Recipient of the Tim Purvis Award for 2008

Left to right:  Bob Johnson, Gaye Purvis and Bob Gavrilescu

Now a little more about this great Continental...

My 1947 Lincoln Continental Cabriolet

By Bob Gavrilescu

It was December 1988 when Harvey Oberg told me he had heard that a retired 3M engineer named George Clevenger used to have a Continental like his.  I called George and asked if he still had a L/C and he said yes,, and I asked if it was for sale, and he said yes.  Harvey Oberg, Tim Purvis, and I went to look at the car in Forest Lake that was tucked away in a small single car garage he had rented.  George wanted a black L/C with red interior and white top and it had to have a Cadillac OHV V8.  He purchased this one in 1952.  He and his wife used it as a summer vacation car and said they had driven it to both coasts and the gulf.  They're new summer vacation car was a '70 Bonneville convertible and they had not driven the Continental for a few years.  Tim, Harvey, and I assessed the dusty Continental.  It was complete except for skirts and had the tires and top put on in 1952 still intact.  Tim and Harvey went out to the car so I could deal with George, but not before saying, "if you don't buy it, one of us will."  I paid his price and said I would pick it up in the spring.

March of 1989 finally came and George had a valve and brake job done with new exhaust installed in the interim.  My brother Jim and I went to pick it up and it was idling in the driveway.  George asked me if i wanted the extra parts he had for the car and we filled the El Camino to the top with parts.  The car ran great and made it home with no problems.  My first goal was to find skirts for the car.  New tires and skirts and some elbow grease and I was off and cruising.  Next, I sent to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI for the build sheet.  It came back as black with tan top, red interior, Firestone tires, chrome bands, and delivered to the "St P Twin City Branch" on 3/26/1947 (this must be the St. Paul Ford Plant).  Forward about 17 years and a number of collector cars have passed through my garage, but I can't part with the '47.  I decided to have a legitimate classic and re-power the Lincoln with an original HV12 power plant.  Being used to a very responsive OHV V8, I decided to upgrade the original 292 cubic inch 120 HP engine.  What engine?  I had to go out and find one, and so I did in Pennsylvania.  A "complete" engine and radiator was shipped to Roger Wothe's business, as he had a loading dock to receive the heavy crated engine.  I made many vendors happy purchasing all the missing bits for my "complete" engine.

Off to Adelman's for a complete rebuild.  Bored out forty thousandths, balanced, machined to accommodate a modern rear seal; only took two years.  Finally, it was done and Tom Brace, Dave Sandels, and I delivered the engine, a truck of refurbished accessories, and the '47 to Tim Purvis's garage.  Upgrades included keeping the dual exhaust on the car and buying one of twelve newly manufactured 3/2 barrel carburetor intake manifolds.  Multiple carbs on HV12s is nothing new and both Edelbrock and Edmunds made dual carburetor manifolds through the early '50's and Hogan made a triple carb manifold according to the Zephyr Club publication, "The Way of the Zephyr."  Tim Purvis did an outstanding job making it all fit - especially all the linkage.

The car came home in March (2007) and I am still working out the bugs.  One carburetor has been rebuilt three times and the overdrive unit still does not want to properly engage.  I am breaking in the motor and having a lot of fun, that's what the hobby is all about.  I am writing this watching a Turner Classic Movie - "The Hucksters," made in 1947, and Clark Gable is driving a 1947 Lincoln Continental cabriolet; top down with Deborah Kerr in the front seat.  Nothing could be finer.  Life, indeed is good.

Editors note:  Our thanks to Bob G for the update on his 1947 Continental.  His '47 is like fine wine, it just keeps getting better.