Not all Frick cars were Studebaker

[clonelark]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1949-Fordillac-vintage-Cunningham-Frick-original-/180604621482?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2a0cdfd2aa

[clonelark]

As ugly as this is, i see why he went to Studebakers. But an important car in history.

[Chris Pile]

Ya gotta start somewhere!

[mbstude]

Bill Frick Jr. and I talked on the phone about this car extensively... He said "I sure don't remember anything like THAT coming out of Dad's shop..."

According to the ebay ad, if the car was built in '48, that was years before Cunningham and Frick got together. While Frick "may" have done the engine swap, he wouldn't have done anything more than that. He most times would refuse to even recommend a body shop, as he built cars that looked/sounded totally stock, but were faster than anything on the road.

Frick was an exclusive car dealer for European sports cars (Ferraris, Allards, etc, etc), and did engine swaps and most anything else a customer wanted in the back of the shop.

I think calling the car a Fordillac is a misnomer, and Frick Jr. agreed. (Much like calling a '57 Hawk with a Caddie 500 a "Studillac"). This was Frick's Fordillac:



In fact, the way Frick and Cunningham got together was Frick had one of his Fordillacs at a hill climb that Cunningham happened to be at. He won the climb, Cunningham was so impressed that it led to the two doing business together for several years.

[JRoberts]

A few years ago I read a review in some kind of historic/vintage sports car magazine of Siatas. They were small Italian sports cars many of which were powered by 750 cc and later 1100cc Crosley engines. If I remember correctly other power plants were used later on. The author claimed that the reason it was difficult to find an original Siata was because Bill Frick and put Ford flathead and Studebaker V-8's in so many of them. Matthew had you ever heard of this?

[mbstude]

Hey Joe. I have in fact heard of that story, but have no idea if it's true or not. I've also heard that he sold the engines back to dealers, but who knows.

[clonelark]

Yes thats the Fordillac in your picture Matt, but the other one was built before the OHV Caddy engine was built. (So the ad says) Wonder why? the were both (Ford and Cadillac) built in 1949. But the ad says it was built in the summer of 1948. I sent a question to the Ford forum to ask when the 49 Ford was released to the public.