A new feature of the 2007 Portland International Auto Show was a gallery of classic cars from the 1930s to the 1950s. These cars were displayed by the Road Angels Hot Rod Club of Portland.
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Chevrolet used a different model name for each year; the 1932 Chevrolet Series BA Confederate replaced the 1931 Chevrolet Series AE Independence. For 1932, the 194-cubic-inch “Stovebolt” six-cylinder inline engine featured a new downdraft carburetor and higher compression to produce 60 horsepower, up from 50 the previous year, and was now mated to a 3-speed Synchro-Mesh transmission with a Simplified Free Wheeling feature that allowed the car to coast while not pressing the accelerator. The 1932 bodies by Fisher featured a sloped non-glare windshield with no external visor above, and the hood louvers were replaced by opening vents. In 1932, the Confederate line featured two trim levels, Standard and DeLuxe. DeLuxe models are distinguished by chrome hood vents, chrome cowl lamps, and two spare wire wheels mounted on the running boards. This highly customized example at the 2004 Clatskanie Heritage Days Car Show features the cowl lamps of a DeLuxe model despite its painted vents and no spare wheels on the running boards. The 1932 Chevrolet still featured a great diesel of wood framing; many of these cars had all the wood replaced with steel framing when rebuilt as “hot rods” like this one.
The Lincoln Motor Company was founded in August 1917 by Henry M. Leland and his son Wilfred and initially produced Liberty V12 aircraft engines. Lincoln produced its first automobile, the L Series, on January 26, 1920, and was purchased by the Ford Motor Company in February 1922. The Model K was introduced in 1931 on a new 145-inch wheelbase and powered by a 120-horsepower 384.8-cubic-inch L-head V8 engine. For 1932, Lincoln split the Model K into two models: the V8-powered Model KA on the 136-inch wheelbase from the L Series, and the Model KB, powered by a 150-horsepower 447.9-cubic-inch L-head V12 in the 145-inch wheelbase. The 1932 Model KA's V8 produced 125 horsepower and would be the last Lincoln V8 until 1949, as the 1933 Model KA would receive its own 125-horsepower 381.7-cubic-inch L-head V12 engine. The Model K would remain in production until January 1940. The 1932 Lincoln Model KA 5-Passenger Coupe shown here at the Northwest Car Collectors Association Car Show & Swap Meet at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center in Portland, Oregon, on October 18-19, 2003, is an example if one of the seven body styles available for the 1932 Model KA.
