58L-Y8

Paint is expensive, chrome is really expensive, but woolen broadcloth is hideously expensive! If the interior, which is woolen broadcloth, is as good as what little we can see in the one picture, that is easily worth their asking price.

A few out of the 'fade fog':

Sharpening up a few:

By the latter part of the 1930's up to the advent of WWII, the severely formal styles such as this rather tall Rollston town car were the stock and trade of the remaining coachbuilders. The other style that generated some customer demands were Packard Darrin-style custom convertible victorias.

For Sale: 1966 Buick Electra 225 4dr Sedan - $1,900 - Prescott, MN 1966 Buick Electra 225 - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle... (craigslist.org) Seller's Description: 1966 Buick Electra 225, Runs and Drives. Very little rust has been painted once. Interior is in good condition. Needs a master cylinder brake go to the floor. Bill of sale can get a title for extra, $1900.00 Contact: no phone listed. Copy and paste in your email: 1ecab111bf6a32c58e7223db2c00fc71@sale.craigslist.org I have no personal interest or stake in the eventual sale of this 1966 Buick Electra 225 4dr Sedan.

Ed: The chartreuse Sport Sedan was indeed obscene. I recall encountering on the Hershey show field in the 1990's, still can't unsee it! One truly had to negate one's color senses, see only the magnificence of the design...like this. Steve

Ed: Model year? Which open style? Inquiring minds want to know! Steve

For Sale: 1965 Rambler 660 4dr Sedan, 47K miles, 6 cyl. A/C - $7,500 - Neosho, MO 1965 Rambler 660 - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle automotive sale (craigslist.org) Seller's Description: Very nice low miles ‘65 Rambler. 47000 miles. Bought new locally here in Neosho, mo. Factory air conditioning. Automatic transmission. Very nice original paint. Good whitewall radial tires. No rust ever. Drives like new. Only minor flaws in this very nice little car. 7500 cash. Phone calls only please. Contact: (417 four-eight-nine-4-4-5-one. I have no personal interest or stake in the eventual sale of this 1965 Rambler 660 4dr Sedan.

Here is a better look at that Hupmobile Model N at speed on tour.

Still Available, Price Reduced to $27,500: 1-5-2023: 1932 Essex Super Six Pacemaker - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle... (craigslist.org) Seller's Description: 1932 Essex Super Six Pacemaker runs and drives perfect. Six windows roll down, 4 door Suicide doors. No rust, welds or Bondo. Mint condition inside and out. New tires and wheels. still 6 volt all Original. All original Land Line- No Text or E-mail NO TEXT OR E-MAIL OR MESSAGE PLEASE. $27,500 OBO Contact: (417) 7-6-six-8-two-5-4

The Ausco-Lambert four-wheel power disk brakes were standard on the Crown Imperials through the 1954 model year for sure. I'll have to research whether the 1955 and 1956 Crown Imperials are also so equipped.

Ed: Is it the Maybelline sport sedan? Steve

Jake; If you find the Ausco-Lambert four-wheel disk brakes are prohibitively expensive to rebuild, you might consult with the Mopar knowledgeable and experienced whether they might be swapped for the standard power brake components used on New Yorkers up through 1954. Although not original equipment, it might be a practical solution to an expensive problem.

Here's the rear three-quarters view of the 1931 Lincoln K Dietrich convertible sedan.

Although its laudable to want to restore and preserve this rare 1949 Chrysler Crown Imperial 8-passenger sedan without considering later financial remuneration, do take all the constructive provisos being stated very seriously before acting. Because they had top-of-the-line model status, LWB sedans and limousines magnify all aspects of the standard wheelbase models when it comes to restorations: metalwork, paint, pot metal and steel chrome, upholstery, mechanical, etc. Add on to these extras such as hydraulic windows, wood trim, partition windows all requiring special attention. Specific to the 1949 through (iirc) 1956 Crown Imperials are equipped with Ausco-Lambert disk brakes. Before taking on this project, you would do well to research the current resources for repair and parts availability of those unique brake systems. For the budget you've stated, unless the 1949 Chrysler Crown Imperial is your ultimate be-all and end-all, set your sights on a rare LWB model that has already been wonderfully restored or expertly preserved, find it and buy it. Then continue to maintain and enjoy it...while saving yourself considerable expense and grief.

Bringing the fire department out of the smoky haze, plus speedster hauling and a Garford truck & driver.

