While we’re on the subject of weekend drives and old cars, have you ever been to the Zippo headquarters in Bradford, PA? If you go, you’ll see the Zippo Car parked right out front, a 1947 Chrysler Saratoga modified to look like there are two giant Zippo lighters in place of the passenger cabin. For those of us of a certain age, it will bring back memories of Americana and those scenes we remember from newsreels like Industry on Parade.
The entire cost of the car’s reconstruction, in 1947, totaled only $25,000. However, the car is actually the second Zippo Car, because the first, in 1952, after touring 48 states and covering many thousands of miles, was sent to Toohey Motors in Pittsburgh for numerous repairs and upgrades. The cost just for the rework was over $40,000 and there didn’t seem to be any need to hurry the job along. Many years went by and in the 1970s, Zippo began thinking about restoring the car for the 50th anniversary of the company in 1982. By this time, Toohey Motors had long been out of business and no one knew where the car was. Many public searches and advertising campaigns later, all the way up until 1995, failed to locate the original car.
In 1996 another 1947 Chrysler was purchased and sent to Joe Griffin’s Custom Upholstery in Memphis, TN. Working from photos of the original, they began the transformation. Eighteen months and $250,000 later, the car was done. Compared to photos of the first, it looks like they did a great job.
The car is in front of the Zippo and Case Manufacturing Museum and store where you can take a self guided tour to see and hear about the history of those famous windproof lighters. It’s a nice direction to point your car or motorcycle on a summer day and depending on your route you can stop at the Kinzua Dam and then circle around to Bradford to see the Zippo Car. It also makes a spectacular drive in the autumn because you’ll pass through portions of the Allegheny forest and the colors and views are just superb.
So, where are you headed this weekend?