First of all, it is sort of NOT a car, but sort of is. Second, MarkC & ShaunR are ineligible, but perhaps they can fill in for me today in saying if guesses are right or wrong. Do you know what this is?
I will be gone most of the day at the Seattle Jaguar Club’s “Spring Thing” rally (which is really not a rally, more on that later) with my son Nick. At first he could not go, now he can so we’ll be off in a few minutes for the long haul down to Issaquah for the start. I’m going to poll the group and see if any of them are interested in a real TSD rally. I expect underwhelming response. I then hope to stop in Kirkland and check out a 66 E-type on behalf of an interested buyer in Oregon. “I may be some time.”
Corvairdad & J. Ro got it. This is a White Seventeen Passenger Touring Sedan. They were commissioned and built by White for the National Parks (Glacier, Yosemite, Zion, Yellowstone, etc.) in the 1930s and largely retired by the late 1950s. They soldiered on in Glacier park though (likely due to the short season and route, and the Going to the Sun road’s inability to use anything larger!) until the late 90s when an axle fell off one (no injuries!) and the fleet was restored by Ford.
Their most unique feature is that the entire right side is made up of doors. They also have canvas tops that can be rolled back for better viewing on sunny days. In a small way, they are national treasures.
Not so good w/trucks…Diamond Reo?
Close. The company that built these absorbed REO (in the 30s I think), but went out of business in the ’80s. Their assets & name were bought by Volvo, who of course were bought by Ford.
These “touring sedans” were purpose-built, and deployed around the USA for a specific purpose, for one customer. They were largely retired from service in the 1950s, but soldiered on in one location until very recently. They were restored by Ford, and now run on LPG, and along with their original grille badge now sport a Ford logo as well. It is said they make up the oldest fleet of passenger vehicles on the planet.
It’s a bus. These are the busses still in use in Glacier National Park and were also used in many of the other US National Parks. Built in the ’30s by White, they’re ironically called Reds.
Saw picture of one of those, climbing along the mountainside, in a Ford ad in National Geographic a few months ago. I believe they called it a Ford in the ad, consistent with putting their logo on it. I got nice feeling about them seeing that Ad. Thats one nice bus.
Heh: Interestingly enough, the nickle-plated hood release handles are *exactly* the same as were on Auburn Speedsters!