1959 Cadillac Convertible For Sale

Royal tour Lincoln on auction block

Canada recently was gripped by royal mania as Prince William, heir to the throne, and his new bride, the former Kate Middleton, toured the country.

The adoring throngs that turned out to meet their future king were reminiscent of the huge crowds that greeted King George VI and Queen Elizabeth when they toured the Dominion back in May, 1939.

So, happily for traditionalists, some things never change.

What has changed in 72 years, however, is the kind of vehicles used by the royal couples.

The armoured and blacked out Cadillac limousines and Chevy SUVs that ferried Will and Kate in Ottawa are a far cry from the open cars that carried the prince's great grandparents.

And one of those cars - a 1939 Lincoln - is up for sale at the end of July, 2011, at RM's St. John's auction in Plymouth, Mich. (formerly the Meadow Brook sale). The Lincoln Model K Convertible Sedan was one of four cars used by the King and Queen in their cross-Canada tour.

Two were McLaughlin Buicks, built by General Motors of Canada in Oshawa, and which survive to this day. The other was a Chrysler from Chrysler Corp. of Canada - fate unknown.

The Lincoln was supplied by Ford of Canada, but built in Dearborn, Mich.

All the cars were returned to the manufacturers following the tour and all were built to the same exacting specifications.

Like the others, the Lincoln was painted Royal Maroon, with a rear seating area in powder blue (the Queen's favourite colour) and darker blue leather for the front seat. (Governor General John Buchan's personal chauffeur, T.S. Southgate, did all the driving, no matter where or in which car.)

Custom work on the LeBaron-bodied convertible sedan was done by Lincoln craftsmen and included higher than normal windshield and side glass, puncture-proof tires and a raised seating area for the royal couple.

No changes were made to the model K's chassis (with a 145-inch wheelbase) or to the power train, with its 414 cubic inch, 150-hp V12 engine and 3-speed manual transmission.

The four cars all travelled on the royal train from coast to coast, to be used whenever a motorcade was called for.

After the King and Queen returned to Great Britain the Lincoln found a home in the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, coming out for special occasions such as a royal tour by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1959.

It was sold at auction in 1985 to Richard and Linda Kughn of Detroit for their Carail Museum.

1959 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible for sale on ClassicCarsGlobal.com

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