Lost Legends at Keeneland

The Lost Legends class at the Keeneland Concour d'Elegance is always interesting. Lost Classics are those cars whose brand no longer exists, gone but though the name implies it, not forgotten. One example is this 1937 DeSoto Business Coupe. The car had an extra long trunk and no back seat which was designed for traveling salesmen to use for their wares. Moonshiners also found uses for this car. DeSoto's engine produced nearly 30 more horse power than the famed Ford Flat Head V8.

Nash made cars for 40 years beginning in 1918. This is a 1948 Nash Ambassador, designed for six passengers. It has a Conditioned Air System and utilizes a "unitized" body, better known today as a unibody. This third owner car originally sold for $1642.

Only 117 Dual Ghias were made between 1956 and 1958. This pristine 1957 convertible is actually model number 88. The idea behind the car was to build an exclusive car but at an affordable price (http://turnerbudds-carblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-short-lived-rarity.html). This car underwent a complete restoration in 2010. The color scheme for both interior and exterior are original factory offered colors.

The Muntz Car Company lasted only from 1950 until 1954 and was not very successful. Originally taking Frank Kraft (Kurtis Kraft) and extending it to a four seater, Muntz, a highly successful car salesman in California, made this 1953 Muntz Roadster as an attempt to compete with the Chevy Corvette. Though this car used a 317 cubic inch V8 and could hit 100 miles per hour, it still was never seen as any competition. Only four were ever produced.

An elegant family car is this 1948 Chrysler Town and Country Woody Sedan. A heavy car at 4,175 pounds it road on a 121.5 inch wheel base. Powered by a 250.5 cubic inch six cylinder engine it was designed for longer trips. It had a 17 gallon gas tank and a range of up to 300 miles on a single tank.