Stuff Barry Wolk may not know.

[legrandfromage]

W.C. Ford was in the Class of 1943 at The Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, CT. His brother Henry II was in the Class of 1936. Benson was 1942, and Edsel had attended the school in the teens. W.C. Ford Jr. was in the class of 1975. I know all this as my Dad was a faculty member there from 1936-1970.

The Ford family endowed for the school, the Edsel Ford Memorial Library. My Mother was Head Librarian there for a number of years in the 60's.

While I was too young to remember all this, it was pointed out to me in later years when I interviewed at Ford following college in 1960 (They offered that I could be a financial analyst in the Steel Division and gave me tour of the Rouge, which basically scared the crap out of me. I did not accept the offer).

As a curious aside, while visiting the Edsel Ford home in Michigan, I noticed Henry's 1936 yearbook in William's room and pointed out that this was in the wrong room. Interesting that the docents were not aware that there was an Edsel Ford Memorial Library.

My illustrious Ford/Lincoln connection!!

[Barry Wolk]

I absolutely love new, to me, facts.

The docent said that all 3 boys shared the Deco bedroom. I thought that odd.

[legrandfromage]

It is said that HF II never graduated from Yale because he 'cribbed' a paper or exam and the invoice from the author fell out while the professor was grading it. Possibly more urban legend than true, but I think it has been established that he did not graduate. While he was attending Hotchkiss, he did have a bodyguard. I wonder how that worked out??

[Barry Wolk]

I have a HFII question. I know little of he man, but I know some scholars that have read everything on him and there's never a mention of the Lincoln Indianapolis. It looks nothing like any Ford, ever, and there's no proven relationship with Boano and HFII. All of the auction write-ups speak in wink and nods, yet the car was only shown at Turin one time, didn't wear the current Lincoln badging at its only showing and wasn't shown at the Lincoln display on the other end of the show floor.

The truth about the car is that it was a roller. It never had a drive train until it was restored. The dash had a wild flipper device to disguise it, but it was only a bunch of fake lights and gauges. Now for the interesting thing. It is told that HFII had the car brought here and tired of it and gave it to his friend Errol Flynn, who drove it. How did either of them drive it when it was pushed on-stage? I'm told that Errol Flynn travels in far different circles than HFII and neither the car, nor each other, were mentioned in biographies, that I know of. Both are well represented, in photographs, with their favored cars, but there are no documents or photographs to tie either to the unusual "Lincoln", nor each other.

I did ask the Ford Archives about the Indianapolis and they have no photographic record of it, like the Futura, made at the same time. I have to ask why they used a primitive, older, X-frame for the Indianapolis when the Futura use the latest technology and used the new Continental chassis. I'm sure HFII realized that the "cowbelly" chassis would have made more sense for a futuristic vehicle.

I believe the press started something that gave Ford attention and they never refuted it.



Do you see any Lincoln cues with this car. It's a true concept car, in every sense, but there's no Ford connection, that I know of.