Postwar body on a Ford '40 frame

Anyone got more info on this one?

USA-Ford Spohn-Eight DeLuxe-Convertible/1952
chassis of a 1940-USA-Ford, order of an USA-military-officer in 1952 ...,

... Yours, Frank

Here is another one. Or is it perhaps the same car as posted above, but with a new front end? The body looks the same from the wind screen to the rear. I hope to receive some more shots soon.
Chassis is '40s Ford, body is '50s Spohn.

The current owner, who owns this car since the eighties, wishes to learn more about this car. It is believed the car was used in the movie or TV series "Boston Blackie".
The car is in a private collection, which is being transformed into a public museum, so any info about this car will be most welcome.

As the museum director I was hired to research all the cars, I did find a picture of another car, very similar but with a split windsheild and says to be built on a Cadillac Chassis. car-nection.com The picture of the above Ford car, has vent windows in the doors as another small diffrence.

Hi,

with the Spohn-carosserie You cannot specify the used chassis. After WW.II Spohn takes every order for coachbuilding the wreck-chassis', USA-militärys have sent to Ravensburg. So, between 1950 and 1956 most of work are singular made USA-orders on Ford-/Pontiac-/Chrysler-chassis of the 40s. The (for today unusual) look of the cars was an up-to-date one during the early 50s, but not once a Spohn-advice. You know the excellent Hermann-Spohn-ideas for Maybach before WW-II . All cars follow exactly the wishes of their American customers ...
Also, the pre-serie-cars of Brooke-Stevens-Gaylord-project are Spohn-made. Last of line was the Stevens-Cadillac/1954. A typical advice to Spohn-USA was the back-fintail-look of most of the Hardtop-Coupes and Convertibles, but the front-view of every car was a private-customer-unique-realize ..., ... fantasie before reason. For not enough orders in 1956, Spohn was closed ..., ... leaving a lot of great looking sketches, drawings, ideas for the posterity ... ,
... lists/photos of all 50s-cars, made by Spohn are not available, meanwhile also, we have lost all designers/leaders of Spohn-creations ...,

... with greetings, FrankWo.

Is there a registry for these cars, or a way to identify the year it was built? Any way to trace it back to who it was originally built for? Any idea how many were built of this body style? Were the chassis that were used from wrecked cars? I am completely new to learning about Spohn, any info would be greatly appreciated. I will send more photos of this car tomorrow evening, its in a much tighter spot than it was when the previous photo was taken.

Also, what is the worth of the car??

Hello, again, (forum-)mate,

all postwar-cars for USA-customers are singular-made ones, for its worth today You/we need more infos about condition, documents aso ...,
... but we have to wait ...,
... because, after several phone-calls now I have a direct-line to the city-archive-Ravensburg/regionally-document-center. They have an employee with special acknowledge for this part (Julius /father of/ and Hermann Spohn/RV-coachbuilding) Ravensburg-history ...,
... but up-to-date she is on holiday for this week. On 2009-Dec.-14th.-Monday she will start work again.
So, I can/will phone her next Monday for more infos, addresses, websites, @-lines, aso ...

... best wishes and greetings to you is sending FrankWo

Hello Frank, again thank you for the help you have given. I just looked the car over closer, as close as I can for it being packed in! Our inventory shows the car has a VIN of 0S181. it shows the car as having a 48 Olds Chassis, and transmission with a cadillac engine. I had verified that it does have a Cadillac engine, but I would still question the frame, it has Ford V-8 hub caps.. More for me to look into. Asfar as condition, this car was restored over 20 years ago and is showing its age, paint is presentable with some minor scratches, dash seems a bit loose, missing a clock. undercarriage is undercoated, upholstery looks in good shape, just dirty from sitting. Probably hasn't been started in over 20 years. All and all it is a good museum piece the way it is but would be an easy restoration to make a show car. As far as documentation, I don't believe there is any. I took more photos and will post them tonight.

Hi, again,

today morning in GERmany, while having breakfast, I was checking the price-worth.
the look normaly is not a high-price-garantee, only the history can make money for it ..., ... more, than a usual Oldsmobile/1948 in today. In rather good condition (for GERmany its Z - 2,5) You will have a 10.000 > 15.000;--€-car (01,00€ ---> 01,48US$). In USAmerica You will see between 5.000 und 20.000 US$ for it as auction-result ... ,

... Yours, Frank

The Spohn-Archiv is lost, nothing unknown refound during the last years ...,
... they have a small group of Spohn-enthusiasts around Ravensburg. Up-to-date it is getting saved for me/us.
I will get their @ddresses next time ...,
... with greetings, FrankWo.

