Classy Cadillacs
- Thread starter Steve Loftin
- Start date
James Fischer
PCS Member
WOW 
VERY NICE !!
VERY NICE !!
Ron Devies
PCS Ohio Chapter President
Wow that is a beauty Kurt, who owns that gem?
it is a joy today to get to see one unmolested or run into the ground. .
I was fooling around in some old converted photo files yesterday afternoon and came across this beauty. It's a 1964 Cadillac Miller-Meteor straight ambulance operated by the Lorain (Ohio) Fire Department as Rescue 21.
A little backstory here. Lorain was the home of a large Ford Assembly Plant for many years. Ford Falcons and Mercury Comets were produced there, followed by the Econoline when they were introduced. Prior to this Cadillac, L.F.D. ran all Ford ambulances and staff cars. The Caddy replaced a '62 Ford Siebert shown in the second photo. The big Ford replaced a '61 Country Sedan that operated as Rescue 23. Ford had an absolute hissy fit when the Caddy was purchased, but no Ford alternatives were available. I believe that they purchased one more Cadillac in '67 or '68, a Miller-Meteor 48" unit. After that, it was back to Fords in the shape Econolines.
A little backstory here. Lorain was the home of a large Ford Assembly Plant for many years. Ford Falcons and Mercury Comets were produced there, followed by the Econoline when they were introduced. Prior to this Cadillac, L.F.D. ran all Ford ambulances and staff cars. The Caddy replaced a '62 Ford Siebert shown in the second photo. The big Ford replaced a '61 Country Sedan that operated as Rescue 23. Ford had an absolute hissy fit when the Caddy was purchased, but no Ford alternatives were available. I believe that they purchased one more Cadillac in '67 or '68, a Miller-Meteor 48" unit. After that, it was back to Fords in the shape Econolines.
Attachments
Richard Vyse
Super Site Supporter
One of my favorite pictures.....
That would be a '63 M-M Cadillac.
Steve Lichtman
PCS Elected Director 2019 - 2022
Michigan car
1957 Superior Rescue
DeLong Ambulance Service
Kalamazoo, Michigan
https://www.facebook.com/swmspark/p...7265266321133/927939273920393/?type=3&theater
1957 Superior Rescue
DeLong Ambulance Service
Kalamazoo, Michigan
https://www.facebook.com/swmspark/p...7265266321133/927939273920393/?type=3&theater
Peter Grave
PCS Member
Perhaps Fleetwood Pa. Fire Co. Home of the Fleetwood body for Cadillacs.
101 N Franklin st. Fleetwood, Pa.
There is nothing sharper then a Eureka.
Paul Cichon
PCS Member
1968 mm
It's been some time since I lasted posted these photos. These were taken one morning around 1984 after she had been out on a call in the night. I attempted to purchase this car but the FD sold her to a local postal carrier and you can guess the rest of the story. The mileage at this time was around 50K.
It's been some time since I lasted posted these photos. These were taken one morning around 1984 after she had been out on a call in the night. I attempted to purchase this car but the FD sold her to a local postal carrier and you can guess the rest of the story. The mileage at this time was around 50K.
Attachments
maybe a C/B Olds was last?
We operated our '73 C/B Olds 48" ambulance in Cerro Gordo, IL, (east of Decatur, IL) until 1984..........this unit now owned by Gene Smith. Dan B
We operated our '73 C/B Olds 48" ambulance in Cerro Gordo, IL, (east of Decatur, IL) until 1984..........this unit now owned by Gene Smith. Dan B
Abe Bush
Moderator
Steve, may I please have your permission to use all of these Wellsboro cars, and the photographs of them in my upcoming book I am writing on the S&S Company History? Also, does anyone else have any additional photos and/or information regarding the Wellsboro fleet? I am working on correspondence with the Wellsboro, PA Fire Protection District and Rescue Services to see if they have any information regarding their former S&S rescue ambulances, which were known loyal S&S customers, and their rigs pretty much checked all the boxes and added many additional customer features and options on all their cars.
Steve, your posts are always so thoroughly researched, documented, and meticulously written that it would be difficult if not impossible to re-write them in my book so I will have to figure out the correct method of directly quoting your words, and citing the source(s) of them correctly without plagiarizing. I will have to include an index, and bibliography with massive footnotes which has me thinking of creating this book as an annotated history vs. having a massive bibliography appended to the end of the book.
Abe Bush
Moderator
This '75 "camel" appears to be a very well used, rode hard and put away wet example of the otherwise impeccable Wellsboro, PA Fire Department fleet of S&S units. Note how 'grungy' it looks, especially in the rear quarter panel; it is also missing a wheel cover, one of the shoreline outlets has been left open, and there appears to be some minor front-end damage as the front license plate is warped/dented, and one of the fog lights appears to have been bent inward. These girls must have really had to earn their keep!
(Inserted photo was originally posted by Steve Loftin earlier in this thread, and credit belongs to SL Collection)
Abe Bush
Moderator
Interesting that this '65 S&S Parkway low-top has the S&S front tunnels that their hightop counterparts usually sported, instead of the usual lowtop fyrballs. This rig does have fyrballs in back, however. I think the Federal Q2B mounted behind the Super beacon looks rather outlandish, although it provides more front coverage of the beacon.
(SL photo, taken in 1977 with a 110 camera)
Last edited: