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Automotive Lifestyle
VINTAGE: Gangster’s Ford In Scottsdale Auction
Barrett-Jackson selling Model A used in 1934 getaway by John Dillinger; restored car appeared in recent Dillinger movie.
Media Release  |  Posted January 04, 2010   Scottsdale, AZ
With the bullet holes patched and the blood-stained upholstery replaced, the Model A used by John Dillinger will be auctioned at Barrett-Jackson. (Photo: Barrett-Jackson)
The 1930’s Ford Model A used by the notorious gangster John Dillinger and later in a blockbuster 2009 movie about his life, will be sold at no reserve during the 39th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction at WestWorld in Scottsdale on Jan. 18-24.

The Ford, which carried “Public Enemy Number One” to safety in 1934 while Dillinger sprayed pursing cops with his Tommy gun, will cross the block as the world watches on SPEED Channel, which will broadcast 39 hours of live auction action.

“While Bonnie and Clyde, Machine Gun Kelly, Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson were media celebrities, none were more famous than John Dillinger,” said Craig Jackson, Barrett-Jackson chairman and CEO.

“His daring robberies and holdups fed the nation’s hunger for sensationalist news. His ability to elude capture and escape by using fast, reliable cars with seeming impunity made him a folk hero.”

The Model A was used by Dillinger in a famous 1934 shootout and escape, in which one of his cohorts was slain. (Photo: Barrett-Jackson)
Dillinger and his gang raged throughout Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin during the Great Depression. One of Dillinger’s most memorable escapes took place at the Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters, Wis. on April 22, 1934. Dillinger, Homer Van Meter and John “Red” Hamilton, his two top lieutenants, escaped in the 1930 Ford Model A coupe offered at Barrett-Jackson.

“This car is a piece of American gangster history and as much a part of Dillinger’s legend as his Tommy guns and Colt automatics,” stated Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. “Not only did this particular car get the famous gangster out of a fix with the cops in hot pursuit, it was used in the recent Johnny Depp movie about Dillinger. So it’s played an important role in history and cinema emulating history.”

After a series of robberies, Dillinger and his gang hid out at the Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters. The proprietors, Emil and Nan Wanatka, recognized them and managed to tip off the authorities to the gang’s location.

Upon arrival, the Feds perforated the lodge with bullets until Dillinger, Van Meter and Hamilton bailed out of doors and windows, rushing through the woods until they found the Model A nearby. The gangsters politely but firmly commandeered the Ford and its owner, Robert Johnson, to drive it.

Johnson was let out near Park Falls, Wis. The trio of crooks eluded law enforcement and drove to Hastings, Minn., over 200 miles away from the Lodge. There, they were once again identified and fled in a high-speed pursuit. Hamilton was fatally shot in the hail of gunfire. Dillinger, it is said, smashed the Ford’s rear window with his Thompson and sprayed his pursuers with bullets as he escaped.

Heading for the anonymity of Chicago, they dumped the bullet-riddled Model A in favor of a stolen 1934 Ford V8. Just three months later, Dillinger was killed as he exited the Biograph Theater in Chicago.

Bullet-pocked and blood-stained, the Ford was impounded by the police. Files from the Division of Investigation (now FBI) identified it as “1930 Ford coupe, 4 cylinder, Model A, Wisconsin license #92652, Motor #2980001.”

“The Model A was eventually returned to Johnson who determined that it wasn’t worth repairing and parked it for nearly three decades,” Davis said. “The car ended up in the barn of Alfred Love’s mother in-law, where Johnson rented a bungalow. Love bought it from Johnson and eventually passed it to his son, Mark, the current owner.”

The Ford was carefully restored in 2007 to appear in “Public Enemies,” preserving the original bullet holes and dimples under body filler and carefully documenting the original appearance including the upholstery soaked with blood. This car is comprehensively documented with its transfer paperwork, articles, books, before-restoration photographs and a selection of documents copied from the federal files.

“This Ford was at the center of one of the most famous shootouts in gangster history,” Jackson said. “It is more than any automobile and even firearm identified with Dillinger. It’s been owned by only two families since it played a crucial role in the Little Bohemia Lodge escape.

“The Dillinger Ford Model A coupe would be an incredible addition to a collection, museum or attraction that commemorates the history of Ford, the Model A or American history.”

Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale: Jan 19th-24th
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