Who has let you drive their ProCar ???

Darren Bedford

PCS Member
I got my first hearse back in 1991 or 1992 and attended my first PCS meet in 1993.

When I was there I met a bunch of great guys and talk with almost all of them currently. I feel very fortunate for this by the way !!!

One of the people I met was Lyle Steadman along with his very sweet wife Marie. Talk about a special couple ! That they were !

I instantly became good friends with Lyle as everyone who ever met him would say. How couldn't you ? He was such a nice man.

Unfortunately, he pass away many years ago. I still think of him often as I do his wife Marie and their sons who now run the family owned Funeral Home 3 hours West of Toronto.

I made many trips to see them and during one of the visits, Lyle says to me, "Do you want to go for a ride in the '59 ?" Like a kid in a candy store, I said "Sure do !" He got it out of the garage and we hopped in and drove down the country roads in his small ON town.

On the way back he says, "Do you want to drive ?" I was stunned but quickly said, "Yes Please !"
He let me drive back to his house and will remember that forever !

It was a 1959 Cadillac Superior 3way Landau hearse !!!

I guess that was one of the reasons I set my mind on doing whatever it took to get something like that for myself when I could.

15 years later I am the proud owner of 3 early '60s hearses that make me feel the same way as driving his '59 that day.

It is hard to believe that I actually own these incredible vintage automobiles. Sometimes I am even afraid to drive them as I wouldn't ever want anything to happen to them.

That doesn't stop me and I often make long distance drives in them to PCS meet and other car shows but I am very careful when I do drive them.


Thanks again to Lyle for being one of the most incredible guys I have ever met through the PCS !!!!!



So here are my questions to you all...

Have you ever driven someone else' ProCar of distinction ?
(Something you would have loved to own yourself !)
What year-make-model was it ?
Did it inspire you to get one like it ?


Let's hear your stories,
Darren
 
Such a coincidence Darren!

I got to drive a '59 myself a few years back that wasn't mine.

Mark Teague lives only a few minutes from me and is friends with a funeral director that has helped out with the Pennsylvania Funeral Director's yearly convention. Mark had been asked to bring his '59 to Erie Pennsylvania (about an hour drive from our place) to be on display at the convention. The convention runs during the week, so it was on a Wednesday. Talk about timing... Mark was working out of town and at the time I was unemployed and had lots of time. Mark asked if I would be interested in taking his car to Erie for him.

Early that morning, another Tri-State member (Mark Kennedy) was at my house. We drove over to the Teague's and picked up the '59 and Debbie Teague (Mark's wife). I got to drive Mark's '59 an hour to Erie, we got to attend the convention and I got to drive it an hour back home at the end of the day. It was FABULOUS!

I thought my '73 Superior Cadillac was a beast to drive! That '59 was so much more of a car than the '73. A bad cliche but... They don't 'em like that anymore!
 
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This is kind of "180" of what you are asking but I was VERY honored to have Senior PCS Charter Member's Evan Butchers and Walt McCall volunteer to co-drive our former (X-Moffat County Memorial Hospital, CO) 1956 Meteor- Cadillac Ambulance at a Code-3 Parade during the PCS Convention in Burbank years ago. The inside wasn't totally finished at that time, but they didn't seem to mind and it looked like (from their smiles) that they were having the time of their life that day! MM
 
I have to say most of the fun in working on cars is getting to drive them. with Brendon's we got to use it to take grandmother out. I would take any one of the ones I have rebuilt in a heart beat. but the most notable car I got handed the keys to was on one of the north land excursions. Tony took us over to a small town in Mn to visit with Gorge and see his cars a 1919 Studebaker and a 39 LaSalle. as were were getting ready to see the cars George asked if anyone could drive a stick shift. I allowed I have been in a few. he handed me the keys to the Meteor. we were going to the cemetery to photograph the Studebaker. and sorry I don't even remember who built that one. as I sat in the 39 all original I might add and waited for them to get the Studie started I wonder just what kind of a world do we live in. it was and still is the smoothest car I have ever drove.
 

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I have driven Brad Ross' 1988 Superior Cadillac Sovereign Brougham and Brady Smith's 1977 Miller Meteor Cadillac Lifeliner. Both are great cars to drive. They both possibly influenced me to buy my 1980 Cadillac Fleetwood Limousine. That era of Cadillac was what I saw on the roads when I was a kid.

I'd love to drive a 1960 S&S Cadillac Victoria 3-Way....:17875:
 
Ok, here's my list:

Paul Steinberg's 1963 Chrysler Pinner, and his 1962 Chevy Cotner Bevington.
Ed Renstrom's 1972 Olds Cotner Bevington.
Ron Devies Pontiac Superior Combination.
I also drove the Chevy Van Ambulance that was at the PCS Meet in Hudson.
They were all a pleasure to drive, Thanks Guys!
 
I guess that I have been pretty lucky when it comes to driving other people's pro cars. The more I read this thread, the more times come to mind when I was fortunate enough to get to drive other people's cars.

I was just thinking that I got to drive Mark Kennedy's '81 S&S back from Hudson last year also.

Mark had taken the S&S to Hudson for the international meet, but he had to work Saturday. He left the hearse in Hudson and got a ride back home. After work Saturday he drove his daily driver to Hudson to attend the meet. I rode to Hudson with my dad, so I didn't have a car to worry about getting home and since Mark ended up with two cars in Hudson, he asked if I would drive the hearse back to my house and he could stop up later in the week and pick it up. I got to drive it from Hudson to my house in Hermitage (little over an hour). It also was in my driveway for a couple of days until Mark was able to pick it up.

