George Smolinski Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Never knew it existed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 (edited) I do recall seeing pics a long time ago. It was probably a one off show car or possibly the dream of someone with a Lincoln Log fetish. Edited February 20 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Never saw it in person, but it was on the cover of Car Collector magazine, accompanied by an article inside in the 1980's. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 (edited) That treatment worked on the Chrysler. Not so much here, I think. The reason not many [any ? ] around? Ben Edited February 20 by Ben Bruce aka First Born (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
54Coupe Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 I've never seen that..... I'm not a fan. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 This is a made-up car built by some guy in his home garage. Not a factory build or show car. We had a pretty extensive discussion on it a few years ago. It's vaporware. 6 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
58L-Y8 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 I encountered it and its builder the first time in 1990 at the Road Race Lincoln Registry held at Avon, CT. The restorer/customizer was a skilled older fellow from New England who also built a replica mahogany Hispano-Suiza boattail on a '30's Buick chassis. Of course, rather than admit it was a personal custom, he and another RRLR member invented a complete backstory. Iirc the details, it was purported to be a 'New England regional show car' which because it appeared so briefly, no period photos could be found to document it. Car Collector magazine ran an article repeating this fiction and when it eventually went to auction, it was promoted by repeating the story again. As Walt G points out, when misinformation is repeated enough, it comes to be accepted as fact. BTW, the 'Sportsman' scripts are from the '60's-'70's Dodge trucks, 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Smolinski Posted February 20 Author Share Posted February 20 Is it still around? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
58L-Y8 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 (edited) 4 minutes ago, George Smolinski said: Is it still around? Oh yes, and around...and around. Passed around like a bad penny... BTW, it's a garden variety 1955 Lincoln Capri convertible, one of the 1,487 built, none with wood pasted on. Edited February 20 by 58L-Y8 addendum comments (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curti Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 If I owned the car, I would remove it and do the body work and repaint it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 18 minutes ago, Curti said: If I owned the car, I would remove it and do the body work and repaint it. THEN it would look JUST like all the rest. I am not enamored with this car. As long as it is not touted as FACTORY I am ok with it. Ben 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 (edited) To my view, the applied wood looks amateurish. The vertical cross-pieces take away from the smooth horizontal lines. The wood on the trunk is awkward and unattractive. It's clearly applied to the surface. 1 hour ago, 58L-Y8 said: The restorer/customizer... and another RRLR member invented a complete backstory. ...when it eventually went to auction, it was promoted by repeating the story again. Intentional misrepresentation is called lying. Honest mistakes can be excused, but the customizer should never have started his story or let it circulate. He should have taken credit for his "creation" and let custom-car fans admire his handiwork. Thankfully, most people in our hobby are upstanding. Edited February 20 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history) 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
58L-Y8 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 1 minute ago, John_S_in_Penna said: To my view, the applied wood looks amateurish. The vertical cross-pieces take away from the smooth horizontal lines. The wood on the trunk is odd and grotesque. It's clearly applied to the surface. Intentional misrepresentation is called lying. Honest mistakes can be excused, but the customizer should never have started his story or let it circulate. Thankfully, most people in our hobby are upstanding. John: The minute I met this customizer fellow, I got the vibe that here was a gladhander who after a handshake one should count one's fingers. He found a kindred spirit in the other fellow mentioned who help promote the bogus backstory. Individuals of poor integrity to be held at arm's length. On the design and execution quality, it indeed looks very amateurish in person. The implication was Ford Design provided the wood pattern design which bears little resemblance to anything they were applying to their station wagons at the time which might be expected. Other than station wagons which by 1955 were faux molded wood framing and DiNoc wood-grain vinyl decals, the idea of wood-paneled convertibles was passe. The telltale giveaway of it's being a fake were the chrome "Sportsman" scripts on the front fenders I recognized from '60's-'70's Dodge pick-up trucks. Steve 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
28 Chrysler Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 The wood is over the top of the sheet metal instead of replacing it. That is the major reason it looks odd, compare the wood to the way it was done on the Chryslers. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hook Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Now all it needs is a chain mail top. Made of stainless of course, so it won't rust. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
