Pontiac procar pics

I'd like to say I knew all this off the top of my head, but I didn't. I didn't even know it was a Pontiac... :(

So, I forwarded to Tom McPherson, and here's what I learned and thought should be shared:

The car is a 1936 Plymouth Series P-1 DeLuxe Touring Sedan that was offered with this "ambulance" conversion from the factory. This wasn't at all unusual at the time. Many brands offered such vehicles including Hudson, Studebaker and Nash. Although a fair number of car companies advertised such vehicles, personally, I'm not convinced that such conversions were actually carried out by the vehicle manufacturer. They were probably farmed out to specialists who did the work then returned the car to the manufacturer for shipment to the dealer/customer.

Plymouth promoted this version of its five-passenger DeLuxe 4-Door Sedan as a "three-way" vehicle. It served as a pleasure car, a hearse, or as an ambulance. As seen in the images you sent, a stretcher s a patient could be loaded or unloaded through the trunk. as he was being moved in or out. These cars and the required ambulance equipment could be ordered through Plymouth dealers. For ambulance use, cars were built with a rear seat, of which the right side half could be folded : secured to the headlining by straps. The remaining half of the back seat remained fixed for accommodation of an attendant. For hearse use, cars were built with the modified rear end and a 2·door sedan split-back front seat. The right side seat had to be removed to accommodate a casket. This adaptation added $65 base price of the car. The special ambulance and hearse equipment cost was not included in converted car's base price.
 

Attachments

  • 1936 Pontiac sedan ambulance 1.jpg
    1936 Pontiac sedan ambulance 1.jpg
    91.1 KB · Views: 704
  • 1936 Pontiac sedan ambulance 2.jpg
    1936 Pontiac sedan ambulance 2.jpg
    97.3 KB · Views: 703
It received glowing reviews!

A '60 Superior Pontiac from the US Atomic Energy Commission, Los Alimos, NM. The photo is on sale on e-bay right now.

It has obviously gotten some "upgrades" since it was transferred from the Army (green seats). But what is that "beacon"???

$_57.JPG
 
Must have had some age on this one at the time the photo was taken, based on the amount of rust, bent rocker panel, etc.
 
A '60 Superior Pontiac from the US Atomic Energy Commission, Los Alimos, NM.

It has obviously gotten some "upgrades" since it was transferred from the Army (green seats). But what is that "beacon"???

Item no longer available. :thumbsup:

I can't remember the brand and model, but the "beacon" lamps didn't rotate; they flashed in a rotating pattern...McDermott, maybe? (Sireno offered a similar product.) I've seen them on USA ambulances as early as 1957; here's one from 1963:

http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/showpost.php?p=116221&postcount=343
 
Last edited:
Item no longer available. :thumbsup:

I can't remember the brand and model, but the "beacon" lamps didn't rotate; they flashed in a rotating pattern...McDermott, maybe? (Sireno offered a similar product.) I've seen them on USA ambulances as early as 1957; here's one from 1963:

http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/showpost.php?p=116221&postcount=343

It's an "M" light, Steve. If you still have the photos from the Lubbock FD you once sent me, you'll see one on the roof of their old '56 Pontiac ambulance, which was ex-military. There's some conversation going on on elightbars now, as one of their members has latched on to an older one that has incandescent bulbs like used in the lollipop lights. The later ones used sealed beams like Federals "044" light. The older ones flashed in a random pattern, but the newer ones flashed sequentially to simulate a rotating light.
 
It's that time again...

Membership campaign time for Acadian Ambulance. Just found their old flyer on the site. We used to stuff windshield wipers on Sundays with similar flyers. Love this old stuff.
 

Attachments

  • old_membership_poster.jpg
    old_membership_poster.jpg
    67.6 KB · Views: 971
Waiting for Sheriff Andy, and Barney to come driving up in the 64 Ford cop car:D love the way everything is all color matching.
Looks can be deceiving. Allentown Rd. VFD is in Prince George's County, MD, close to the Washington, DC line. The area would have been mostly small houses back in 1960 or so when the photo was taken (and is now near a major hotel/convention complex and casino-under-construction), and the foam pumper in the background was for the new I-495 Beltway and its Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Potomac River. So it certainly would not have been a patrol area for Sheriff Andy, even back then! :eek:
 
“These interesting photos below were taken at the Superior Coach Corp’s Southern Division plant in Kosiusko, Mississippi — where Superior built its Pontiac chassised ambulances: Superior-Cadillac’s were built exclusively at the company’s home plant in Lima, Ohio. The short-wheelbase, high-headroom Consort was a mid-1961 model year introduction, which makes these pictures of particular interest as these are rare images. Note the other Pontiac chassis in the background”. – Walt McCall

Kosciusko-Mississippi.July-1961c.jpg


3945_001_page1_image1-1024x791.jpg


Above left to right, Superior Sales man handing Larry V. Hughes keys, Glenn Pittser, Boehm Hughes with their (3) new 1961 Superior-Pontiac Consort ambulances

These Ambulances were purchased new by Acme Livery Service Kansas City MO.

Images property of and courtesy of Larry Hughes & Acme Livery Service. All rights reserved.
 
The Loup City Cooperative Ambulance outfit covered three towns from their quarters in Loup City, NE. This is a 54" job the with bucket seat/console option. This girl is amazingly rust-free to have been a lifelong Nebraska car. They're not pretty, but the Junior West Coast mirrors (factory option) sure made driving these rigs easier and safer. I shot this picture in 1993, shortly before she was sold to a collector in Wisconsin...anyone know to whom?

Anyone here know where this car ended up?
 
Pics

These came from from a station wagon forum.

The second pics looks like a service car for the Pontiac factory?
 

Attachments

  • 1950-Pontiac-Sedan-Delivery.jpg
    1950-Pontiac-Sedan-Delivery.jpg
    30.8 KB · Views: 660
  • SCG-1949-Pontiac-Sedan-Delivery (1).jpg
    SCG-1949-Pontiac-Sedan-Delivery (1).jpg
    72.8 KB · Views: 586
Last edited:
strange how they get around that 50 meteor Toney post a few years back it looks like the other is just a sedan delivery.
 

Attachments

  • 1950a.jpg
    1950a.jpg
    69.6 KB · Views: 798
Back
Top