Modern Luxury From a Bygone Era

One look at this Zimmer Golden Spirit Coupe and you are drawn to think of the luxury automobiles of the pre-War era. The lines and amenities hearken back to a time when coach built bodies adorned the most fabulous machines, a time when both driver and passenger was draped in every extravagance. But while this magnificent machine may look as though it is from the early years of the last century, the car is actually a child of the 1970s.

Paul Zimmer wanted to build cars that captured the elegance of those halcyon days of old but fill them with modern conveniences and power. In 1978 he created the Zimmer Motorcars Corporation in Syracuse, NY and started building custom automobiles at a factory in Pompono Beach, FL.

The Golden Spirit was the first of these neo-classic cars to be built with the first rolling off the line in 1978. Zimmer used a Mercury Cougar chassis and drive train on those original cars. The following year when the Cougar became a front wheel drive automobile, Zimmer was forced to switch to a Ford Mustang chassis and drive.

It would be incorrect to say that the Golden Spirit was a huge immediate success but sales actually outdid expectations. By 1984 Zimmer decided to add a mid-engine automobile to his stable. Based on the mid-engine Pontiac Fiero, the Quicksilver started production in 1984.

In 1988, after his son sold his portion of the company, Zimmer suffered a heart attack. The company seemed to follow suit. Despite being profitable, the company was forced to file for bankruptcy. There it sat dormant until 1966 when Art Zimmer (no relation) who turned it into the Art Zimmer Neo-Classic Motor Car Company. He builds the cars to order based on two trims. The four door version is built on a Lincoln Town Car chassis while the two door version is build on that of a Ford Mustang.

The Golden Spirit seen here is a 1987 model.