Gaylord Gaylord Sport Coupe 1956
The Gaylord sports coupe featured an innovative retractable hardtop.
The top retracted into the trunk. The first Gaylord's were equipped with a 365 cubic inch 305 horsepower Chrysler V8 engine and a Hydra-Matic four speed transmission. In 1956 some Gaylord's were equipped with Cadillac engines and were displayed at the 1956 New York auto show.
The Gaylord, when mentioned nowadays, draws a lot of criticism for its, um, quirky looks. (It’s a Brooks Stevens design – what’d you expect?) Most people trot out the big-headlamp prototype, yuk it up, and move on. But after reading Richard Langworth’s history and description of the Gaylord in SIA #61, February 1981, you realize that it was actually a well-engineered car, not simply some crackpot’s automotive fantasy, and it was actually at one point headed toward production.
The chassis had independet front suspension by coil springs, tube shocks. Rear suspension was by live axle, coil springs and tube shocks. Drum brakes were on all four wheels. By 1956 the price tag was $17,500.00 and only a few were made in 1955 and 1956.