58L-Y8

Get on down to Samuel Finkelman Chrysler-Plymouth, see what kind of deal you can make for that '31 Pierce-Arrow Model 42 convertible coupe with the Derham-derived styling.

The most noticeable difference between the comparable Marmon and the Chrysler is the former exhibits late 1920's styling: flat vertical radiator, large headlights versus early 1930's raked V-radiator shell and smaller headlight. The Marmon molding styles speak more of the 1920's, though the horizontal hood side louvers are an advanced feature. Chrysler was leading the way to full-length, over-the-cowl hoods and hood doors with the help of LeBaron.

For what its worth, Forney's Transportation Museum in Denver, Colorado used to display a '37-'39 Lincoln K which had the rear portions of a late '20's Studebaker roadster body from the cowl rearward grafted onto the Lincoln K cowl. It was easy to identify by the unique shaping Studebaker employed on the body sides as they taper over and down around the rear fenders. You might contact them for photos of the rear body on that Lincoln.

Here's a better look at that National sedan, courtesy Mark and a bit of image improvement. Anyone identify what model it is?

Walt, Good likelihood the body was made by Willoughby Co. Utica, NY. Their specialties was large sedans, limousines and town cars. They built series bodies for a variety of carmakers including Studebaker. Known for their high quality products, Willoughby would be a first choice for Studebaker to turn to for bodies for their top-of-line Big Six.

Mark Any chance we can have a better scan of this National sedan?

The wheels tucked up into the wheelwells are the tip-off this is photoshopped image. While they happily skirted the rear fenders then, no one thought wheels pushed way up into the wheelwells looked good then...except Nash!

By the mid-'30's, black fenders with a body color other than black became synonymous with 'cheap' model or a truck or commercial vehicle because that was the default standard for low-priced cars and pretty much all trucks. As body design became more integrated into the 1940's, cars with fenders painted a contrasting color look even worse. Two-tone combinations moved up on the top and upper panels by the 1940's, were considered an extra luxury touch.

After the 1932 Graham 'Blue Streak' lead the way toward monochromatic paints without contrasting fenders, that combination became the norm for commercial vehicles. Painting the fenders black was done because it was practical and easy to match if they got damaged or scraped, but the radiator shell, hood and body could be easily painted whatever color the customer wanted, especially if it helped identify their business. The solid color for cars was to present a more unified, streamlined modern appearance.

That Packard Rollston warrants a better look!

In the Northeast region, with harsh winters and heavy road salt use, retaining a car for four years after a purchase new was common. By the time the odometer showed 90K-100K miles at six-eight years they were backlot cheap used cars or in the junkyards. Rust-prone cars ended up there even sooner. A large family here in our small town drove Mopar station wagons from 1957-'59, always savaged with rust by 1963-'64. The only cars older than ten years or more were owned by owner folks who kept them garaged and drove sparingly. A few were snowbird who spent winters down south away from winter's rigors. A retired grocery store owner appeared every summer through the 1960's in his light yellow and white 1956 Cadillac Sedan de Ville with air conditioning! Two spinster sisters kept a '53 Chrysler Windsor sedan they made multiple trips to Florida in into the 1970's. The local Ford dealer took a very nice 1939 LaSalle sedan in trade in about 1963-'64. I begged my dad to buy it to no avail.

Large older luxury cars once they hit the used car market in the 1930's had very little resale value in spite of still being in good condition. They were prime material for conversion to fire department crew cars and fire trucks by small fire departments who needed more capable equipment. Their heavy chassis and large engines could carry the necessary equipment quickly in emergencies. Other such large cars were converted to trucks as practical need dictated. Not unlikely this '28 FA President tourer was one of thousands such conversions. The upside is the chassis survived to this era when they could then be re-bodied as a passenger car open body style in collector demand. How well that re-body craftsmanship is done varies greatly.

The question for Studebaker men familiar with the '28 FA Tourer, did they have recessed footwells from the factory as did the roadster? The only roadster rear body section I've been able to partially match up for some of the lines are on the '32-'34 Lincoln KA, but not exactly.

Going out on a limb here with limb saw in hand, for what its worth, I suggest you measure the width of the doors. I think the forward half of the body from the cowl to just behind the rear door edge is from a '28 President FA State Tourer. The doors look unusually wide for a factory roadster body. Is the rear section with the rumble seat opening of all-steel construction without wood framing? It looks to be from the pictures.

Note the Cord L-29 convertible sedan parked at the curb beyond the Checker taxi.

Here's a better look at that 1910 Regal.

Your best source for pre-war Studebaker information is the Antique Studebaker Club here in the U.S. Check their on-line site, post your questions there. Studebaker, like most all American car makers then, had an active export operation that built cars equipped specifically such as RHD for countries where that was the requirement. Hope this helps.

Seeing that Duesenberg on the street must have stopped a few in their tracks, even in jaded NYC.

For the $2,800 the DuPont roadster list price, seems like a Pierce-Arrow 80 roadster for about $100 more would have been a better choice. Or, save a few dollars, buy a snazzy new LaSalle roadster for $2525. A Roamer 8-88 roadster for $2,750 was about on the same scale as an assembled car. But, it didn't have the DuPont name...

Here a better look at the '27 Dupont roadster.

If this isn't a field of dreams, I don't know what is! A '36 Packard Eight town car by perhaps Kellner, a Packard 120 pillarless touring coupe with sunroof and elegant sweep panel. Anyone recognize the coachbuilder? Democratic with the DeSotos back-to-back with Rolls_Royces. The Airflow that grabs attention is the trunkless giant with the four-tier rear bumper: an early Custom Imperial CW. The bumper was a 1934 only item, suppose the expensive CW was a tad hard to sell at the time. MG fellows, tell us what those are beyond the Packards, are they TA models?

The casually parked Isotta-Fraschini convertible coupe merits some image improvement. Castagna?

The Henry Ford Museum has the production records, where the numbers per model come from. Only the Lincoln Owners Club (LOC) and maybe Lincoln and Continental Owners Club (LCOC) would have a list of survivors of the model in the hands of club members. As much as I hope it survived, the chances aren't good.

That Cord L-29 coupe is identified in the ACD Crestline text by Don Butler as the work of the designers and craftsmen in the Los Angeles body shops of Auburn-Fuller Co. the southern California A-C-D distributor.

It was a 1934 Lincoln Twelve Model KB 145" wheelbase, either seven passenger sedan model 277-A or limousine model 277-B. The later would have the partition window divider, broadcloth upholstery in the rear compartment, leather for the chauffeur. These two styles were the standard Lincoln factory bodies, not semi-custom or full custom coach-built styles. Still, it was an expensive luxury car, $4,500 for the 7 passenger sedan, $4,700 for the limousine; 210 of the former, 215 of the latter built each. Mr. T. Morrison of Sea Girt, N.J. was a wealthy man indeed to be able to afford such a car during the Great Depression.