The Towe Collection Early Ford V-8 Engines Found After 23 Years

[Trulyvintage]

Last Friday found me in Eugene, Oregon picking up some engines donated to a museum.

 

As it turns out - these were no ordinary engines.

 

The kind gentleman donating them  was no ordinary collector.

 

Steve has owed several significant 

Ford Early V-8 cars.

 

Steve had sent his brother up 

from Oregon in 1997 with instructions 

to buy these Early Ford Engines

at any price - which is what his bother

did .... 😉

 

Steve’s brother attended The Towe

Deer Lodge Auction in Montana.

 

By all accounts - Edward Towe was one helluva guy.

 

Born in Norway, Iowa he started in business as a bicycle repair man at age 15 in Paulina, Iowa - he bought old
Model T cars and turned them into farm wagons.

 

He completed engineering school in Ames, Iowa - purchased the Paulina Ford dealership with a cousin - ran that for a year - then moved to California where he bought a gas station - hand pumped gas sold
for 11.9 cents a gallon 🤔

Jim

 

 

[1937hd45]

What is the reason that makes these three engines special? 

[Trulyvintage]

The first engine is a Flathead Zephyr V-12 with transmission.

 

@ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln-Zephyr_V12_engine

 

I pulled a few spark plugs.

 

Steve was not sure if the engines were hollow or not.

 

 I found pistons in the  (3) cylinders I checked.

 

 

No one knew who had bought these engines with transmissions on display stands at the 1997 Towe Deeer Lodge Montana Auction.

 

They are coveted because they appear to be complete and comprised entirely on the outside of OEM parts.

 

Joshua Conrad - EFV8 Foundation 

Museum Director - has a goal to have the correct engine on a stand displayed next to the respective Ford it would have been factory installed in.

 

Members of the museum have been looking for theses engines to add to the museum collection ever since 1997.

 

Jim

Edited January 20, 2021 by Trulyvintage (see edit history)

[1937hd45]

With the number of Hot Rods built since 1997, nobody was looking very hard were they? 

[JACK M]

So, it was sellers remorse?

I have been to the Deer Lodge museum. 

Its been twenty years or so but was kind of a dark visit.

Deer Lodge is known for being a pretty tough prison and has a lot of history.

The museum is on the same property but not in the prison itself.

I was the only guy there the day I stopped by and walked thru the eerie abandoned prison (a depressing place) after taking my own sweet time in the museum.

Not sure how long ago it was closed but must have been the only thing going on in that town as the prison is right in the middle of things.

 

 

[zepher]

Same Edward Towe that started the Towe Ford Museum in Sacramento that later became the California Auto Museum?

At one time he had the largest collection of Fords in the world.

During a visit to the museum I thought I read about Towe purchasing a 30's Ford in Argentina and actually driving it back to the US. 

[trimacar]

I guess this dates me, at one point 40 or so years ago I was in conversation with the Towe collection.  They had two early Fords, 1903 Model A, and were willing to give one to me if I restored the other one.  You can imagine that this was tempting, as in the 1980s things weren't nearly as costly nor as difficult to do (i.e. craftsmen out there). 

 

It finally got way too complicated, they wanted the one restored and then judged before they'd release the second one to me, and it was all on a verbal agreement.  I'd have loved to had the early Ford, but it sure didn't feel right, so I passed.

 

Always wondered if anyone else took them up on it.

 

And yes, the Sacramento museum is interesting, but finances are tight and if you go there on a rainy day (this from 8 years ago) you might be asked to move a bucket if you see it's not catching a roof leak.  I hope they're doing well, a lot of interesting cars there, a lot of them on "loan" for a storage fee of $50 a month.  Again, I spent time there for a few years around 2010 or so, my information may be outdated.

[C Carl]

5 hours ago, zepher said:

During a visit to the museum I thought I read about Towe purchasing a 30's Ford in Argentina and actually driving it back to the US. 

