Hot Rods 1933 Continental Coupe

This became a pretty SPECIAL thread on the HAMB! For a car with so many "assembled" elements, the Continentals surely did have some innovative points!

 

As soon as I opened this thread I saw the photos and thought.."Man, that sure looks like a Beacon." In the late 80s, early 90s Street Rodder magazine had a Beacon on the cover and a nice feature on a red beacon coupe...was a hotrod with modern running gear...prolly a 350 chevy, I don't really remember. I remember thinking it looked somewhat similar to a scaled-down 33 ford coupe with a 32-styled frame rail.
Great looking cars and in the 30s, a Continental engine was state of the art for mid priced cars. My 39 shark-nosed Graham had a Continental 6 banger. In the Army, my 1959 5 ton army truck had a big Continental 6 banger gas engine. They powered many forklifts too.

 

What a gasser that would make!

 

I love it when these unknown / wierd makes show up.

 

Larry: That's Otis in my avatar....they did some cools stuff. A friend told me they did a chase scene with this car. ?

 

Larry...You sure? I'd swear it was a Chevy sedan. I've looked hi and low, but can't find it. DD

 

Larry...Best I can find. Episode 11, season #3. DD

 

All Continentals were suicide-doored.

 

<dl><dt>Here is the episode. Not sure what it is.
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Were there other cars that had a transverse spring with with only one shackle. This is the fixed side.



This is the shackle side.



This is the Continental/DeVaux.

 

1933 Continental Flyer Brochure. I really want a Roadster.

 

Steeldraulics brakes.

 

Barry - Thank you for posting all the info

 

Manufacturers often had artist's reditions of cars they never built or built later on. 1933 Willys Model 77 Cabriolet in the 1933 brochure springs to mind as one that was never built. I wonder if the Beacon convertible was ever produced?

 

Are you planning on using the rear suspension? You could transfer the brackets to a modern rear axle, but this one appears pretty well built.

 

Barry - I am not sure exactly what his plans are with the chassis. Another shop is building the car. I am just doing the metal work on the body itself. I really do like that rear set up. I may have to steal that idea for a later hot rod.

 

The owner wanted the firewall cleaned up. He liked all the factory beads, but wanted all the holes filled. It definitely had plenty of them.

 

32 holes later.......

 

My friend runs KBB Classic and says that their records would confirm that there were both Beacon and Flyer Roadsters made, and sold as used cars. They were the exact same body, just different chassis fenders and hood. He says that KBB used to generate their books, in the old days, by using advertised prices of used cars in newspapers from all over the country. He stated that there would be no listing for a car that didn't exist in the For Sale section.

I don't think they would go to the trouble of including references to it in the Beacon and Flyer Service Manual, nor would it be mentioned in the service parts catalogue I scanned for my Photobucket account if it didn't exist.

However, as long as I've been looking I've only seen one grainy picture of a convertible in Australia bodied by the Richards Body Company. AU had huge tariffs for finished cars so many came in as TKD or bodiless, otherwise complete. I've never even seen a photograph of a Hayes-bodied Roadster.

 

Can you take a close-up picture of the brass tag?

 

Wow, that thing has some nice lines, and I'm intrigued by that suspension. Interesting stuff.

Thanks for sharing fellas.

 

Yes i will. It is the Hayes body tag.

 

man josh you have made alot of buzz on here. we will have to call you the
"continental kid" .

man i love this coupe. i could never find another though. id trade my channeled 32 coupe for it! lol

 

That would be a 34 Pontiac.

 

Barry, Thanks for all the info, sure makes for a great thread here on the HAMB. I have a NADA Used Car Price Guide from 1935, it lists both a 4 and 6 cylinder Continental Roadster from 1933. Bob

 

man that firewall looks great!

 

Wouldn't you think that the least expensive vehicle in their line would account for at least 10% of their production. That would mean that 400 were produced. Could a car with 400 made be truly extinct. I would think, with the quality of the rest of the line there would be at least one example out there, but not even a picture.

Maybe the owner'd like a sexy Roadster.

 

Hi Josh, I looked at that car years ago. It has to be the same one if they are that scarce. It was in the basement of a "classic car dealer" in Dayton around the Stanley avenue area. The guy wanted $7,500 for it at the time. Chuck.

 

The roadster is certainly a good looking car

 

I am sure some people will not agree, but the owner did not want the factory cowl vent or wiper hole. So I filled those also.