Now I can send the text from the 'Kultur-Archiv-RV_

Sehr geehrter Herr Wollenberg,

zu dem Betrieb Karosseriebau Spohn haben wir folgende Informationen:

als erstes informiert umfassend das Buch: Mirsching, Gerhard: Maybach-Karosserien aus Ravensburg. Hermann Spohn und sein Werk. Friedrichshafen 2002. Die Adresse dieses kenntnisreichen Mannes lautete 1997: Dr. rer. oec. Gerhard Mirsching, Bundsbahndirektor a. D., Angerweg 27, 86938 Schondorf am Ammersee.
Dann haben wir die Info, dass Spohn für die amerikanische Firma Gaylord Cars Ltd. 1955 eine Karosserie gebaut hat (wurde uns 1995 von Herrn Ulrich Wünsch, in der Haarwiese 36, 53773 Hennef mitgeteilt). Ein Foto dieses Wagens hat wohl Herr Donald A. Adam, 4917 Ravenswood DR APT 800, San Antonio TX 78227-4340 USA. Über den amerikanischen Gaylord-Wagen mit Spohnkarosserie kann Ihnen näheres Herr Markus Gonnegger, Erzbergerstr. 13, 88214 Ravensburg mitteilen.
Das Firmenarchiv von Karosserie-Spohn existiert wohl leider nicht mehr. Unterlagen müssten jedoch noch im Maybacharchiv vorhanden sein. Die Nachfolgefirma ist die MTU Friedrichshafen, Olgastr. 75.
Ferner könnte noch im Archiv der IHK Ravensburg etwas vorhanden sein. Dieses Archiv befindet sich jedoch im Wirtschaftarchiv Baden-Württemberg, 70593 Stuttgart, Schloss Hohenheim.
Außerdem beschäftigte sich 1999 mit dem Thema: Herr Ralf Spicker M.A. von Institut für Maschinenkonstruktion und Getriebebau, Universität Stuttgart, Forschungs- und Lehrgebiet technisches Design, Postf. 801140, 70511 Stuttgart, Mail: spickerl@imk.uni-stuttgart.de.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Beate Falk
Stadt Ravensburg, Kulturamt/Stadtarchiv
Kuppelnaustr. 7
88212 Ravensburg
Tel.:0751/82118
Fax:0751/82550
mailto:beate.falk@ravensburg.de
-------
With all text-listed names/addresses/@ddresses You can found additional infos. Only the town-archiv-Ravensburg/Ms Beate Falk has not more as written in addresses. The central-Spohn-archiv is lost.
Please try first the USA-residents and @ddresses. If You finally need the @dresses of the other German names/addresses, I will try to find it out ...,

... with greetings, FrankWo

It looks a lot like this one

It is for sale now: http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/9484474

I know some of these look ridiculous but I really like this one.

I am the owner of the green car in this topic. I first saw the car in spring of 1957. The three photos in an earlier post showning obvious storage conditions were taken by me in 1964. This car was my introduction to custom cars and eventually I learned of the term coachbuilt.

In 1957 the car resided in Palos Park, Illinois, southwest of Chicago with, I believe, the original owner. I have not found that name as yet. By 1964 the car had moved three miles west but still in Palos Park, and was owned by Dr. Jerome Vlk, a car collector. I attended school with the doctor's son. The Vlk family stored the car in Palos until approximately 1985 when it was sold.

I have given the car the name "Spohn Palos" because of its history with the only place it was ever driven and long storage there. I am honored to be the caretaker of this piece from historical Karosseriebau Spohn.

Hello, that is an interesting car you have there nice to have the history too.

are those seats made by Ruetter ? look like they might be.

what are your plans ? will you do a full resto? or ?


Jens Christian

I have just purchased the car and it will be transported home arriving in about one week. I'm sure there are things about this car that you and this forum can teach me.

Ruetter seats? I have no idea - are they?? Would there be identification on the seat frames? Also I'm wonder who supplied windshield frames and cabrio tops to Spohn. They appear very similar amongst Spohn cabrios and to other cars from Graber and maybe Drauz. And I'm told the windshield is okay now and I have not seen the bug /logo yet, but what if one is needed?

Comments such as "Ruetter seats?" greatly appreciated. Other thoughts?

Thank you!

Hi again,

I dont know for shure, but they really look like Ruetter seats.
These are German made, and used by many coachbuilders, later the seatpart of this company changed name to Recaro.

Regarding windshield frames / cabrio tops.
The UK coachbuilder James Young, made quarterwindows & frames to many other coachbuilders, in UK.
So I cant see why the same, didnt go on between US based companies.
Overhere there is a glass company, close to me in Sweden, they can make windows on special order, so maybe someone in USA, does the same ? .

Jens Christian

Very interesting history about Ruetter /Recaro here
http://www.recaro.com/en/company/histor ... mpany.html

Indeed it is likely the seats in the Spohn cars are Reutter.

In a few days I will know the condition of my windscreen.

Thank you.