Hooniverse Weekend Edition – One of None; A 1956 Lincoln Pioneere

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We received this tip a while ago from 57Sweptside about a 1956 Lincoln Pioneere Wagon. Don’t bother to try and look it up as this is a one of a kind creation made up from several Lincoln Premiers, a lot of hard work, and a dedication to the Lincoln brand that borders on obsessive.

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Say hello to the Pioneere and it’s creator, Phil G.D. Schaefer of Indianapolis. His story can be found in the March 2008 edition of the Northstar News, which is the monthly publication of the Northstar Region of the Lincoln and Continental Owners Club. His story behind this creation starts like this:

It is easy to say how I became enthralled with Lincolns, a combination of riding around in my grandmother’s 1956 Premiere convertible (which she bought brand new and I still own), watching old Perry Mason reruns (loved those 1958′s), my father test driving but not buying a 1967 convertible (boo hoo), and his later purchasing both a Mark III and Mark IV, but the how’s and whys of why I decided to create the Pioneere station wagon are not so easy.

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As near as I can figure it out, I can narrow it to three major influences. The first was my growing need for a large vehicle to carry dogs, antiques, car parts, and the rest of my life around, including to and from my vacation
home. I refused to join the sport utility bandwagon, even when the Navigator was announced, as I prefer a vehicle that sits low (whether it be sporty or luxurious), not high and truck-like. I researched various wagons by BMW, Mercedes, and Audi, but none were big enough. Even the new Buick Roadmaster didn’t have the kind of room in the back that was common 20 or 30 years ago. This brings us to reason number two.

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Early on in my career of restoring old houses I bought a 1975 Cadillac hearse to haul tools and materials. I selected it based on low cost, uniqueness, and the ability to put 10′ pieces of lumber inside and lock them up. (Some of the houses I worked on weren’t in the best neighborhoods, and it seems that criminals are not too fond of hearses, making my vehicle of choice as or more effective than my German shepherds for security.

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Phil’s Lincoln collection includes some limited production models (1954 Capri convertible, 1956 Premiere convertible), a few semi-custom, professional cars (1938 Model K Judkins Berline, 1959 Hess & Eisenhart Formal Sedan) or full custom LCOC approved models (1970 Lehmann Peterson Mark III four door sedan, 1973 Andy Hotton convertible, 1978 Beverly Hills Mark V convertible, 1979 Collectors Series Maloney limousine). You can read more about the 1956 Pioneere Wagon here in the Northstar News, and tell me what you think of this fantastic custom wagon.

Photo Credits: Northstar News (Lead Image), 57Sweptside (All The Rest)

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