XYX9502F History

[Jim Rohn]

most of you knew my father, Elmer Rohn. He was very active in the LCOC and helped write the Mark II authenticity manual for them (if anyone wants them, we still have all his communication and notes from that project). I "had" to grow up with them as my dad was the A/C, heating and ventilation engineer on the Mark II and worked for Continental Division.

The company car I remember riding in when I was 2-3 (! it made an impression !) is now owned by Dennis Carpenter (or at least my dad sold it to him, I DID see it there in 97) and is one of the pre production Prototypes.

I remember going to a grocery store somewhere on Grand River in Detroit in that car and all the people staring at the car as if "if we were driving a car like that why didn't we have the maid do the shopping?" :-)

Fast forward to the late 60's and early 70's when my mom kept on saying that we should have bought a Mark II when they disbanded the Continental Division as employees we given the opp'y to buy one at half price. (My dad bought a new 56 Ford wagon with the big V8 and overdrive instead ...)

I was a gear head and started reading the classifieds and ended up finding a 56 with air not too far away. We went and looked at it and bought it. Turned out my dad remembered the car from work as it had a bermuda bell attached under the floor board. The car was originally Crusoe's, the sales manager for Continental Division. It also had a rear window wiper.

here are some pics of that car:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a26/JimRohn/mk2lf.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a26/JimRohn/mk2rearwiper.jpg

Later on he found his old company car buried in the Henry Ford Museums' excess inventory and was able to buy that from them (they had the Harvey Firestone Mark II on display and they deemed that more "interesting" than a prototype). The Crusoe (sp?) car went to Chicago.

[Barry Wolk]

Who are these guys with the HVAC mule?

http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID10974/slideshows/vbgarage4.jpg

Check out this site:

http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID10974/slideshows/vbgarage4.jpg

[Jim Rohn]

not sure, asking my mom, I think she is "up North" right now with my sister

[Jim Rohn]

not that far up north, Leland area, NW of Traverse City

[johnnybgoode]

I just read an article in a swedish magazine, about Dennis Carpenter (http://www.dennis-carpenter.com/)and his resto parts buisness. In the article is several pictures of the cars in his museum/showroom.

One of the cars there, according to the article, should be Continental Mk II no. 1, can anyone confirm that?

Its a metallic brown unrestored car, proudly displaying a "#1" sign next to it!!

[Jim Rohn]

^ that is the car my father had when he worked for Continental in the 50's. It was his test mule for the air conditioning system and his "company car" that he drove to and from home every day. There is an article or two on it in past issues of LCOC, I can't tell you the exact issue(s) though, maybe my mom knows.

After they disbanded the Continental Division the car was given to Henry Ford Museum and went into deep storage.

My father "found" the car when they were looking to trade some cars for one he owned. They never did the trade but he was able to purchase the car from them. It was considered excess inventory as the had the Harvey Firestone car on display for all those years and that is when XYX9502F and our family was reunited.

My father sold the car to Dennis before he died, I had no place for it in AZ and I thought it would be better suited being on display for all to see.

Hindsight has told me I made HUGE mistake. I should have taken the car and MADE room / space for it.

[Barry Wolk]

We all have terrific hidnsight.

[johnnybgoode]

If I understand this correct, then the Dennis Carpenter car is a testmule (the first?), and not the first production car as such?

The vin, XYX9502F, looks different than the others that starts with C56xxxx, would that indicate that it is a testcar, or that it is one of the preproduction units? To put it another way, do all the 23 preproduction cars start with XYX?

Sorry to be such a noob, but these things fascinate me :)

[Barry Wolk]

His is not the first production car, as claimed. It is a test mule/pre-production car. The first production car's serial number ends with 2001.

No less valuable, but not the first.

[Nick DeSpirito]

His is not the first production car, as claimed. It is a test mule/pre-production car. The first production car's serial number ends with 2001.

Barry,

You mean 1001, right?

