Ben F. Gregory constructed a front wheel drive roadster even before fishing some diamonds allegedly acquired from a Kansas City madam out of a gas tank and making way to California in 1920. Once out west Gregory sold the diamonds, and with the take installed a Hispano-Suiza engine in a a proper Gregory racing machine. After the World War II Gregory continued his advocacy of front wheel drive, building specials like the 1953 Gregory. Not all of Gregory’s front wheel drive experiments were racy. This particular 1947 Gregory sedan features front wheel drive and a rear mounted engine. It is the only surviving example of its kind. The four-cylinder Continental engine and 3-speed Borg Warner transmission setup was allegedly capable of propelling the sedan to 70 mph! We can only imagine what blinding speed could have been attained if Gregory had landed funding to install an atomic propulsion drive in place of the Continental combustive unit – or found a few more diamonds.
The Gregory sedan is but one of numerous misfit cars featured in the Petersen Automotive Museum What Were They Thinking? The Misfits of Motordom exhibit, on display until September 20th, 2009. The Gregory is on loan from the Lane Motor Museum. Photo courtesy of the Petersen Automotive Museum.
The Porsche powered Gregory is even cooler….
Ben Gregory to self: “Yeah, the Crosley is nice and all, but it’s just not goofy enough… eureka!”
The Porsche gregory is beautiful. This one is pretty interesting. I bet it handled weird, to say the least.