'26 Hoover Buick Ambulance
Todd is correct, the car was sold this summer at the RM Auction, formerly Kruse Auction, at Auburn, Indiana, 20 minutes up the road from me.
The car was originally purchased about 8 years ago, also at the Kruse Auction, by my good friend and PCS / CLC member, Larry Dunn. Larry is the person who gave me the lead which lead to the purchase of my '54 Eureka hearse. Larry and the hearse are photographed below, at this summer's RM Auction. I didn't know that Larry or his ambulance would be in Auburn, so it was a real surprise to find him there. Somewhat amazingly, we had driven my '54 Eureka to Auburn that day, so Larry was able to see the '54 completely restored, and I think he got a real kick out of seeing it that way, compared to the original condition he first saw when he found it in Phoenix Arizona, bottom photo.
When Larry purchased the Buick ambulance at Kruse's, about 8 years ago, I not only was able to see the car, but Larry let me drive it. A really tough driver, I'll tell you. Perhaps one of the most interesting characteristics of the car was the 3-speed transmission. The configuration of the shifting was that 1st gear was over to the right, where one would normally find 3rd. So you have to shift it in reverse, as 3rd gear is actually where you'd expect 1st. Below is also a photo of my wife Marlene, sitting in the ambulance, while I was chatting with Larry. Tom