Hummm, 331 hemi! Ghia limos must have had a longer lead time than previously reported! :)
Roy
67 Crown FDHT
In a message dated 12/18/2004 8:48:34 AM Pacific Standard Time, swampyankee@xxxxxxx writes:
LOS ANGELES - Soul singer James Brown's rare 1959 Chrysler Imperial
limousine, used by the "Godfather of Soul" in the 1970s, will be on the
auction block next month.
Only one of 12 ever built, the limo is powered by a 331 cubic inch FirePower
Hemi engine and is valued at $45,000 to $55,000. It ferried Brown and his
entourage, up to eight people, when he owned it in the 1970s.
It's one of two famous limousines that will be offered Jan. 28 during RM
Auctions' Vintage Motor Cars sale in Phoenix, RM Auctions spokesman Rob
Myers said Tuesday in Los Angeles. More than 120 vehicles will be up for
auction at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa.
A black 1962 Lincoln Continental ordered for President John F. Kennedy and
nicknamed the "Kennedy Bubbletop" could fetch up to $1 million. The
bubbletop feature provided security while allowing crowds to see him.
The limo was the preferred transport of first lady Jacqueline Kennedy and it
ferried a variety of dignitaries, including Pope Paul VI, President Lyndon
B. Johnson, Vice Presidents Hubert Humphrey and Spiro Agnew, Philippine
President Ferdinand Marcos and the Apollo 8 astronauts.
"To offer one historically significant limousine is special, but two of this
caliber is quite a distinction," Myers said. "The Kennedy legacy and
mystique is still an enormous attraction for collectors and the limo is
perhaps the most significant piece of presidential automotive history ever
offered at auction.
"The Brown Imperial is another desirable and handsome investment for any
collector or music enthusiast," Myers said.
The bubbletop limo and its sister car, the Lincoln convertible limousine in
which President Kennedy was assassinated Nov. 22, 1963, were built by Hess &
Eisenstadt of Cincinnati.
Three other vehicles on the auction block are also expected to eclipse the
$1 million mark, including a 1962 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Coupe (one of
only 19 ever built), a 1953 Ferrari 250 MM Pinin Farina Competition Coupe
and a 1934 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Coupe.
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