Did I understate the steering wheel? I can only recall a couple wood spoked steering wheels, and this seems to be a very early center horn button, or it may be a soft cushion covering the acorn nut
and the leather door panels and pocket looks great!
Wednesday, May 01, 2013
1930 Lincoln Sport Phaeton with the most beautiful wood steering wheel, and stunning cabinetry for the back seat passengers
Did I understate the steering wheel? I can only recall a couple wood spoked steering wheels, and this seems to be a very early center horn button, or it may be a soft cushion covering the acorn nut
and the leather door panels and pocket looks great!
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I would like to add some info on this car. It was one of 52 made in 1930. There is one other surviving example which has the window partition between the front and rear seats and is currently in England. The original cost was $5000 when a Model A Ford was $500. The body is aluminum to reduce weight and the fenders are steel. It was originally restored in 1958-59 and purchased by Ed Lail of Silver Spring, MD and later San Diego, CA in 1974 (when I was born) who owned it until his passing in 2014. He drove it to every major car show on the East Coast and it was never trailered. It underwent two additional restorations under his ownership and had an overdrive installed so it could drive at interstate highway speeds. Ed was my grandfather and taught me to drive this when I was 16 years old. It does not have synchronized gears or power steering (the battery contacts & Ignition switch are the levers on the steering wheel and the starter button is on the floor) and I spent many countless hours working on this car as a kid and have so many fond memories. It has appeared in several movies including Tora Tora Tora and was a staple in the annual Washington, D.C. Forth of July Parade on the National Mall for 3 decades. Ed was a wonderful Grandfather, avid fisherman, car guy and Army Air Corps WWII B29 gunner. He will be always missed. Please visit his plaque at Mt Soledad National Vetrans Memorial. Edwin O. Lail Jr. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't visit plaques, but I post a lot about cars and B 29s! So, wow, your granddad must have been an amazing guy to talk to! thanks for taking a couple minutes to talk about him, his car, and learning how to drive which connects to both!
DeleteMuch appreciated!
Did he bring this car to the LaJolla concours, or did you? Because that's how close I get to having had the chance to talk to a B 29 crewmember, without knowing it.
But I sure do admire this car's steering wheel and cabinetry!
Life's complicated like that. Cool people appreciate craftsmanship, and like minded people appreciate similar things.