63RedBrier Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 9 minutes ago, hook said: Now all it needs is a chain mail top. Made of stainless of course, so it won't rust. What’s a “chain mail top?” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hook Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Just now, 63RedBrier said: What’s a “chain mail top?” Look up chain mail 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 It could have looked a lot better, more integrated and less like cladding.Too many vertical strips. And the yellow does help much although it isn't the killer. It made me think of this Buick Roadmaster that went the other way. The "wood" surround on these cars is wood grain painted aluminum. I have seen one of the polished RM's in person, stunning. Adding those custom touches to cars balances on the sharpest edge know to man, Like between the Peakness and a donkey cart. Most get the cart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 3 hours ago, 58L-Y8 said: a gladhander who after a handshake one should count one's fingers. Thats a good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 3 hours ago, 58L-Y8 said: On the design and execution quality, it indeed looks very amateurish in person. The implication was Ford Design provided the wood pattern design which bears little resemblance to anything they were applying to their station wagons at the time which might be expected. Other than station wagons which by 1955 were faux molded wood framing and DiNoc wood-grain vinyl decals, the idea of wood-paneled convertibles was passe. The telltale giveaway of it's being a fake were the chrome "Sportsman" scripts on the front fenders I recognized from '60's-'70's Dodge pick-up trucks. I will have to re-read the article, but if I remember correctly, it was Formica, or a similar thin laminate material in a woodgrain finish that was used, and not Di-noc. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 25 minutes ago, 8E45E said: I will have to re-read the article, but if I remember correctly, it was Formica, or a similar thin laminate material in a woodgrain finish that was used, and not Di-noc. I am building a new computer desk for my home office. It is called a floating desk, !' laminate oak finish. I wanted a brass edge molding and figure some gold automotive side trim will work fine. I sure hope it doesn't end up on some custom furniture forum being slandered. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFeeney Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Where are the "Termites" when you need them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 2 hours ago, 60FlatTop said: I am building a new computer desk for my home office. It is called a floating desk, !' laminate oak finish. I wanted a brass edge molding and figure some gold automotive side trim will work fine. I sure hope it doesn't end up on some custom furniture forum being slandered. Good one! Your comment reminds me of a 1957 Plymouth dashboard. The same, thin, textured aluminum gauge surround also appeared on Philco TV sets, and General Electric cooktops from the same era. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yachtflame Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 11 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said: I do recall seeing pics a long time ago. It was probably a one off show car or possibly the dream of someone with a Lincoln Log fetish. You mean a nightmare! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 50 minutes ago, yachtflame said: You mean a nightmare! 👎👎 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 The 1987 Car Classics article: 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Cars like this are sometimes called phantoms. They represent someone's idea of a car the company could have made but never did. Sometimes they are based on drawings or prototypes that were announced or shown but never built. As long as they are not misrepresented as something they are not, no harm is done. Even if they are, this shades into the realm of hoaxes or practical jokes as long as they don't attempt to make money off it. If they did you would have a case of fraud. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman from oz Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 That car in question is a 1955 Lincoln, not a 1956 Lincoln. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman from oz Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Wells Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Sorry, but this Lincoln brought to mind one of these: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B Jake Moran Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Wait. How could a magazine like Car Collector and all those shows fall for such a scam? The author of the article must have been paid to go along with the lie, because he said he remembered seeing the car at a Baltimore dealership. The article has no photos of the original car, no photos of the restoration process. As noted, no documentation. That author should have never been allowed to write another article- ever. