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Need information on 1947 Ambulance and '37 Lasalle Coupe

Started by RoMow, August 14, 2016, 09:06:13 PM

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RoMow

Fellow Members, 

     In March of 1965, I purchased the 1947 Cadillac ambulance that had previously belonged to the Beechmont Dragway in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I was born and raised. I purchased it from the Zimmerman-&-Adler Blacktopping Company on Camargo Pike in Madeira, an eastern-Cincinnati suburb. A copy of the title-transfer form is attached. Due to an unfortunate family circumstance, I only owned it for three days, and it went back to Zimmerman-&-Adler. It was subsequently sold to someone else, and I lost track of it. I would like to know if it is still around? Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of it.

     This ambulance was red with the rooftop bubble-gum-machine light and the front-fender mounted siren (I don't recall which fender). It also had the rear quarter windows that were etched with the "Beechmont Dragway" logo. It was powered by the huge (scuttlebutt rumored about 500 cid) V-8 flathead engine, and had the LaSalle 3-speed manual-shift transmission. 

    I was told at one time that a real-estate development firm from Florida purchased it to convert to a vehicle for transporting clients to their various properties, but I could not verify this. I've seen online videos of old Beechmont drag races, but in these videos, the ambulance parked at the back of the pits was an older-model ambulance, and it was white. This was not my ambulance.


    And in the late-1960s, when I was in the Navy during the Vietnam War, one of my best shipmates was one Kirby Nanna from Barberton, Ohio. He had a 1937 LaSalle coupe. I stayed in touch with him for a few years after our enlistments ended, but haven't heard from him in a long time. I was wondering if anyone knows Kirby or knows what happened to his LaSalle? 

    Thank you for any help you can provide. 

Respectfully, 
Rodney Rom 
Inventor of the modern U.S. mountain bike -- May 1966.
Inventor of the "Baby Harley" -- a Cushman Silver Eagle motorscooter with a Kohler Command or B&S Vanguard V-twin engine -- January 1991. 
"No matter how many material possessions or awards you may acquire in your lifetime, the only thing you will ever truly own is your reputation." My late father, Joe Rom, 1912-2003

Bobby B



Quote from: RoMow on August 14, 2016, 09:06:13 PM

    It was powered by the huge (scuttlebutt rumored about 500 cid) V-8 flathead engine, and had the LaSalle 3-speed manual-shift transmission. 

Rodney,
Hi.
Unfortunately for us Flathead owners, we're limited to roughly 346 cid. Wishful thinking indeed ;D.......Good luck with your search. That's a tough one.
                                                                                                                                                                Bobby
1947 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible Coupe
1968 Mustang Convertible
1973 Mustang Convertible
1969 Jaguar E-Type Roadster
1971 Datsun 240Z
1979 H-D FLH

RoMow

Bobby, 

   Thank you for the correction.  I was skeptical of the 500cid displacement claim due to the head size, knowing that the valves were next to the bores, and there didn't seem to be enough cylinder-bore room for 500 cubes. 

   But...when I went to pick it up, my friend who drove me to it had a WWII 1943 Ford Jeep, and even though the ambulance had a slipping clutch, I was able to out-accelerate him on the way home.  The 346cid engine was strong, and didn't smoke.  It also needed a master cylinder, so I had to carefully use the emergency brake for stopping.  Interestingly, when Zimmerman-&-Adler came to pick it up, they winched it onto a semi low-boy rather than drive it back. 

   One more thing: In the late '40s, I've been told that the vehicle Serial Number was stamped on the engine block instead of attached to the body, so if this is the case, and the ambulance has undergone an engine change, the Serial Number on the title-transfer form won't match anything on the car. 

Sincerely, 
Rodney 
Inventor of the modern U.S. mountain bike -- May 1966.
Inventor of the "Baby Harley" -- a Cushman Silver Eagle motorscooter with a Kohler Command or B&S Vanguard V-twin engine -- January 1991. 
"No matter how many material possessions or awards you may acquire in your lifetime, the only thing you will ever truly own is your reputation." My late father, Joe Rom, 1912-2003