Graham 1941 Hollywood
Every car buff remembers the classic, coffin-nosed 1936-37 Cord 810/812. Most picture in their minds the stunning convertible version. But there was also a sedan version - the Westchester. It was made in much smaller quantities and is not often seen - even in museums.
The 810/812 series was the last gasp of the dying Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg empire - another casualty of the Great Depression. The cars which might have saved ACD were never properly developed and the firm didn't have the resources to work out production bugs and meet demand.
Automaker Hupmobile rummaged through ACD's ashes and, in 1938, purchased the Cord body tooling at the bargain basement price of $45,000. Ditching the front-wheel drive and balky transmission then adding a new, shorter nose on the front (John Tjaarda was reportedly paid $50 to design it), Hupmobile introduced the new Skylark sedan at the 1939 New York Auto Show. Over 6,000 orders were placed. But Hup was unable to deliver most, because of the poor state of the Cord tooling (the roof of the car required seven separate stampings) and its own precarious financial position.
Enter Graham Paige. The radically-styled Graham Sharknose was a market failure and G-P needed to replace it quickly. Graham took over production of the ex-Westchester sedan, making Hupmobile Skylarks and Graham Hollywoods on the same assembly line. Production began in earnest in May 1940. The exteriors had only minor trim differences but Graham and Hupmobile models had different powertrains.
The '41 Graham Hollywood was powered by a 124 horsepower supercharged six. At 2,965 pounds riding on a 115 inch wheelbase, it had one of the best power-to-weight ratios of any American production car. 0-60 times were less than 15 seconds and the Hollywood had a top speed of over 100 miles per hour. Although at 191 inches, it was shorter than the Cord sedans, its low height for the period (61") made it appear long and sleek.
Unfortunately, the public didn't bite. Only a small number of these cars were produced. Hup called it quits in the summer of 1940; Graham pressed on, introducing an improved '41 model and adding an unblown Hollywood priced at just $968. But, it was to no avail; Graham finally gave up the auto business in September 1940 after a short run of 1941 models.
Record keeping was sloppy but experts guesstimate that 320-380 Skylarks and 1,400-1,800 Hollywoods were produced.
[Text from JoeSherlock.com]
www.joesherlock.com/41-Graham.html
This Lego miniland-scale Graham 1941 Hollywood Sedan has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 103rd Build Challenge, titled - 'The Fabulous Forties!' - a challenge for any vehicle produced through the decade of the 1940s.
Graham 1941 Hollywood
Every car buff remembers the classic, coffin-nosed 1936-37 Cord 810/812. Most picture in their minds the stunning convertible version. But there was also a sedan version - the Westchester. It was made in much smaller quantities and is not often seen - even in museums.
The 810/812 series was the last gasp of the dying Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg empire - another casualty of the Great Depression. The cars which might have saved ACD were never properly developed and the firm didn't have the resources to work out production bugs and meet demand.
Automaker Hupmobile rummaged through ACD's ashes and, in 1938, purchased the Cord body tooling at the bargain basement price of $45,000. Ditching the front-wheel drive and balky transmission then adding a new, shorter nose on the front (John Tjaarda was reportedly paid $50 to design it), Hupmobile introduced the new Skylark sedan at the 1939 New York Auto Show. Over 6,000 orders were placed. But Hup was unable to deliver most, because of the poor state of the Cord tooling (the roof of the car required seven separate stampings) and its own precarious financial position.
Enter Graham Paige. The radically-styled Graham Sharknose was a market failure and G-P needed to replace it quickly. Graham took over production of the ex-Westchester sedan, making Hupmobile Skylarks and Graham Hollywoods on the same assembly line. Production began in earnest in May 1940. The exteriors had only minor trim differences but Graham and Hupmobile models had different powertrains.
The '41 Graham Hollywood was powered by a 124 horsepower supercharged six. At 2,965 pounds riding on a 115 inch wheelbase, it had one of the best power-to-weight ratios of any American production car. 0-60 times were less than 15 seconds and the Hollywood had a top speed of over 100 miles per hour. Although at 191 inches, it was shorter than the Cord sedans, its low height for the period (61") made it appear long and sleek.
Unfortunately, the public didn't bite. Only a small number of these cars were produced. Hup called it quits in the summer of 1940; Graham pressed on, introducing an improved '41 model and adding an unblown Hollywood priced at just $968. But, it was to no avail; Graham finally gave up the auto business in September 1940 after a short run of 1941 models.
Record keeping was sloppy but experts guesstimate that 320-380 Skylarks and 1,400-1,800 Hollywoods were produced.
[Text from JoeSherlock.com]
www.joesherlock.com/41-Graham.html
This Lego miniland-scale Graham 1941 Hollywood Sedan has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 103rd Build Challenge, titled - 'The Fabulous Forties!' - a challenge for any vehicle produced through the decade of the 1940s.