58L-Y8

Do some research on Cunningham of Rochester, New York; Streans-Knight in Cleveland, Ohio; McFarlan of Connorsville, Indiana; DuPont of Wilmington, Delaware; Locomobile of Bridgeport, Connecticut. All were still in business in 1928, all basically hand-built operations, soon to be gone.

Yes! Wellsboro Diner and the town in general is a great place to be sure to visit and spend a little time when you tour Route 6. Every year when we return from Hershey to here in Western New York, we stop at the Wellsboro Diner on Sunday for a late breakfast. Its amazing to set at the counter and watch the cook and servers do their jobs with efficiency and good humor. Short-order cooking is hard work and the way they do it to feed the legions that stop there is great to watch. The food is always good and well-prepared, not fancy, just good and reasonably priced. Plus, enjoying it in a diner built by the Judkins Body Company a big plus!

The rumble-seat convertible coupe with the top down is a 1934 Terraplane. a '37 LaSalle is parked by the Wells Beach Theater.

The '49 Buick Special was among the very last 1942 B-Body fastback models with minor postwar trim changes still produced into calendar year 1949. Those 1946-'49 Specials were the lowest production series for those year unlike the pre-war years. Production allocation decisions driven by the certain knowledge of pent-up demand resulted in savvy marketing favoring the Super and Roadmaster, both which were higher unit profit series. It was very smart to do that, when the seller's market ended, more Buick owners had been moved up the model hierarchy and the all-new 1950 Special enticed a new generation of customers into their first Buick Special.

Crosley convertibles were indeed priced below the Dodge Wayfarer, perhaps Dodge should have added "full-sized convertible" to exclude the tiny Crosley from the comparison. Quite frankly, most people didn't consider Crosley as much of a car, not the least bit comparable with any of the full-sized, mainstream models, regarded it as something of a toy.

Rumble seats were intended only for occasional use when more than two need to go and then not for long distance. In the 1920's, roadsters were generally the cheapest body style; for buyers with only a periodic need for more passenger accommodation a rumble seat was a good solution. As the closed car became affordable, roadsters assumed a sporty aura, a rumble seat felt dangerous and fun. One of my favorite lines from M*A*S*H is when Henry Blake returned from R & R in love with young Nancy Sue Parker, Hawkeye tells him "Henry, You just spent a week in the rumble seat of the time machine!"

r"It's America's lowest-priced convertible!" Which might have been an answer to a question no one ask, but for returning GI's who had a good paying job and no children yet, these were ideal for daily transportation and a little fun. Hope you have a great time with it.

That would be Gearless - Rochester, NY 1907-'09 by the Gearless Transmission Company. that had a friction drive transmission. It reorganized as the Gearless Motor Car Company in 1908, bankrupt in fall of 1909. Quite expensive, in the $3K-$4K range until the last year, tried $1,500-$3,200. to no avail.

Oddly enough, now the Lincoln-Zephyr is the rarer car as the Continentals were collected almost from their years as used cars in the 1950's. The Lincoln Continental Owners Club formed in 1953. Back then Zephyr and postwar Lincolns were mostly considered only useful for parts to restore Continentals. That's why there are so many Continentals available now compared to Zephyrs. Zephyrs being semi-unit body construction also suffered from rust-prone bodies. All suffered with the H-Series V-12 from 1936-'48, which you will find a recent discussion regarding here on another thread.

Both Lincoln Zephyr and Continental were built on the same chassis, are the same length. What makes the Continental appear longer is the proportioning and lowering. The hood lengthened, passenger compartment configured close-coupled, the short high boxed trunk. None of the body panels interchange but all chassis parts do. Its a fascinating history, worth your time to delve into.

Our school district had a fleet of GMC V6 school buses in the 1960's, the local Pontiac-GMC dealer placed the lowest bid. They always had an odd sound running and to the exhaust. Apparently they were quite 'thirsty' too, but tough, durable and long-lived, rust got the bodies before the engine wore out. Some ended up as cut-down farm trucks after the district sold them off. They made great hay haulers.

Since Packards are of interest, please check out not only the Packard Club and Packards International websites but also PackardInfo.com. Signing on is free and there are legions of Packard people ready to answer any question you have. Many of us are active on the PackardInfo forum there daily. We also search Craigslist and post links to Packards and parts available on it under the 'Various CL Pickings' thread in Cars for sale. Check it frequently as we continually update with fresh listings that might be of interest. While much of Craigslist collector cars for sale are rather 'optimistically' priced for what they are and the condition, periodically real bargains do appear. Good luck, we'd love to have you become 'the man who owns one"

Joining national clubs and regions as well is great advice. Whether for a specific make or general, you will connect with other enthusiasts of like interest, the comradery is a benefit worth well beyond what the annual membership cost might be. Attend local gathering, get to know folks in the club. Keep in mind that every old car collector has more cars than he can realistically handle, gladly sells to those who show genuine interest in keeping the car and taking good care of it. You are young enough to develop those relationships and eventually be the man who becomes the next conservator.