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 (edited) 12 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said: As long as they are not misrepresented as something they are not, no harm is done. Even if they are, this shades into the realm of hoaxes or practical jokes as long as they don't attempt to make money off it. If they did you would have a case of fraud. I'll have to disagree: A lie is a lie. Reading the article above, no one would know where truth ended and falsehoods began. What if 50% of our magazine articles told untrue history? Did Lincoln really produce 12 "Colour Cars" for various regions? The author of the article even remembers-- or misremembers--seeing this car. The author says his cousin worked for the dealership that displayed the car. Are all of these false? Probably. As for money, the magazine wasted several pages that could have been used to further true history or advertise some useful services for collectors. The article says this falsehood won "Best of Show" awards 5 times. Based on false premises, the owner took those awards away from genuine cars. One can see that even today, more than 30 years after the falsehood, we are having to sort out truth. Edited February 21 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history) 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 13 minutes ago, John_S_in_Penna said: What if 50% of our magazine articles told untrue history? False stories do happen from time to time. There was a famous instance within Packard and Studebaker circles involving a former Studebaker-Packard employee who embellished a story about reviving a 'real' Packard in the early 1960's with a V-12 engine, employing a ton of photoshop, which was a rather new technology in the early 2000's. His article made it to the August, 2002 issue of Turning Wheels, and a similar article on one of the Packard newsletters. It didn't take long for the article to be dissected and all the discrepancies pointed out. Both newsletter editors expected the story to be 'creditable' as the auther, Paul McKeehan, was an employee at the time, and he actually did design the AC-3155 accessory wheel covers that did make production on 1964-'65 Studebakers. V12 Packard,the final word (google.com) Paul McKeehan's "Last Packard" (TW 8-02) - Studebaker Drivers Club Forum TW's V12 Reply (google.com) PACKARD V12 - Packard Club (google.com) 60's Packard V12 (google.com) Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Unfortunately there are a lot of hoaxes or false stories and always have been. Sometimes I think most of what we "know" is false. Part of being a grownup is sorting out the real from the fake, not an easy job. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 47 minutes ago, John_S_in_Penna said: Did Lincoln really produce 12 "Colour Cars" for various regions? Yes, but actually, Ford called them "Trim and Color" cars. Many, if not most of them, fell into obscurity and without any fan-fare. They were actual production cars with fancy trim and color, so they could, and would be sold to customers. Once "used up," they were neglected and sent to the back of the property or to a junk yard. The "color and trim" cars were way overshadowed by the true concept cars. In 1955, Ford's Futura was gaining all the publicity. No one bothered turning around to photograph a regular production car with unique color and upholstery. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 (edited) 22 hours ago, 28 Chrysler said: The wood is over the top of the sheet metal instead of replacing it. That is the major reason it looks odd, compare the wood to the way it was done on the Chryslers. ... But similar to production 1948 Packard Station Sedans ? Other than the tailgate on those, wasn't the wood simply applied over the metal body? I'm no expert - just asking? And didn't Mercury do the same thing with a convertible some time in the mid 1960s? Edited February 21 by Marty Roth (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 It is kind of comical. I have never found a shortage of anyone in the old car community to step forward to correct anything they thought was wrong. We sometimes get those club emails with the whole list of addressees listed in the cc: section. For around 20 years I would occasionally respond to one of those with "reply to all" and show a picture or make some relevant reply. Never an acknowledgement or reply from any in the group. Until one time, when I wrote Cliff Robertson when I meant Dale Robertson. The correction was immediate. You just have to laugh when things like that happen. Be assured if incorrect information is stated the correction will surface quickly. Sometimes you can bait them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leif in Calif Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 3 hours ago, 8E45E said: False stories do happen from time to time. I think it's pretty common. Even facts by authors you respect can be overturned by more research. I'm involved with my town's history museum and have done a lot of research on local people who were prominent in the town's history. Many of their "stories" turn out to be just that. Same with family stories. My family's story was totally debunked when I had my DNA tested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Smolinski Posted February 21 Author Share Posted February 21 4 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said: One can see that even today, more than 30 years after the falsehood, we are having to sort out truth. The falsehoods of 30 years ago continue to happen in today's collector car world. I give you restamped blocks to appear "numbers matching," frames being swapped (watch any TV car show & you'll see this happen(, and the vehicle being sold without that information available to the buyer, clones being sold as something they are not (think GTO, etc.), car auctions advertising and telling potential buyers that cars are correct when they're not. I don't think you can get away from it, even buying from a private party or dealer (no offense to any dealers here). I think you have to do a lot of research and homework on your own, or bring someone with to a sale who has great knowledge of the year, make, & model you're interested in. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Luddy Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Very similar to one of the 3472 1969 Camaro COPO 427 cars usually for sale or "hiding in a barn maybe for sale" out of the 500 or so built! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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