60's I believe I saw it at the Hersey National LCOC in 1970

Car#2 Had a removable plastic roof and a plastic divider behind the front seat The cars was in storge at The Museum of Automobiles Petit Jean Mountain Morrilton, Ark and was in 35 cars purchased from the James Melton Museum

This is copied from my #96 LCOC Continental Comments

I can copy it if you are interested smiley303us@yahoo.com

This is the car that was owned by Narraganstt Restorations (Pease), it was designed and built for Raymond Loewy. It was not and never was a Frank Lloyd Wright car. Frank Lloyd Wright's car, if I remember correctly, was built up from a wrecked convertible, and he only had the one.

Somehow Raymond Loewy does a decent job with the redesigns, they at least have a sense of proportion - that half moon window does not work on FLW car. I have to admit though, I always appreciated the lack of a rear window and rear view mirror - " I am only interested in where I am going, not where I have been". What a character! No one can eclipse the design expertise of E T Gregorie and Edsel Ford. No one!

The Raymond Loewy car I think is done with more finesse. Was the plastic or glass roof sction removable? I'd like to know which of the two was a "derelict" car for a time and sold dirt cheap before it was restored. I wonder what Raymond Loewy a professional car designer thought of FLW invading his turf by redesiging a car?

I don't think either were derelict before they were restored. As I mentioned, I think the Wright car was a derelict when FLW bought it in the first place, then had it modified.

I saw it in Ann Arbor at the Domino Pizza head office, when owned by Tom Monahan, who owned the Detroit Tigers and a J Dusie...I went to see the

Lincoln, which still had the vacuum top control in the dash....

what a waste. Mr Wright should have stuck with buildings

Mr Monahan found Jesus, and sold the company and the cars and

dedicated his life to Catholic ministries or such

AND THE SILLY REAR TOP WAS NOT REMOVABLE IT WAS LEADED INTO BODY...LIKE A TOWN CAR

Right, top is permanent. Car was not derelict, FLW ordered it new. Story I was told that it was in some kind of accident and then it was modified. Seems far fetched to me...

Can you imagine the car with it's correct cabriolet configuration and the Cherokee Red paint the day Mr Wright took delivery? Wow, what a stunner it would be. No sacrilege in turning the car back to how EBF and ET Gregorie made the car. Let's do it one day soon...

Mr. Wright had this car remodeled to the present design after it was rolled while an apprentice was driving it. He took it to the craftsmen who used to do the work in Dutch Darrin's shop but they had a high estimate and he had the car remodeled by a local shop in the midwest. The Darrin guys did at least two versions of the basic design on 1947 cars. One witha  Duval style windshield. Mr. Wright had the roof section done BUT at a LATER TIME the windshield and front windows were cut down. This is clear from photos over time. Mr. Wright's wife Olgivanna had a 1941 Continental coupe. Both cars were painted Cherokee Red . Mr. Wright's car is not painted in teh correct Wright color at this time. Yes the customized 1940 car was in bad shape at one time, I almost bought it in extremely weathered condition on the 1970s and at the present time I am building a street rodded copy of that car. The car has been restored TWICE since I saw it then, once by Monahan and once by Silver,  and it has had condiderable improvement and reworking of the hard roof section.