8E45E

The same reason the President of the Champion Spark Plug Company wanted a Cord with conventional headlamps mounted in a bucket, (amongst some other special one-off features). He felt it looked 'naked' without them. Now I'm just waiting for the President of Airstream to special order a brand new aluminum body F-series pickup PAINT DELETE to match his trailer!! Think Ford will honor his request?? Craig

After re-reading an article on John North Willys in the May, 2019 publication of 'The Automobile', it appears Springfield Body Co. also supplied bodies to Willys Overland, where they also offered that same 'hardtop touring' body style in 1917. I wonder if any Overlands in this interesting body style also still exist. Craig

The ONLY C4 'vette I would seriously consider would be the ZR-1; the first-year1989 model, having the most preference. It had the squared-off taillights to distinguish it from the 'regular' Corvette line that year. In fact, is it the very first car on the market to come with a 'valet key'? Craig

Two very important showcars (for Packard) were made during Nance's era; the Request and the Predictor. The Request was a reply (hence its name) to address loyal customers who wanted former styling cues to be integrated into latest designs, and the Predictor was to convince bankers and other Wall Street financiers that Studebaker-Packard was being forward-thinking, and not 'out of the loop' at being stale with design and innovation, and to invest in them. Of course those plans never came to be. Craig

My book on Creative Industries does make brief mention on later reworks of a couple of Packard Panthers having removable roofs, but it was well after 1953. Craig

Nice dash! Replacing that square opening in the middle holding all the instruments with a touchscreen will instantly make it 21st Century modern and give Tesla's dashboard design a run for their money!! Craig

Packard sure had time to 'play around' with show cars, including the Panama, Panther, and the Balboa, just to name three of them. I believe all, including the Caribbean were modified production bodies done locally at either Creative Industries or Mitchell-Bentley/Ionia Body Division in, or near Detroit. Craig

General Electric and Westclox made some beautiful Art Deco clocks from that era with a shiny bakelite case which simply plug in the wall. There are lots still around and will keep better time than that car clock. I wouldn't go through all that work and 'repurpose' a nice 6 volt car clock like that for a bedroom. Craig

That is too bad, actually. The Build Sheet confirms your car's "DNA". Fortunately, most of the Production Orders for Studebaker have survived: https://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum/your-studebaker-forum/general-studebaker-specific-discussion/57197-more-production-order-fun-post-yours-here?55844-more-production-order-fun-(post-yours-here-)=&highlight=betsy Craig

Packard themselves probably never would have made a one-off piece like that. Packard may have designed it, but they would have farmed something like that out to Creative Industries, Dietrich, or Durham. Craig

That would be nice to see, especially with all the information on Cole you have in your possession. I have a few marque histories/founder biographies which are all interesting reads during winter: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/michigans-c-harold-wills-the/9781625859877-item.html?ikwid=ch+wills+wills+st+claire&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=4 https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/tatra-the-legacy-of-hans/9781845847999-item.html?ikwid=tatra&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=1 https://www.amazon.ca/Made-Standard-Alexander-Petryshyn-2000-12-04/dp/B01FEOYGGU https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/alvis-the-complete-story/9781785005879-item.html?ref=recently_viewed%3A home%3Asearch%3Asearch results Craig

Thanks for your brief history lesson on Cole. In hindsight, with the Great Depression looming just four years later, he liquidated at almost the right time. Would any of those 'archives' that were destroyed in the 1960's flood include all the build sheets for the Cole cars? Or were they hopefully saved? Craig

I tend to agree it was the same emblem supplier who made them for both Chandler and Briscoe. As both marques were not high-volume manufacturers, they would not have invested heavy sums to ante up for special dies or casting blocks, and both went for that particular vendor's lower cost generic emblem template. Craig

Those were offered on a number of the higher-end cars at one time. Perhaps Cole was the first with them? Here is a 1923 Locomobile with those Westinghouse air springs:

Thanks for the tutorial on the operation of the side windows on that Cole Toursedan. Auburn offered a hardtop-like steel-topped touring, and also Studebaker offered the Duplex Phaeton and Duplex Roadster steel-top tourings, but unlike the Cole, but they had roll-up side curtains. Interestingly, in China, Shanghai Horse Bazaar and Automobile company made a hardtop coupe in 1924 with roll-up side windows similar to the Cole Toursedan/Tourcoupe. Here is that Made in China 1924 Studebaker Light Six which is currenly in the Studebaker National Museum. Craig

I hope that example gets its well-deserved restoration. I also like this sedan in the ACD Museum:

The first time I ever heard of Cole was a good 50 years ago in early grade school. Scholastic Book Services, which sold books to schools published 'Tad Burness's "Auto Album"; a compilation of his syndicated line-drawings to various newspapers from 1966. Included in the first volume was this 1920 Cole, although I have yet to see one with the octagon-shaped rear quarter windows.

Are you looking for the 'export' lenses as it probably had originally? Or whatever you can get? Craig

Very well written article. A friend of mine attended that Cole meet last summer at the Gilmore Museum. While he was in Michigan, I was in Reno for the big truck show and attended the National Automobile Museum (formerly Harrah's), and saw the two door version of the 'Toursedan'. Craig

One would be hard pressed to get that amount for a Sundance convertible. About the only market for that car at present, is still the 'used car' market will little or no prospect for collectability. Craig

Great start for a lawn swing. Craig

I wouldn't be surprised if your car was originally all black for color. Craig

That is somewhat similar to one of Ford's accessory 'Rotunda' column-mount gauge pods from 1967, which incorporated the same 'full-read' amp, temp, and oil pressure, plus a vacuum gauge, instead of a clock. A separate Rotunda tach was also available. Craig

That Olds tach/clock combination does ring a bell. I just don't recall Dr. Oldsmobile making a big thing out of it like the Dodge Boys did with theirs. I do remember the vacuum gauge on full size 1965 & 6 Chevrolets and Pontiacs. On both vehicles, the vacuum gauge went in the standard clock location. Craig

Definitely someone's rendition of Popular Science magazine's "Weekend Workshop". Craig