 
Do you know approximately more or less what time period this adventure took place, or where more info might be ?    Thanks,    -    Carl 

[Trulyvintage]

 

 

Jim

[Trulyvintage]

On 1/20/2021 at 1:17 PM, 1937hd45 said:

With the number of Hot Rods built since 1997, nobody was looking very hard were they? 

The engines were not purchased to

” hotrod “.

 

Edward Towe is still a significant figure in the car collecting community.

 

I don’t appreciate your ignorant comment 👎

 

Jim

Edited January 22, 2021 by Trulyvintage (see edit history)

[trimacar]

I think the hot rod comment was in reference to the fact that, if you wanted an example of each engine, you could have found those examples in the supply of original engines removed to make hot rods.

 

For some reason it seems they were looking for those specific engines out of the Towe museum, not just any example.

 

 

[1937hd45]

Thank you David, Your reading comprehension gets an A+. 

 

Bob 

[Erska]

Zepher said:  "Same Edward Towe that started the Towe Ford Museum in Sacramento that later became the California Auto Museum?"

 

Trimacar said:  "And yes, the Sacramento museum is interesting, but finances are tight and if you go there on a rainy day (this from 8 years ago) you might be asked to move a bucket if you see it's not catching a roof leak.  I hope they're doing well, a lot of interesting cars there, a lot of them on "loan" for a storage fee of $50 a month.  Again, I spent time there for a few years around 2010 or so, my information may be outdated."

 

Yes, Edward Towe of Montana started the Towe Ford Museum in Sacramento, that eventually became the California Auto Museum.  Starting out as a strictly Ford collection, owned by Towe, it is now home to a varied collection of cars, foreign and domestic, from Brass Era up to recent electrics, and operated by a non-profit group with plenty of donors and volunteers.  Perhaps carrying forward Towe's focus on Ford, most cars in the collection could have been owned by the average guy.  There are a few great classics, though, my personal favorite being the 1933 Lincoln KB formerly used by Bank of America founder A.P. Giannini (see below).  

 

Nowadays there are lots of differences since Trimacar's visit years ago.  The Museum is still located in the same ex-warehouse just off I-5 near Old Sacramento, but the roof was replaced and no longer leaks, and the HVAC system was updated too.  For some years, there have been interesting short-term exhibits, recently including station wagons, British cars, Northern California hot-rods, and more.  The museum is well worth a visit if you're in northern California.  Due to pandemic restrictions the museum has been closed since last spring (except for a month or so in November), but hopefully can reopen when COVID vaccinations are more widely administered.

[trimacar]

Great to hear of the updates at the Sacramento museum.  That’s why I stated my comments were dated.  When I was there they were struggling, I was in Sacramento every other week for about three years, and tried to visit the museum as much as I could....

 

[Grimy]

I met Mr. Towe, briefly, while we were on a VMCCA tour out of Auburn, CA in April 2006; he was driving a 1933 or 1934 Ford phaeton despite being in his early 90s.  He didn't say too much to anyone other than Ford drivers, as I recall 🙂

 

The following Billings MT obituary tells his story quite succinctly:

https://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/announcements/obituaries/edward-towe/article_adc9a8b8-4db5-53aa-b934-cfd6ee6eb01a.html

[trimacar]

Well, tried to read the obit but it won't let me without completing a survey.  That's interesting about the fact he was only talking to Ford owners!  

[Grimy]

1 minute ago, trimacar said:

That's interesting about the fact he was only talking to Ford owners!  

David, that was my impression, at least.  I was driving my 1925 Pierce 80.  I'm sure I give the same impression about hanging out primarily with Pierce owners at multi-marque events.  Here's a photo of Mr. Towe's Ford phaeton taken at a stop on the tour:

[trimacar]

Nice car.  From 1932 to 1934, a car manufacturer had to really work to make an ugly car, great years.

[1937hd45]

2 hours ago, Erska said:

Zepher said:  "Same Edward Towe that started the Towe Ford Museum in Sacramento that later became the California Auto Museum?"