May I direct you to the 1948-1954 Packard Eights, 200's and Clippers four door touring sedans. Many good, well-restored and simply maintained originals are readily available for under $10K. They're solid, reliable nice-driving cars with good club and parts support. They won't knock your socks off but they won't break the bank either.

Next to the '32 President, a Commander Regal convertible sedan strikes me as just about the most desirable Studebaker one could restore. No doubt whoever takes it on will be under water financially but there are higher purposes to restoring and preserving the surviving rarest cars from those years. Hope this one finds a willing and capable next conservator. Remember, when these are gone, extinction is permanent.

That depends on your definition of 'classic' with a lower case or upper case "c". And what financial resources are available to back-up your desire to own one. All of automotive history is available for you to choose from, there are survivors back to the earliest decades. Narrowing it to the era and makes that appeal most is a personal decision. You should decide this on the basis of what would please you most then pursue it. If someone criticizes your choice, tell them you bought the car to please yourself and not them. You will find many own a certain car to impress their contemporaries, a poor reason to own one. Buy what delights you and just have experiences with it and enjoy it. Collector cars are an entertainment, not an Investment, keep that in mind, you'll do just fine.

In the late Stutz years, aluminum panels were an options available rather than the coated fabric. A few of the Stutz Monte Carlos by Weymann are aluminum paneled.

"Overland" as a car maker name persisted into the 1950's as "Willys-Overland" in advertising and dealership signage. Apparently the company felt that "Overland" as a stand alone name was too archaic to use.

The 1939 Overland was a one-year marketing wonder. They renamed the updated Model 77 to both Models 38 and 48 on the 100" wb but also added a new 102" wb with that oddball badge-shaped headlights, leaping brow hood and new grille louvers. Included were Deluxe, Standard Speedway and Speedway Special models, maybe your brochure defines what was what, lots of distinction without much difference. For 1940, only the 102" wb simplified to only coupe and four door sedan plus a station wagon were listed. Styling was updated again to the bullnose hood and broad chrome mustache and tear-drop headlights. The Overland name disappeared, just plain Willys Speedway and Deluxe. For 1941, added two more inches of wheelbase to 104", integrated sedan trunk and quarter windows and now its "Americar". Clear as mud?

Fiberglass Replicar from the late 1960's.

As long as one understands the shortcoming and particular mechanical requirements of an H-series Lincoln V-12 and approaches with realistic expectation, ownership could be an enjoyable experience. Fortuitously, the Continentals, particularly the 1946-'48 models have a high survival rate and hundreds were restored to a high standard. For the individual who would enjoy one now, selecting the best one available for the money finds a wide selection to choose from.

For comparison, here are the maximum torque rating the H-series Lincoln V-12 and major 1940-'41 competitors in its price segment: Lincoln-Zephyr: 292 ci, 225 ft/lbs @ 1800 rpm Chrysler eight: 323.5 ci, 260 ft/lbs @ 1600 rpm Buick eight 320: 320.2 ci, 278 ft/lbs @ 2200 rpm Cadillac 61: 346 ci, 283 ft/lbs @ 1700 rpm

The H-series Lincoln V-12 was a badly compromised design for reasons mentioned, one not sited was the exhaust ported through the block to the lower outside which unnecessarily transferred more exhaust heat into the cooling system. It was a major design flaw it shared with the Ford flathead V-8. Also, buyers in the Zephyr and Continental price segment were accustomed to long-stroke, torquey cars that could be lugged in high gear, driven almost like an automatic transmission. Driving a H-series Lincoln V-12 that way because it was a shorter stroked, higher rpm engine immediately magnified its compromised design mechanical problems.

I first saw that '53 Caribbean at the 1994 Packard Experience at the CCCA Museum, talked with the owners then. The wife told me they had it built to use in place of the convertible top in cool inclement weather. Portions of a Mayfair hardtop like the roof rails over the windows, and windshield header were used, the rest built up from fiberglass, padding and vinyl to make it light enough for two people to handle it. The inspiration was Ed Macauley's personal '41 Darrin coupe de ville that became the Brown Bomber custom idea car. No doubt now its being attributed to a known coachbuilder. Steve

A local well-known collector is auctioning part of his collection. Mostly nice originals, though some may have been in service on western New York roads so check for rust underneath and repairs of same: https://www.cottoneauctions.com/auction/148/onsite-the-car-collection-of-paul-least The '66 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham in black with red leather interior is a particularly nice example. If you attend, please give us a report. If you buy one, tell us all about it. Steve