Hot Rods 1933 Continental Coupe

I got a really cool project in the shop and wanted to share it with everyone. The car is being built at another shop, but I was lucky enough to be contacted to do the metal work on it.

It is a 1933 Continental Coupe. (Not Lincoln) I do not know a lot about them, but I was told that is 1 of only 4 1933 Coupes in the world. Continental only built cars for two years(1933 & 34) Maybe someone on here will know a little more history on the car. Here are a couple shots of it the day it came into my place.








I really like the dash!

 

Josh, man! that thing is different. Really like it. Pretty good shape for its age. Will It be a restoration project? Being that rare it likely is and should be. Looking forward to it. You going to post the whole build? Tim

 

On the AACA board a year or so ago, there was a guy with a Continental sedan. He loved the car but really wanted a coupe to go with it. I think there were 2 or 3 known coupes in the world at that time and one of them was in Africa.

I got the impression he was willing to pay an unlimited amount of money for one if it was stock and unmodified.

 

Checkout our thread here on the HAMB.



http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=7897544&highlight=continental#post7897544

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Been waiting for you to start this thread. Consider me subbed. For the others, a couple pictures of what one looks like bone stock.





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A car that rare and nice should be restored

 

Would you post these on this thread:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=397594&highlight=continental&page=295

History We ALL Love a DARE! PIX of TRULY Extinct Makes?

 

Thanks for sharing. Never heard of this car. I hope its being restored.

 

Wow, that's a pretty cool looking car.. and the frame, too!
Perfect Hot Rod material


Malcolm

 

Man that is cool as hell. I love that dash. Please post lots-o-pix.

 

Restored or hot rodded. I like it either way. I really like the cowl for some reason. It's almost overpowering without a hood but I still love it. Unique.

 

I love it................rich

 

Great lines, will make a awesome ride

 

Very cool car.
The shape of the door and quarter window reminds me of the aussie bodied 34 Ford 5 window coupe (which are somewhat squareish and awkward when compared to the domestic 5/w's).
The short quarter window on the rodded car is 33/4 Moparish.

 

Look at the pics, they turned it into a rat rod. Complete with Chev small block, flat black paint and deuce grille shell.

It was a nice one too, complete, nearly rust free, not much damage just one dented fender.

Oh well there's still one left. In Africa.

 

Really like the reveals in the frame...neat car!

 

Add me to the list of people that this car is a new one on me!

I dug around on the web and found this tidbit of information.HRP

In 1932 the troubled DeVaux Company ceased production owing the Continental Motors Company $500,000 for engines for the cars they produced. Continental forgave half the debt, kicked in $40,000 and purchased the assets of DeVaux, which consisted of a plant and a bunch of Hayes buck-built bodies. These would be built as Continental/Devaux. There were 1,428 made.

As they were building out the remaining bodies Continental hired a European designer to come up with an innovative all-steel body to be made by Hayes. The steel structure allowed for suicide doors, allowing better ingress and egress from these tiny cars.

There were three models in 1933, a 101" wheelbase "Beacon", a 107" Flyer and their luxury model, the Ace. They were fitted, respectively, with 45, 65 and 85hp Continental "Red Seal" engines, Budd suspensions and other parts common to the boutique assemblers that used Continental engines.

There were 4,091 Beacons, 1,745 Flyers and 650 Ace models made for 1933. The Flyer and the Ace were discontinued for 1933 leaving a face-lifted Beacon for 1934 with the name "Red Seal" to take its place. I do not know how many were made before the board of directors pulled the plug on the venture that nearly broke the company. Continental went back to their roots producing automotive, industrial and aircraft engines.

 

Awesome project can't wait to see more!

 

There isn't any more, didn't you see the last picture in post #4? They took one of the rarest American cars in existence and turned it into a rat rod complete with flat black paint, Chev 350, phony air scoop and deuce grille shell.

No doubt they junked the original engine, trans, driveshaft, rear axle, fenders, running boards, grille etc. After all who wants them when there are basically NO other cars like it in the world?

 

Was that a Continental "Beacon"?

 

Seems as if there were three models, Ace Beacon and Flyer.

http://www.motorbase.com/uploads/pictures.ubh/2007/03/31/fs_1933_continental_ace.jpg

 

I don't care for the hood scoop, the deuce grille is well played out, could have a better tire selection, and a different (Non belly button) mill; but that car is FAR from a rat rod..IMHO

 

The non fendered car would look a lot better with a hood, we are to used to seeing an extended cowl and a flat firewall that the sloping firewall becomes the whole focal point of the body and makes the car look odd.

 

Might be a little hard to get parts for!! ;0)

Will make a pretty car though, I like it!

 

Flat black paint doesn't make it a ratrod. Neither does a deuce shell or a SBC. By your definition, half of the rods here on the Hamb would be ratrods.

 

In the early '60's, I drag-raced at Minnesota Dragways in Coon Rapids, MN. One of the hot cars there was a '33 Continental Beacon running a SBC in B-Gas.

BTW, I agree with Rusty O'Toole.

 

The later Auburns used a cowl that was very similar

 

Very cool car. Thanks for posting.

I learned something new today.


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Very interesting and handsome looking car - thanx for the history HRP! Love that frame the most and the flares on the rear quarters are kinda sexy. Gary

 

The first picture of the car on the trailer I think is the same car that was at the Fredericksburg swap meet a few years ago. I knew the owner of that car in 68 when I worked with him. I once had one that looks a lot like the one being rodded now. Bought it from a class mate in high school by paying the body shop bill. The car went away back there somewhere in the early 50s, we never got most of them drivable before some one with some money showed up and bought them. We always needed money and there were plenty of old cars around, the junk yards were full of them as people were still driving Model A's on the street every day. I let a lot of cars slip through my hands in my youth that I wish now that I could have kept.