[Jim Rohn]

I just spent the better part of an hour talking to Lowell. While he has a computer, he doesn't have an e-mail address, nor does he surf. He's a true anachronism, of a higher order.

Lowell laid it out for me and I took notes.

1. XYX9502F was a prototype, not a production car. That makes it special in its own right, but it is not #1 production car. It was not the only car with a rear wiper.

...

I also learned that Mark II seat belts were removable at the attachment point, unlike other Ford products. The buckles were nothing fancy. They were the same as used on all Ford products.

XYX9502F did not have a rear wiper, the Crusoe car my dad bought did ... do not know what the number of that car is

the seat belts (I have INTIMATE knowledge of those nasty things) were a polished aluminum casting and the tip of the belt that went through the JAWS (yes, as a little kid I had the misfortune of having one snap shut on my finger/hand) with the teeth was finished with a chrome plate piece of sheet metal. Belt end = chrome Buckle = polished (not chrome plated).

Our NEW 56 Ford wagon had those "things" in them and my dad installed them in the back as well.

[linc64]

I just read an article in a swedish magazine, about Dennis Carpenter (http://www.dennis-carpenter.com/)and his resto parts buisness. In the article is several pictures of the cars in his museum/showroom.

One of the cars there, according to the article, should be Continental Mk II no. 1, can anyone confirm that?

Its a metallic brown unrestored car, proudly displaying a "#1" sign next to it!!

^ that is the car my father had when he worked for Continental in the 50's. It was his test mule for the air conditioning system and his "company car" that he drove to and from home every day. There is an article or two on it in past issues of LCOC, I can't tell you the exact issue(s) though, maybe my mom knows.

After they disbanded the Continental Division the car was given to Henry Ford Museum and went into deep storage.

My father "found" the car when they were looking to trade some cars for one he owned. They never did the trade but he was able to purchase the car from them. It was considered excess inventory as the had the Harvey Firestone car on display for all those years and that is when XYX9502F and our family was reunited.

My father sold the car to Dennis before he died, I had no place for it in AZ and I thought it would be better suited being on display for all to see.

Hindsight has told me I made HUGE mistake. I should have taken the car and MADE room / space for it.
XYX9502 is mentioned in the Summer 1980 (number 141) issue of Continental Comments. Quoting from the article: " In July1955 "prototype" XYX9502 came off the assembly line. This was the first real Mark II.This car underwent complete assembly process, received everything that production Mark IIs would." also: "Elmer Rohn's XYX9502 was the first car to go down the production line and get all of the correct body panels and all of the exact treatment as the later cars. It was used to validate methods and procedures on the assembly line. It is considered a prototype, and does not count for production."

That issue is great, dedicated almost solely to the Mark II.

[Jim Rohn]

there you go.

I am pretty sure there are more articles in the 80's as well.

[Pat Marshall]

In 1987 Elmer Rohn wrote:

"The first real Mark II was a hand built vehicle assembled in the Ford Experimental Garage in Dearborn. It was completed and presented to Mr. William C. Ford on the day of Christmas Eve, 1954. Identified as #9500, this car was followed shortly by another hand built prototype, #9501, The first prototype was immediately put on a durability driving schedule, being driven night and day to reveal any unforseen durability problems. The second prototype was used to evaluate performance, NVH, and ride and handling characteristics.

In February 1955, a body was assembled by Ionia Mfg, Division of Mitchell Bentley Corp, from production sheetmetal. The body was shipped from their plant in Owasso to the recently completed Continental Plant in Ecorse Township, adjacent to Dearborn. There it was sent down the assembly line to try out the new assembly work procedures. While most components on the first two prototypes had been hand made, by this time many production parts had been received for inspection and were assembled onto this car. There were only a few non-production parts used in this prototype, #9502."

Attributed Source, "9502 And Me" by Elmer Rohn, Continental Comments #170, 4th Quarter 1987.