1936 Stainless Steel Car Still Looks Like New
Stainless steel was not widely used in 1936 when Allegheny Ludlum Steel worked with Ford Motor Company to build the world's first and only stainless steel car. Besides raising awareness of stainless steel's "miracle metal" quality, the resulting half dozen Ford Coupes created excitement in the auto industry. Four of the six stainless steel cars still exist today.
The cars were used as rewards by the steel company. Their top salesmen earned the right to drive them for a year. Besides their intriguing appearance, the stainless steel V-8 engine coups were said to "run like a sewing machine" - smooth and quiet. Each car logged more than 200,000 miles, before retiring to private ownership in 1946. One, in excellent condition, is on display at the Heinz Regional History Center in Pittsburgh, Penn.
According to reports, the cars lasted much longer than the dies to make them - they were ruined by stamping the stainless car parts. The original six were the only coupes made, but Allegheny Ludlum and Ford collaborated on two more stainless models later, a 1960 Thunderbird and a 1967 Lincoln Continental Convertible. Nine of the 11 built are reportedly still in use.
A full set of the stainless steel automobiles (1936 Deluxe, T-Bird, and Continental) are on permanent display at the Crawford Auto Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.
Here's a website with more information: www.alleghenyludlum.com/pages/companyinfo/stainlesscars.asp.
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1936 Stainless Steel Car Still Looks Like New AG WORLD 33-1-21 Stainless steel was not widely used in 1936 when Allegheny Ludlum Steel worked with Ford Motor Company to build the world's first and only stainless steel car. Besides raising awareness of stainless steel's "miracle metal" quality, the resulting half dozen Ford Coupes created excitement in the auto industry. Four of the six stainless steel cars still exist today.
The cars were used as rewards by the steel company. Their top salesmen earned the right to drive them for a year. Besides their intriguing appearance, the stainless steel V-8 engine coups were said to "run like a sewing machine" - smooth and quiet. Each car logged more than 200,000 miles, before retiring to private ownership in 1946. One, in excellent condition, is on display at the Heinz Regional History Center in Pittsburgh, Penn.
According to reports, the cars lasted much longer than the dies to make them - they were ruined by stamping the stainless car parts. The original six were the only coupes made, but Allegheny Ludlum and Ford collaborated on two more stainless models later, a 1960 Thunderbird and a 1967 Lincoln Continental Convertible. Nine of the 11 built are reportedly still in use.
A full set of the stainless steel automobiles (1936 Deluxe, T-Bird, and Continental) are on permanent display at the Crawford Auto Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.
Here's a website with more information: www.alleghenyludlum.com/pages/companyinfo/stainlesscars.asp.
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