Packard 1948 Henney Ambulance
Henney's all-new 1948 coaches were powered by a 160 hp straight-8 built on Packard's new 158" wheelbase commercial chassis. Packard's 22nd series "inverted bathtub" styling was controversial and Henney's prices were expensive, yet they produced close to 2,000 coaches in 1948 and were once again the largest professional car manufacturer in the world. In order to provide adequate interior headroom and maneuverability for the casket and gurney using the new Clipper bodies, Henney was forced to section the body in order to raise it by a couple of inches. A consequent extra row of teeth was also added to the bottom of the new eggcrate grill, a similar system to that used by Flexible to match their coaches with the Buick chassis.
Funeral coaches were available with either NU-3-Way side-servicing or dedicated rear-loading versions. Ambulances, hearses and combination coaches were all available in either straight limousine styles or with a textured landau roof over the blanked-in rear quarter windows. Combination coaches were only available as rear-loaders, but could be changed from a funeral coach to an ambulance by simply snapping in the ambulance badge on the inside of the rear quarter windows, unfolding the attendant's jumpseat, and placing a removable Federal beacon on the roof. All of the pre-war options remained including air-conditioning, leveldraulic suspension, elecdraulic 3-way casket tables, and the "Singing Chapel On Wheels". Ambulances could be ordered with an illuminated roof-top "ambulance" sign and pod-shaped warning lights and a choice of sirens.
Henney's flower car was clearly the most beautiful of its brand-new 1948 professional cars. Standard equipment included a stainless-lined casket compartment as well as an all stainless flower deck topside. As with most other flower cars, a body-colored folded faux-cabriolet top was built onto the rear of the flower deck. A conservative-looking service car was also offered that used the limousine-style body with all the windows blanked-in.
[Text from Coachbuilt.com]
www.coachbuilt.com/bui/h/henney/henney.htm
The Packard Henney Ambulance (and hearses) were frequently seen in period films, including the following:
'Woman on the Run', 1950
'Plunder Road', 1957
'The Fly', 1958
'The Black Orchid', 1958
'House on Haunted Hill', 1959
'The Best of Everything', 1959
'The Godfather', 1972
'Reel Horror', 1985
This Lego miniland-scale 1948 Packard Henney Ambulance has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 101st Build Challenge, titled - 'A Matter of Life and Death!'. In this challenge, any vehicle can be built that associates with the themes of life or death.
Packard 1948 Henney Ambulance
Henney's all-new 1948 coaches were powered by a 160 hp straight-8 built on Packard's new 158" wheelbase commercial chassis. Packard's 22nd series "inverted bathtub" styling was controversial and Henney's prices were expensive, yet they produced close to 2,000 coaches in 1948 and were once again the largest professional car manufacturer in the world. In order to provide adequate interior headroom and maneuverability for the casket and gurney using the new Clipper bodies, Henney was forced to section the body in order to raise it by a couple of inches. A consequent extra row of teeth was also added to the bottom of the new eggcrate grill, a similar system to that used by Flexible to match their coaches with the Buick chassis.
Funeral coaches were available with either NU-3-Way side-servicing or dedicated rear-loading versions. Ambulances, hearses and combination coaches were all available in either straight limousine styles or with a textured landau roof over the blanked-in rear quarter windows. Combination coaches were only available as rear-loaders, but could be changed from a funeral coach to an ambulance by simply snapping in the ambulance badge on the inside of the rear quarter windows, unfolding the attendant's jumpseat, and placing a removable Federal beacon on the roof. All of the pre-war options remained including air-conditioning, leveldraulic suspension, elecdraulic 3-way casket tables, and the "Singing Chapel On Wheels". Ambulances could be ordered with an illuminated roof-top "ambulance" sign and pod-shaped warning lights and a choice of sirens.
Henney's flower car was clearly the most beautiful of its brand-new 1948 professional cars. Standard equipment included a stainless-lined casket compartment as well as an all stainless flower deck topside. As with most other flower cars, a body-colored folded faux-cabriolet top was built onto the rear of the flower deck. A conservative-looking service car was also offered that used the limousine-style body with all the windows blanked-in.
[Text from Coachbuilt.com]
www.coachbuilt.com/bui/h/henney/henney.htm
The Packard Henney Ambulance (and hearses) were frequently seen in period films, including the following:
'Woman on the Run', 1950
'Plunder Road', 1957
'The Fly', 1958
'The Black Orchid', 1958
'House on Haunted Hill', 1959
'The Best of Everything', 1959
'The Godfather', 1972
'Reel Horror', 1985
This Lego miniland-scale 1948 Packard Henney Ambulance has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 101st Build Challenge, titled - 'A Matter of Life and Death!'. In this challenge, any vehicle can be built that associates with the themes of life or death.