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portlandon

Re: Henry Ford & Packard (trivia)...

#21

Home away from home

Here is an earlier post about Henry's last ride with a picture of the Packard Hearse.

Here

"All day, the day before, the body of Henry Ford had lain in state in the lobby of the recreation building at Greenfield Village, while 105,000 people had filed past. Now, inside St. Paul's, the Very Reverend Kirk B. O'Ferrall read the service. The crowd filed out and a Packard hearse carried the body of Henry Ford out along Joy Road to the small family cemetery beside a four-lane highway. Henry Ford had never ridden comfortably in any car but one of his own make; he wouldn't have liked it."

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Posted on: 2010/3/4 11:46

1955 Packard Four Hundred

My Packard's project Blog

58L8134

Re: Henry Ford & Packard (trivia)...

#22

Home away from home

Hi LINC400

Consulting my copy of The Cars of Lincoln-Mercury by Dammann and Wagner page 36, noted in the section on 1925: "In September, almost in time to be considered a 1926 vehicle, Lincoln introduced its 150-inch wheelbase Commercial Chassis."

Pictured in sections on '25, '26. '28, '29 and '30 are Model L's with hearse and ambulance bodies on this chassis, built by Eureka, Miller, Langerquist, Brownell & Burt, and surprisingly Dietrich. Eureka appears to have been the largest user. One custom bodied Brougham by Murphy for a private owner is pictured in the 1930 section.

In the 1930's section, '32, '34, '36-'39 show hearses and ambulance by Eureka, Knightstown, Henney & Derham. Commercial chassis wheelbases are variously noted as 145", 150", 155", 157" & 160". Best known car built on the late Lincoln K commercial chassis is the 1939 'Sunshine Special' for FDR. Another late K commercial chassis of 160" is mounted with a Willoughby Panel Brougham body for a private owner, displayed in The Crawford Collection in Cleveland.

The book Lincoln and Continental, Classic Motorcars, The Early Years by Marvin Arnold has a production figures index with body types, commercial chassis numbers included for most years. The figures for most years are miniscule; small wonder no Lincoln funeral coach was readily available for Henry Ford's last ride.

Steve

Posted on: 2010/3/5 21:56

Rusty O\'Toole

Re: Henry Ford & Packard (trivia)...

#23

Home away from home

$Rusty O\'Toole$

The story is that Leland quit the Cadillac company in a huff and started Lincoln to make Liberty engines because he believed Cadillac was not doing enough to support America's war effort.

He chose the name Lincoln because he was an admirer of the Great Emancipator, having voted for him in the first Presidential election at which he was old enough to vote.

That would make Leland at least 73 years old in 1917.

In spite of his age and late start he managed to build a new plant from scratch and turn out enough engines to win awards, before the war ended in 1918.

Leland then tore up millions of dollars in government contracts, without asking for compensation, even though this left him millions in debt and with an idle plant, which he then converted to making automobiles.

He just managed to start turning out Lincoln cars when 2 things happened.

The government soaked him with a lawsuit for excess war profits (which didn't exist) and the postwar depression killed the market for luxury cars.

This is when Ford swooped in and bought up the company cheap. To give Edsel something to play with, so he said at the time.

Posted on: 2010/3/5 22:35

LINC400

Re: Henry Ford & Packard (trivia)...

#24

Just can't stay away

Quote:

58L8134 wrote:
Hi LINC400

Consulting my copy of The Cars of Lincoln-Mercury by Dammann and Wagner page 36, noted in the section on 1925: "In September, almost in time to be considered a 1926 vehicle, Lincoln introduced its 150-inch wheelbase Commercial Chassis."

Pictured in sections on '25, '26. '28, '29 and '30 are Model L's with hearse and ambulance bodies on this chassis, built by Eureka, Miller, Langerquist, Brownell & Burt, and surprisingly Dietrich. Eureka appears to have been the largest user. One custom bodied Brougham by Murphy for a private owner is pictured in the 1930 section.

In the 1930's section, '32, '34, '36-'39 show hearses and ambulance by Eureka, Knightstown, Henney & Derham. Commercial chassis wheelbases are variously noted as 145", 150", 155", 157" & 160". Best known car built on the late Lincoln K commercial chassis is the 1939 'Sunshine Special' for FDR. Another late K commercial chassis of 160" is mounted with a Willoughby Panel Brougham body for a private owner, displayed in The Crawford Collection in Cleveland.

The book Lincoln and Continental, Classic Motorcars, The Early Years by Marvin Arnold has a production figures index with body types, commercial chassis numbers included for most years. The figures for most years are miniscule; small wonder no Lincoln funeral coach was readily available for Henry Ford's last ride.

Steve

Ok, Lincoln offered no commercial chassis postwar. And with the last one being offered in 1937, 10 years old by the time Henry Ford died, and in extremely low numbers, it is no surprise a Lincoln hearse could not be located.

I have seen a 1958 Edsel ambulance and a 1962 Chrysler New Yorker hearse. That does not mean they were readily available. Or that you could locate one on short notice even when new, much less when 10 years old.

Posted on: 2010/3/9 19:14

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