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This is the third D4C Limited Edition Club Car. The first and second were the Franklin Mint's 1998 Corvette Convertible in Aztec Gold and the 1940 Packard Darrin in Miami Sand. The mint retooled their 1930 Cadillac V-16 LWB Imperial Sedan- Al Capone to assimilate the 'look' of a car that the Club's administrators found in 1:1 form. That car was a Series 452 Cadillac, custom-bodied, 175 horsepower V-16. The Fleetwood Coachworks made only two such beauties, both by special order. One of them now resides at the Browning/Kimball car Museum in Ogden, Utah. The automobile is as resplendent today as it was over 70 years ago. The car featured a hand-formed aluminum body over a mountain ash wooden frame. Each block of 8 cylinders fired through one distributor by its own coil and has its own carburetor and air filter. The power brakes are vacuum assisted mechanical. The top on the 1:1 is cloth covered but not a convertible. It encapsulates metal and ash components. In those days a stamping machine large enough to fabricate a single piece of aluminum or steel that big was rare indeed. The metal tops were fashioned in two or more pieces and our model replicates the latter.
We choose the Series 452 to be modeled into the third limited edition because of its unique and opulent appearance. The owner chose the colors in 1930 and Fleetwood painstakingly mixed them to order. With Raffi Minasian's knowledgeable help, the colors were authentically extended to the sedan in historically accurate fashion. We were fortunate to have the help and advice of the Executive Director of the Car Museum and The Franklin Mint along each step of the way to completion. The model is gorgeous in person and is sure to be a conversation starter. Limited edition amount this year is only 800 pieces.
Issue price Is $150 plus S&H.
(06/26/2001)
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