 

Trimacar said:  "And yes, the Sacramento museum is interesting, but finances are tight and if you go there on a rainy day (this from 8 years ago) you might be asked to move a bucket if you see it's not catching a roof leak.  I hope they're doing well, a lot of interesting cars there, a lot of them on "loan" for a storage fee of $50 a month.  Again, I spent time there for a few years around 2010 or so, my information may be outdated."

 

Yes, Edward Towe of Montana started the Towe Ford Museum in Sacramento, that eventually became the California Auto Museum.  Starting out as a strictly Ford collection, owned by Towe, it is now home to a varied collection of cars, foreign and domestic, from Brass Era up to recent electrics, and operated by a non-profit group with plenty of donors and volunteers.  Perhaps carrying forward Towe's focus on Ford, most cars in the collection could have been owned by the average guy.  There are a few great classics, though, my personal favorite being the 1933 Lincoln KB formerly used by Bank of America founder A.P. Giannini (see below).  

 

Nowadays there are lots of differences since Trimacar's visit years ago.  The Museum is still located in the same ex-warehouse just off I-5 near Old Sacramento, but the roof was replaced and no longer leaks, and the HVAC system was updated too.  For some years, there have been interesting short-term exhibits, recently including station wagons, British cars, Northern California hot-rods, and more.  The museum is well worth a visit if you're in northern California.  Due to pandemic restrictions the museum has been closed since last spring (except for a month or so in November), but hopefully can reopen when COVID vaccinations are more widely administered.

 

You can drive South and visit the Nethercutt Collection and see the A.P. Gianni Type 23 Bugatti. Beautiful unrestored car, admission is free, be sure to get on the music box collection tour that is also free. http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/05/1926-bugatti-type-23-body-of.html

 

Bob 

 

 

[JACK M]

25 minutes ago, 1937hd45 said:

be sure to get on the music box collection tour that is also free.

 

 

 

Doubtful you have never seen a music box collection like this one.

These are not little boxes that first come to mind.

[zepher]

2 hours ago, 1937hd45 said:

 

You can drive South and visit the Nethercutt Collection and see the A.P. Gianni Type 23 Bugatti. Beautiful unrestored car, admission is free, be sure to get on the music box collection tour that is also free. http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/05/1926-bugatti-type-23-body-of.html

 

Bob 

 

 

 

I've been on that tour and we got to listen to the pipe organ they have in their collection as well.

The mascot collection is also pretty impressive.

[trimacar]

I enjoyed exploring California when I was there, had a nephew in Pleasanton (don't you just love that name for a town, sounds like a Twilight Zone episode) and went to visit there a few times, and of course tried to hit as many museums as I could.  Did get to Danville to visit the Blackhawk, incredible place.  It was fun because I went there and there may have been three or four other people in the entire museum.  Gee, hard to call it a museum, it seems so much more than that.  A docent came up to me and we started talking.  Seems he was fairly new to the place, or so he told me.  It all could have been a test.

 

Have you ever known someone in a situation that you knew  just about everything about, and had the guts to put your ego on hold and let the new guy expound with his thoughts and knowledge?  Try it sometime, it's fun up to a point, and then it gets tiresome. This seemed to be the opposite.

 

So, back to the story.  The docent, with little else to do, starts walking me around.  Oh, here's the Pierce Arrow Silver Arrow, he says, think they only made a couple of them.  No, I said, they made five, all V-12s and consecutive serial numbers, more or less, a couple of numbers thrown in to confuse us.  Oh, he said.

 

And here's this car, with some kind of funny things attached to the front of the frame.  Yes, I said, Hartford shocks, friction activated.  Wow, he said, I wondered what those were.

 

So, at this point, I don't know if I'm being played or not.  I walked up to another car that is quite an oddball, and he said bet you don't know what this is.  Yep, I told him, and even went into a discussion about how the fenders had an inner layer so that rock chips wouldn't mar the finish from underneath.

 

 I'll quit the story there, but let's just say he never told me anything I didn't know.  I might have been tripping over my own ego.

 

Regardless, a fantastic museum and incredible cars.