Classic Three-Door 1936 Lincoln K Special High-Roof Limo by Brunn - Who was it built for?

[allcars]

Seeking info about the history of this very unusual three-door Lincoln K Special Limousine. It was built on a 1936 K 136-inch wheelbase chassis by Brunn & Co. There are two doors on the left, both hinged at the rear, and a single door on the right.

The car number is K-5820 and the Brunn design number may be 2945. The interior is almost fully custom and has a large locking cabinet built into the area where the right-hand front seat would normally be.

The driver's seat is fully walled off with glass panes. The car may have been built for business or management use. All seating in this three-passenger car is trimmed in black leather.

We believe the car has been in Pennsylvania at least since the 1980s. We'd love to know who originally ordered this 1936 car, and why it was configured so unusually.

A similar post has been placed on the AACA General Forum.

Thanks!

[K8096]

If you contact the Henry Ford Museum Research Library in Dearborn, MI you can order a copy the original build card for the chassis. All they need is the serial number, K 5820.

[allcars]

Thanks...we do have the build card info; shows that chassis was sent to Brunn for Special Limo #2945 but no other details on coachwork.

[K8096]

I don't remember, but are the Brunn records at the CCCA Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan? Perhaps they have something. Was there a monogram on the rear door originally? Those initials could give a clue who owned it new if you knew what city it was sold in. You could go to the library of that city and look up an old social registry from 1936 and see what people had those initials.

[trimacar]

The "high roof" is interesting, as it was a design consideration for President Franklin Roosevelt on a slightly later Lincoln, see Brunn & Company, Brunn & Co., Hermann A. Brunn, Herman C. Brunn, Herman Brunn, Brunn Body, Lincoln - Coachbuilt.com

The high roof on the car discussed on that link was a touring car, and it was said to look ungainly, and the roofline later changed. Apparently the higher roof made it easier for him to enter and exit the car, although in a touring one would think you could just put the top down.

But, your high roof closed car, and with only one door on the curb side (the President wouldn't need two doors!) sure makes one wonder if that's the connection.......

[Mark Huston]

Having only one door on the curb side would make this car very difficult for someone with a disability to enter and exit, especially with FDR’s disability. </SPAN>