John: The term "near classic" is as appropriate as my "worthy contemporary" moniker. Whatever description, they are a badly overlooked and underappreciated model. REO was trying desperately to field a variety of models and prices to attract whatever few sales that could be generated. At approximately $2000, the Royale 8-31 was up against some heady competitors including Chrysler Imperial Eight Series CH and Packard Light Eight 900, both which were better established upmarket-luxury nameplates. None of this diminishes the interest this Royale 8-31 should create now. The color choices do this rare car no favors. Steve

John: The Royale 8-31 is one of those 'worthy contemporaries' (my term) for linemate models that were 90-95% the spec's of their Full Classic counterparts. Not only are they obscure, but they are also largely overlooked. Were this 8-31 more unspoiled original, it would be a great choice to experience a car of the era. Steve

From the spec's description, this would be the REO Royale 8-31 which succeeded the 1930 REO Flying Cloud Model 30. The Royale 8-31 was a somewhat lower spec'd, shorter wheelbase version of the Royale 8-35 designed to sell for about $400-$500 less to garner sales in the nadir of the Depression.

For Sale: 1930 Ford Model A RS Coupe - $19,500 - Berlin, CT 1930 Ford Model A RS Coupe - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle... (craigslist.org) Seller's Description: 1930 Model A, RS Coupe. Excellent paint and interior, rebuilt engine, new clutch, leakless water pump, hoses and clamps. Signal lights and stainless muffler. Stored in temperature-controlled garage. Runs and drives beautifully! (Serious inquires only). Full video available! Contact: Red (860) 8-two-8-7-six-0-0 Copy and paste in your email: afa9a3c118143de0b7e450342a8231d2@sale.craigslist.org I have no personal interest or stake in the eventual sale of this 1930 Ford Model A RS Coupe.

Still Available, Price Reduced to $5,500: 1-2-2023 1950 Desoto 4 DR Deluxe - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle... (craigslist.org) Contact: Angelo (914) four-4-7-4-8-seventeen Copy and paste in your email: 2aec4c4d20b53a0aa57c955937dd0ea3@sale.craigslist.org Scream deal alert!!!

A better look at the omnibus:

The Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975, edited by John Gunnell states for 1969 Dodge Polara and Monaco: "Three-speed manual transmission was standard on all models unless noted, with the three-speed TorqueFlite automatic and four-speed manual transmission optional." It appears to have no power brake booster and the power steering may be absent too.

Essentially, that's exactly what happened. Once the S-P merger was complete, Packard president Jim Nance was calling the shots. He, just as many in the company, blamed styling for the sales failures of the 1953-'55 sedans which were created under the Loewy contract. That design contract was tremendously costly for Studebaker but would end in 1955; Nance had been developing an in-house design team at Packard. But, in the case of what to present for 1956, time was short, and the in-house teams were already loaded with development work for an all-new 1957 line. Vince Gardner, who had been in the Loewy group but had left to open his own design consultancy, was contracted to create the 1956 sedan and wagon styling. His mandate was to apply mainstream 'Detroit' idiom styling with a familial appearance to Packards and Clippers without changes to the existing central body tooling. The new front clip and rear quarters squared-up the prior sloping features plus revised trim patterns and color breaks succeeded in giving the cars a new look. Unhappily, the thick door frames and roof pillars which weren't to be changed, were decidedly out of fashion during the burgeoning hardtop trend that now included B-pillarless four door hardtops After the blockbuster 1955 industry-wide sales year, 1956 was somewhat off which was to be expected. Much more than their styling appeal, the steady drum beat of bad news being reported about Studebaker-Packard's financial condition discouraged many potential buyers from taking the chance on what might suddenly become an orphan car. In the current collector market, there is no serious demand for 1953-'58 Studebaker sedans and wagons, even examples in nice condition. At half the asking price, this car would still go begging.

This is the first year of the rationalized Super Eight that shared bodies and chassis assemblies with the Junior series including the all-steel bodies that were introduced for the 1938 Six (nee 115) and Eight (nee 120). Developed to compete directly the Cadillac Series 60/61 ($1,765), priced at $1,732, the 1939 Super Eight can be thought of as the concurrent 120 fitted with the quality interiors of the predecessor Super Eights. For power, the 1939 Super Eights were equipped with a revised version of the 320 ci straight eight in production since the 1929 6th Series Standard Eights. The revisions were done to fit that engine into the somewhat limited engine compartment which renders this a one-year-only engine. It also has some inherent problems which if I recall correctly include casting flaws in the cylinder block. Postwar, as these 1939 320 ci engines wore out or developed troubles, Packard issued service bulletins to dealers detailing how to replace these engines with a postwar 327 ci service engine should customers want to continue driving their 1939 Super Eight. The 1940 Super Eight 160 and 180 received the all-new monobloc 356 ci straight eight, a completely different and pretty marvelous engine. This poor Packard realistically would be a hideously expensive restoration project, probably best a parts car for others.