Description - This is a documented shop coat that belonged to Dealin' Dawson from Memphis, TN. It's a 40s/50s era coat with chain stitch embroidery on the back that says KLYCE MOTORS STUDEBAKER MEMPHIS.DAYTON Cross Country on 3 Wheels. On the front there is a Studebaker patch and the name Dealin' Dawson embroidered over the chest pocket. It buttons up the front and at the cuffs with Union Made donut buttons. There is an attached belt.
Details
Brand - Cowden
Content -
Size - Labeled Size 46 - the model in the photos is 6'2" and wears a modern size Large. It was a bit big on him
Shoulders - 23.25" across
Chest - 27.75" pit to pit
Sleeves - 24" from shoulder seam
Waist - 23" across
Hips - approximately 27" across
Length - 46.75"
Condition - Please see photos for close ups of the staining and flaws. I did not clean this because of the provenance
The Memphis Press-Scimitar
Memphis, Tennessee•
So They Take Off in a Three-Wheeler For a 5000-Mile Tour of the U. S.
A peculiar, robin's egg blue vehicle drove out of Memphis today with two crazy men in the cockpit. It was a Studebaker Champion, all right-said so right on the side —but it had only three wheels. You guessed it. Dealin' Paul Dawson was in the driver's seat and Tradin' Tom Ryan sat beside him, ready to relieve.
There's a Reason
Object of the apparition—a 5000-mile trip over the U. S., sponsored by Arnold Klyce of Klyce Motors, Memphis Studebaker agency - to promote the product. The car actually drives with only three wheels on the ground. The car was presented to Dawson by Klyce. Dawson and Ryan went to work on it, welded blocks between all spring actions, produced a rigid frame with no spring action. Result-the car bowls along at 40 with it's right front end hanging in mid-air. Dawson and Ryan are headed first for South Bend, Ind., home of the Studebaker factory, via Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Dayton (where Klyce has another agency). At South Bend, if all goes well, the three-wheeled deal will cruise either to New York or Los Angeles, thence back to Memphis. Where the right front wheel is supposed to be is a notched-out rim with no tire. Like a toy auto, which has no springs, the car coasts along on left front wheel and two rear wheels, does not dip to the ground over the unsupported right front.
250 Miles a Day
Dawson and Ryan plan a 250-mile trip daily. There is no beefing In frame or bearings, only the welded blocks cutting out the spring action, Dawson said. The notched rim where the ordinary wheel used to be is nine inches off the ground, acts as a "safety hub" in case anything goes wrong. Itinerary includes a stop at Indianapolis, to take a spin around the famed 500 prior to the Memorial Day racing classic. Dawson and Ryan first spun around Memphis in another make car last month-without the right front wheel.