And since I am thinking about Hudson and riding out with my father, I got to drive his '72 Superior when he first got it. I am still not sure if that was a good experience or not. He purchased it at an estate auction that happened to be in February. As with all auction purchases, it was sold... As is where is with no guarantees. The coach looked really good and we weren't too worried. It was only an unfamiliar 22' long, 6,000# car on snowy Pennsylvania back roads. That is all. Dad figured that since my '73 and his new '72 were basically the same car, I would have more experience with handling the car, so I was asked if I minded driving the hearse back to his house. I sold my '73 back in 2005, but getting into the '72 6 years later, it felt just like home. Even after we found out the '72 didn't have brakes, it was still a nice drive.
 
As has been related elsewhere, I got to drive a '75 Superior Cadillac ambulance, owned at the time by Central Ambulance of Tulsa, OK, on a movie job I worked when I lived in Tulsa in the '80's. It was still an in-service ambulance at the time. I didn't go far, it was just a bit of back-and-forth in a parking lot. But it was a nice car. (That ambulance is now owned by Dave Stein in Ontario which was wrecked in his driveway a few months ago.)

I particularly enjoyed driving Richard's Criterion (also a '75, ironically) at the Daytona Speedway last June. Of course, I had owned that car years ago. Thanks, Richard!
 
Well I drove Francois Gamache's 1971 M-M Lifeliner from Albany thru Montreal coming back from the 2010 meet, what a ride!! He also let me drive his '56 Cadillac Superior ambulance for a show one day!
 
Would you beleave no one has let me drive there Pro-Cars? I have had the chance to ride in some pretty cool ones though.

Danny Ryder's 59 M-M Landau, and 70 M-M Combo. I did get to sit behind the wheel of the 59.
Mike Stevens's 61 M-M Combo,
Jeremy Ledford's 73 M-M Combo and 77 M-M Landau,
Many 6 door Limos including Elmo many of times,
2000 Superior Hearse,
2002 Eagle Hearse,

There may be a few more that i can't think of at the moment. Its not as good as driving, but still pretty cool to ride in them.

I'm stil waiting on the chance to ride in a Hightop Ambulance, and a 56 and older pro-Car of any kind. I have a list of a few more particular cars I'd like to ride in too. lol May have to suck up to a few people at the 2013 International Meet. lol

Josh
 
Ive gotten to ride as a passenger in Lou Farah's Chevy Suburban Stoner and Ive manuevered a friends 47 AJ Miller Cadillac combo into a tight parking space at a show. She is probably 105 lbs soaking wet and about 5'5" tall and the Miller has no power steering and has a manual trans, so I said "Get out! I Will park it!"
 
Here is a video that Ed took of me driving said 1939 Lasalle with the studebaker
in front [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAHaCXJQBMg[/ame]
 
I have had the great fortune to drive many peoples' hearses. In no particular order, as they come to mind: Smith Funeral Home's '67 S&S 3-way Victoria, Bob Dombrowski's '56 Eureka that was a showpiece of PCS Decatur IL 1988, John Schmidt's '61 and '57 Eurekas, before they were sold, Paul Cichon's '67 Victoria, John Hadley's '62 Superior Hightop ambulance. The first hearse I ever drove that I put some appreciable mileage on was Joe Ross' beautiful '64 M&M combination. I let him drive my old '73 BMW to the edge of Indianapolis and he let me drive the '64. I also drove a 1925 Buick ambulance, in beautiful restored condition, previously owned by Larry Dunn. Of course I drove quite a few hearses owned by various funeral homes I've visited, but these are the ones that come to mind. Tom
 
The first hearse I ever drove is Dennis Lloyd's 1959 Superior Royale 3-Way. Without question, I was in love immediately and I have probably put more miles on it than he has.

I have also driven Dan Skivolocke's 1959 Superior Ambulance and his 1959 Cadillac Series 62 Sedan Lead Car, Brady Smith's 1959 Superior Crown Royale, Kevin Parkinson's 1972 S&S Victoria and his 1980 Fleetwood Limousine, and Dennis Lloyd's 1979 AHA Lincoln Viceroy.
 
Ive gotten to ride as a passenger in Lou Farah's Chevy Suburban Stoner and Ive manuevered a friends 47 AJ Miller Cadillac combo into a tight parking space at a show. She is probably 105 lbs soaking wet and about 5'5" tall and the Miller has no power steering and has a manual trans, so I said "Get out! I Will park it!"

Rick... I believe that you forgot one .. A 1978 Superior Cadillac Ambulance with Alaska Municipal License Plates....... :yankchain:
 
Thinking back, the very first ever professional car that I drove wasn't mine either.

I was a senior in high school and I noticed that the local car dealership had taken a hearse in on trade. I wanted to check it out and drive it so bad! I went to the dealership and asked about it. The salesman had not gotten a chance to drive it yet and was as excited as I was to take it for a ride. He drove it out a few miles and I drove it back to the dealership. I only remember two things about it... It was a '69 and it was a MM!

If I only had the money to buy it! I remember them calling the house weeks after I drove it trying to sell it to me. Every time they called, it was a lower price. Damn those high school years when I didn't have good job! I just couldn't come up witht he funds! I guess that this would be the beginning of my hearse/professional car fascination!
 
Ron Devies let me drive his 1975 Superior 54 ambulance from Alliance to where we had supper at the first Carnation Festival meet. For that we will be best friends for life, whether he likes it or not. :thankyou2:
 
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