JFK Pontiac ambulance up for auction

Didn't someone in this forum claim it had been crushed back in the 60's?

http://www.marketwire.com/press-rel...storic-Ambulance-That-Transported-1374422.htm

I would love to see the paper trail on this one. but it would have to be from superior to the GSA to the DOD. to the Naval station to when it was sold at auction from GAS and who titled it then. if this is the car that was in the movie then it has been altered again. the one reported to be like the JFk ambulance had a siren on the right front fender.

http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/vintage-kennedy-ambulance-at-barrett-jackson/

http://www.barrett-jackson.com/appl...on/lotdetails.aspx?aid=403&ln=1277&pop=0&it=1

Somebody has their story wrong...not sure who though.

Well... My opinion is Barret-Jackson wouldn't have even touched it without authenication many times over. They're known as being very particular about a vehicle's history to the point of pulling vehicle's on the day of auction because of controversy.

Last year? there was a big hoobah about Davey Allison's race winning T-bird to the point that Richard Childress was called out by the winning crew chief/ Speed commentator Larry Mac who was the crew chief on the actual winning car and said nope...not as presented. The car was verified but had to be re-decalled just hours prior to auction.

If this was a "imposter" they would'nt have even looked at it.

One of our members (I think Craig Stewart), had researched this many years ago and was told the car was scrapped. I'm not sure what actual documentation was available at the time to prove that it was scrapped.

I'm not sure what documentation is available now to prove that this is it. Definately been repainted or at least re-lettered.

I can't imagine how a vehicle that a lot of people have been looking for over many years could have been stashed away and nobody knew where it was for more than 40 years.

Maybe?

Correction

It is well written; Bobby Kennedy ordered the Navy Pontiac Hearse destroyed. B-J has been known for a few 'blunders'. The backside of the bidders card gives them 'a pass' for any mistakes and/ or over-puffing by the auctioneers. It all becomes part of the auction 'folklore'...:bonk:

Steve Lichtman said:

One of our members (I think Craig Stewart), had researched this many years ago and was told the car was scrapped. I'm not sure what actual documentation was available at the time to prove that it was scrapped.

I'm not sure what documentation is available now to prove that this is it. Definately been repainted or at least re-lettered.

I can't imagine how a vehicle that a lot of people have been looking for over many years could have been stashed away and nobody knew where it was for more than 40 years.

Maybe?

Click to expand...

Steve, I called Craig Stewart, thinking he may wish to contribute to the discussion. Unfortunately, he said it was not his research. Funny thing is that I can almost swear that I had heard it from Craig. I guess it is my mind playing tricksn on me again.

first of all when they say its original never been restored they are off base. nothing was sold at gsa auction this sharp. especially after 10 years in service. the lacquer won't last this long. my guess is there numbers they stated are off. only 15 of that year went to DOD. I would not have Imagined that they picked up so few one year. then to keep quit while the hearse sells for a mill. they have this car carrying him twice. I understood it went from the plane to the white house only. he was moved by cason after that. the key would be the serial number of the car. both of them. easy to fake the gsa tag. but if you could marry up the gm chassis number and the superior number with that DOD number then you have a match. other then that it's just painted numbers on a door and someones word. from the pictures a nicely done car though.

I have a distinct memory of this conversation from years ago, and I'm almost positive it was Dan Brintlinger who was able to contact his Congressman, or other high-level official, and received a written statement that the car had been destroyed.

Although I'd like to think that Barrett-Jackson is extremely reputable, they often have to take the word of the seller for advertising information. They're not the types of people to do outrageous research on an old ambulance that members of the PCS would be willing to do. When I think of Volo Museum blatantly trying to sell a Eureka (an easily traceable Eureka, nonetheless) as THE Ghostbusters car, I only get angry at the audacity of some people. I'm hoping the same thing is not going on here. Dan? What do you think? Tom

Is this the car Bobb Kossoff has been trying to sell (eBay, etc.) for years?

The current owner posted on the old message board back in August of this year looking for information on this 63 Pontiac. He stated that all the identification plates/stampings are believed to be real and original.

It is the same person featured in this article:

http://www.pontiacsonline.com/63 AMBULANCE JFK.htm

Ambulance appears at 7:20

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A87rZYADjlQ[/ame]


Looks like the ambulance driver and nurse thought they were going to drive to the hospital, but they got booted out onto the tarmac...

If someone knows a good media person at the national level, or even a local level that is willing to do some digging - seems like they could solve this mystery...
I don't have any contacts past I once spoke with Larry King's engineer when I was in radio (Larry was on the Mutual Broadcasting Network then...), and Vinnie Politan stepped on my hand one time... those hardly qualify as great media contacts in 2010.

Recent discussion of the car, and interesting information Jack provided -

http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/showthread.php?p=28028#post28028

John ED Renstrom said:

... they have this car carrying him twice. I understood it went from the plane to the white house only...

Click to expand...

As I recall the story (from ten months before I was born), he was transported in the ambulance from the plane to Bethesda Naval Hospital for an autopsy, and then from there to the White House.

Here's a couple questions. On the news footage at Andrews Air Force Base and the footage filmed at the White House were the Naval numbers on the ambulance door the same or not? Because (as Steve stated above) the Body went to Bethesda Naval Hospital for the autopsy over night and from there to the White House the next evening. And didn't someone point out a second ambulance in the background of a news photo taken during the transport/transfer of the slain Presidents body once a few years back here when this ambulance was a subject of another discussion? SO... there could have been a second or maybe even a third ambulance used at some point that didn't get scrapped maybe and survived?

The plot thickens...Jack Pinner stated that the ambulance in question was manufactured by Memphis Coach to government specifications matching a Superior, but this coach has an ID tag that clearly states it was manufactured by Superior Coach? Somebody is fibbing...

lets let that discussion drop a bit and stick with this one. quite obvious in the pictures posted that the front end of the car has been repainted. over spray in the inner fender that's fresh. the side view shows the color does not match. they state only 15 made that year? that the car was mothballed for years then sold at auction?? were was it mothballed. the car still has the original tires on it?? there clam is the ID tag shows that it was station at Bethesda. but no pictures of the tag. all the tag in my 72 never had were it was stationed at. just the contract number lot ID and assigned GSA licence number. as for the taking him to Bethesda for a autopsy then to the white house. wrong. he went from Andrews to the whites house. I have pictures, watched it live. I was a freshman in high school sitting in study hall when the announcement was made. a TV was wheeled in so we could watch. then school was canceled for the day. they filmed everything from start to finish. it was the only thing on tv for days till they buried him. goggle JFY. its all there. there was only one autopsy done on him in Texas. they did how ever change caskets before placing it on view in the rotunda. BJ may eat this one the question is before or after some one pays big bucks for it. my bet is it never makes it across the block but it get a lot of advertising. this is not he car that was on e-bay. I have a few pictures of it. here they are and my 72s GAS tag. and the add for this one. the last is the ambulance pulling into the white house that evening from Andrews

Call me blind, or crazy, or whatever but I didn't see a C siren on any of the videos concerning the events of that day. I remember watching it live, that's all that was on tv for days.

I wish this whole issue would get resovled one way or the other, once and for all. It seems to pop up from time to time, gets everybody's panties in a wad, then it goes away for awhile.JMHO