The Continental Kit - All Car Central Magazine

The Continental Kit

That Tire On The Back

by Rick Feibusch

In the early days of the automobile, the roads were poor and tires were fragile. Part of the early automotive experience was the regular repair of flats, often multiple times during a single afternoon outing. Early cars had easily dismountable tires so the driver could remove the tire and inner tube for patching and remount it on the car in a reasonable amount of time.

As cars became more sophisticated and roads got better, owners found that bringing along one or even two already prepared spares would hasten this messy project. Many cars placed the spare tires out of the way on the back of the car - see the 1928 Chevrolet tourer at the top of this page. This was the place of choice for most cars, though some sport & luxury models did feature "sidemount" spares.

In the mid-1930s, automakers started to integrate a rear storage compartment (called a "trunk" after the luggage-like miniature steamer trunks that used to ride on racks behind the spare tire) into the body design. By 1937, most American cars had moved the spare into the trunk ? see the second photo of a 1938 Chevrolet. On the other hand, British and European manufacturers added a trunk (called a boot, in British-ese) retaining the external spare for more storage space.

It was in this light that Edsel Ford had a special car designed and built after returning from a trip to Europe that would feature what he called the "continental look."

Based on a contemporary Lincoln Zephyr, the car was sectioned (cut horizontally to lower the body line) a few inches above the fender line and had a lowered top line.

The sleek design also featured an inset spare tire mounted on the trunk. The one-off concept car was so well liked that it went into production in 1940 through 1942 and came back after WWII, until 1948 see the green 1942 Continental to the right on this page.

By the early 1950s, rear mounted spares became an impressive add-on for many American luxury models. First seen as factory options on Cads, Packards, and Buicks - like the 1953 Skylark at the top of this page. They were also fitted to the sporty Willys Jeepster, another attempt to bring British sportscar style to the States - see photo on the bottom of the previous page.

Continental Kits were integrated into the design by extending the bumper a few feet behind its original position with a valance between the bumper and body, forming a "shelf" to carry the tire. Sometimes a smaller centrally mounted bumper extension made a less massive rear end treatment like the `56 Thunderbird or the late 1950s Chevrolet Impalas.

Speaking of two passenger T-Birds, legend has it that a complaint by Henry Ford II that the trunk of his personal `55 Thunderbird did not have enough room for his golf clubs without removing the spare tire. The 1956 Thunderbird, like the one to the right, came standard with its spare tire on the outside. The 1957 model had a bigger trunk!

Some automotive historians feel that the "Continental Kit" term also describes a nonfunctional circular bulge that is stamped into the trunk lid or a cosmetic accessory to the rear of the car giving the impression of a spare tire mount.

Made popular by a number of Italian bodied Chrysler dream cars, and later embraced by Chrysler designer Virgil Exner. These started to appear on Imperials in 1957 (see image to right) and worked their way down to baseline Valiant compacts by the early 1960s.

Ford also did an optional bolt-on fiberglass faux rear-mounted spare that was bolted to the trunk lid of the 1953 Indianapolis 500 Pace cars and the promotional replicas. These became a general

option in Fords complete 1953 Product line. See the bottom photo to the right.

As the style became more popular, aftermarket firms and catalog suppliers made Continental Kits available for most cars. Styles changed and interest faded as the high performance "muscle car" became the "in" thing.

Continental Kits and Imperial trunk bumps made a brief reappearance in the early 1980s disco-era "Pimpmobiles," along with faux Rolls Royce Grilles, chrome wire wheels, and padded fabric top treatments.

Contemporary examples of Continental kits are sometimes found on customized automobiles or fully accessorized restorations from that era. It has become an iconic, retro accessory that typifies the style of the late-1950s. The only car that came with a standard factory rear mounted spare in recent years is the English Morgan - a true continuing classic as opposed to a modern retro design. Speaking of retro design, check out the real unit built for the PT Cruiser....

CONTINENTAL KIT PHOTO GALLERY

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