Milwaukee Concours d'Elegance to feature 'Capone Gang' limo

Milwaukee Concours d’Elegance - August 4, 2019

Photo - Milwaukee Concours d'Elegance

Milwaukee, Wis. - Many car collectors try to learn the history of their classic or vintage car if it wasn't always in their possession. That history is often interesting, but few can match the history of an all-original 1933 Lincoln KB limousine owned by Jay Quail.

Quail's father was the second owner of this massive 12-cylinder, 7-passenger car. The first owner? None other than Francesco Raffaele Nitto, commonly known as Frank Nitti, and nicknamed "The Enforcer," one of Al Capone's top henchmen. In fact, he and Capone were first cousins.

Quail noted that the 6,000 lb. 1933 Lincoln represented the "sweet spot of pre-war 12-cylinder engines. While other manufacturers like Cadillac and Chrysler also had 12-cylinder engines, the Lincoln KB's engine was "revolutionary in design," he said. It features fork and blade piston rods that are in a straight line rather than opposing each other diagonally.

The 447-cu. in., 150-h.p. KB engine reached a top speed of 105 m.p.h. "There was a cylinder war in the 1930s. The manufacturers felt more cylinders are better," he noted.

Quail said that a "limo was the go-to choice for the bad guys. It could put a little distance between you and the guys chasing you," he said.

Furthermore, the Lincoln was always conservative in relation to Packard, Cadillac and Chrysler with its understated elegance. Not flashy, it is a big powerful, comfortable car. It didn't have hand embroidery and very little chrome parts and the exterior paint was always understated in dark colors.

Lincoln made 107 of the KB limo model. This was the height of the depression and the car sold for $5,000 to $6,000. You could buy a house for that in those years. Quail believes his Lincoln was built in early 1933 because Ford Motor Co. added a fender skirt to the cars built later in 1933. They sent these skirted fenders - always black in color -- to the dealers and they would convert the car for you at no charge. His is a skirted version which was delivered in February or March of 1933.