MrBumble wrote:


Finally, who thought up that name? The Brown Bomber? Must have been something that came to Macauley while he was in the bathroom ...

MrBumble wrote:
Gosh, Leeedy ... I am humbled!

MrBumble wrote:
As far as I know, no Packards ever came factory equipped with seat belts.

According to Wikipedia:

"Seat belts became standard equipment in the mid 1960s. American car manufacturers Nash (in 1949) and Ford (in 1955) offered seat belts as options, while Swedish Saab first introduced seat belts as standard in 1958.

"After the Saab GT 750 was introduced at the New York Motor Show in 1958 with safety belts fitted as standard, the practice became commonplace.

"In 2001, Congress directed NHSTA to study the benefits of technology meant to increase the use of seat belts. NHSTA found that seat belt usage had increased to 73% since the initial introduction of the SBR system.

"In 2002, Ford demonstrated that seat belts were used more in Fords with seat belt reminders than in those without: 76% and 71% respectively.

"In 2007, Honda conducted a similar study and found that 90% of people who drove Hondas with seat belt reminders used a seat belt, while 84% of people who drove Hondas without seat belt reminders used a seat belt.

"Observational studies of car crash morbidity and mortality,[71][72][73] experiments using both crash test dummies and human cadavers indicate that wearing seat belts greatly reduces the risk of death and injury in the majority of car crashes.

"This has led many countries to adopt mandatory seat belt wearing laws. It is generally accepted that, in comparing like-for-like accidents, a vehicle occupant not wearing a properly fitted seat belt has a significantly and substantially higher chance of death and serious injury. One large observation studying using US data showed that the odds ratio of crash death is 0.46 with a three-point belt, when compared with no belt.[74] In another study that examined injuries presenting to the ER pre- and post-seat belt law introduction, it was found that 40% more escaped injury and 35% more escaped mild and moderate injuries.

"The effects of seat belt laws are disputed by those who observe that their passage did not reduce road fatalities. There was also concern that instead of legislating for a general protection standard for vehicle occupants, laws that required a particular technical approach would rapidly become dated as motor manufacturers would tool up for a particular standard which could not easily be changed. For example, in 1969 there were competing designs for lap and 3-point seat belts, rapidly tilting seats, and air bags being developed. But as countries started to mandate seat belt restraints the global auto industry invested in the tooling and standardized exclusively on seat belts, and ignored other restraint designs such as air bags for several decades.

"As of 2016, seat belt laws can be divided into two categories: primary and secondary. A primary seat belt law allows an officer to issue and citation for lack of seatbelt use without any other citation, whereas a secondary seat belt law allows an officer to issue a seat belt citation only in the presence of a different violation. In the United States, fifteen states enforce secondary laws, while 34 states, as well as the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, enforce primary seat belt laws. New Hampshire lacks both a primary and secondary seat belt law."

I have and always use the lap belts in my '55 Clipper and I always use my seat belts in my regular cars. Despite your complaints about previous versions of seat belts, the fact is, you are a lot less likely to be injured or killed in an accident when you wear them properly. It is extremely dangerous to rely on air bags without wearing your seat belts. The system is designed to work in coordination.

Rusty O\'Toole wrote:
Quote:

jfrom@kanter wrote:
he 14,000 or so 49-54 long wheelbase Imperals, Chryslers, Desotos and Dodges were manufactured in-house by Chrysler's Briggs body division. Derham made some one-offs for Chrysler and Imperial divisions and of course some on request for individual owners both on standard and long wheelbases.. The 250 approx 55-56 catalog long wheelbase C-70 8 pass sedans and limousines were likewise made in-house by Briggs. There was one very special 55 Imperial Derham limousine made for the Eisenhowers with no C pillar , resulting in hardtop styling for the rear compartment. It also sported a sunroof so Ike could stand up and wave during parades.

In 57-65 and possibly later, factory offered Imperial limousines were constructed by Ghia of Turin Italy. At no time did Derham ever produce more than a handful of Imperial limousines per year, all were retail sales.

We have a LWB 55 Imperial in our restoration shop and it has none of the traditional Derham features, it's just a longer Imperial.

My understanding was that Chrysler built the Dodge, DeSoto, and lesser Chrysler limousines and 8 passenger sedans in house, while the Crown Imperial limousine and 8 passenger sedans were completed by Derham to prewar custom car standards. They also did special modifications, and built complete custom bodies to order.

HH56 wrote:
...but with the exception of one other visible feature. Know what that was?

Handgrip and maybe a retractable footstep at the rear??

58L8134 wrote:
Hi Jfrom@Kanter

"There was one very special 55 Imperial Derham limousine made for the Eisenhowers with no C pillar , resulting in hardtop styling for the rear compartment. It also sported a sunroof so Ike could stand up and wave during parades."

And, here it is. It was written up in Car Classics magazine 20+ years ago.

Derham's stock and trade by the 1950's was largely applying padded formal tops and partition windows to luxury sedans as they did for Packard. Various Cadillacs, Imperials, Lincolns and even Buick Roadmasters are extant or have been documented with their work. A few more involved projects such as the Continental Mark II convertible show car were done but increasing rare as time wore on.

Steve

Owen_Dyneto wrote:
I'm assuming this is the '50 Lincoln prior to its rework for the bubble top? A very handsome vehicle IMO.

58L8134 wrote:
Hi Jfrom@Kanter

"There was one very special 55 Imperial Derham limousine made for the Eisenhowers with no C pillar , resulting in hardtop styling for the rear compartment. It also sported a sunroof so Ike could stand up and wave during parades."

And, here it is. It was written up in Car Classics magazine 20+ years ago.

Derham's stock and trade by the 1950's was largely applying padded formal tops and partition windows to luxury sedans as they did for Packard. Various Cadillacs, Imperials, Lincolns and even Buick Roadmasters are extant or have been documented with their work. A few more involved projects such as the Continental Mark II convertible show car were done but increasing rare as time wore on.

Steve