FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Sara Panza
Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association
440.746.1500
Crawford Auto Aviation Museum brings
rare collection to Cleveland Auto Show
Cleveland, OH (February 3, 2011)—The Crawford Auto Aviation Museum of the Western Reserve Historical Society is bringing what just may be the most unique automotive display in the nation to the Cleveland Auto Show this year. The museum’s display at the Show will feature three totally stainless steel vehicles from its collection.
“There are really no three other cars like them in the entire world,” says Becky Carlino, director of community engagement for the Western Reserve Historical Society. “Allegheny Ludlum Steel in Pittsburgh had these cars built for its executives, so they could promote the durability of stainless steel. We are the only museum in the world with this trio of stainless steel vehicles.”
The collection includes a 1936 Ford DeLuxe Tudor sedan, 1960 Ford Thunderbird and a 1966 Lincoln Continental. The Cleveland Auto Show opens its doors to the public on Saturday, February 26 and runs through Sunday, March 6 at the I-X Center.
In 1935 the Allegheny Ludlum Steel commissioned Ford Motor Company to make stainless steel bodies to be placed on six 1936 DeLuxe Tudor sedan chassis. The cars were distributed to Allegheny Ludlum offices in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Detroit, and Cleveland. For the next ten years, Allegheny Ludlum officers and salesmen drove the stainless cars all over the country, invariably attracting a crowd wherever they went.
In the 1950s, Allegheny Ludlum renewed its interest in the stainless steel cars by tracking down the surviving cars, which had been sold to private owners. Four of the original six were located.
The resultant publicity from the earlier experiment in 1936 and the search for the originals convinced the company to try again. In 1960, they produced two stainless steel Ford Thunderbirds. This time the company kept the cars for promotional purposes. Then, in 1966, to mark the production of that model year’s 50,000th Lincoln Continental, Ford and Allegheny teamed up again, and produced three stainless steel Lincoln Continentals, one for Ford, and the other two for Allegheny.
The 1936 Ford and the 1966 Lincoln were given to the Western Reserve Historical Society by Allegheny Ludlum Steel. To complete the trio, in 2000, the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center then donated the 1960 Ford Thunderbird to the Western Reserve Historical Society.
Now you can see this rare trio of vehicles on display at the Cleveland Auto Show. But these rare gems are but three of the more than 1,000 vehicles you can see at the Cleveland Auto Show. The Cleveland Auto Show is the one place you can see the latest in production and concept vehicles from virtually every automaker in the world, all under one roof.
Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for seniors and preteens. Parking is free for the duration of the show, courtesy of your Northern Ohio New Motor Vehicle Dealers.
About the Cleveland Auto Show
The Cleveland Auto Show, presented by AutoTrader.com, marks the start of the spring selling season in Northeast Ohio. This year’s show runs from February 26th through March 6th, 2011. Featuring concept, pre- production and production vehicles from the world’s auto manufacturers, the show is held annually at the I-X Center with nearly 1.2 million square feet of exhibits, with free parking compliments of your new motor vehicle dealer. The Show also features an array of entertainment including sports celebrity appearances from the Browns, Cavs and OSU and NASCAR. The Cleveland Auto Show is a consumer show and a favorite family tradition since 1903. Buy tickets online at www.clevelandautoshow.com.
About the GCADA
The Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers' Association (GCADA) has served the retail-automobile industry and community with integrity and distinction since 1903. Today, located in Brecksville, Ohio, GCADA represents 240 franchised motor vehicle dealers, which includes new-car, truck, motorcycle and RV dealers in a 21-county region of northern Ohio along the Lake Erie shore and beyond. More information on the GCADA can be found at www.gcada.org.
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