Article in High Performance Pontiac Magazine on our Member and Vice President of APA Vince Welling`s Pontiac Limo

BY SCOTT PARKER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSE L.F. FREEMAN III
The '65 Superior Pontiac Embassy
Limousine is somewhat of a mystery in terms of its production figures, however, in Pontiac circles nationwide, only about 10 were supposedly built and 6 are currently known to exist 'This makes the '65 Bonneville-based Limo a very rare find, which is why Vince Welling couldn't pass it up both times he carne across one.
-Being a car freak. I was always on the lookout for something unique," said Vince. The Embassy Limousine certainly fit that bill, as its limited production and 248 inch body virtually guaranteed exclusivity. Beginning its life as a standard-equipped Bonneville sedan, the transformation to in nine-passenger limousine occurred at Superior Coachworks in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Superior a major manufacturer of professional cars was hoping to compete with vehicles such as Cadillac's Series 75 models. By stamping their own roof and doors, they were able to lengthen the body 24 inches, accommodating an extra row of forward-facing seats. The 150.70 inch wheelbase afforded its passengers ample room and comfortable seating for three adults on the folding jump seats. As a Pontiac aficionado and having worked at his family's Pontiac dealership most of his life, Vince knew how rare the Embassy Limo was when he came across one in the summer of 1983. He also thought the limo would be a great courtesy car for the dealership, a multipurpose ride for himself, and an extremely comfortable ride for weekend excursions. After reading an ad in a national magazine for a while '65 Bonneville Limo, he wast­ed no time in making arrangements. With the car located in California would be taking a great risk in attempting to drive it all the way back to his hometown in Texas .To add even more uncertainty to the equation ,Vince planned to tow his friends SUV back after driving to California after already putting so many miles on it . However, he and his friend “wound up taking turns with both vehicles in a sort of strange automotive push-me-pull-you fashion to get over the mountains, ”said Vince . Both the overheating engine and slipping tranny would be upgraded, as the worn-out 389 Turbo 400 and 2.60 rearend were replaced by a host of Pontiac parts that Vince had acquired over the years.
A Ram Air-III 400 with a Tri-Power, a customized Turbo 400 “switch-pitch” trans with 1,500 and 2,800 stall speeds, and a 3.42 Posi rearend revitalized the aging behemoth. Though not much to look at, Vince turned quite a few heads by keeping pace with the stock mid-`80s muscle cars despite the limos 5,600-pounds, as it ran low 16s in the quarter mile. Though cosmetic work was on the horizon, as funding decreased and family dealership was sold in 1986, the project was never finished. The engine was stripped from the rusted Limo and reincarnated in a `69 Grand Prix.

"Long, sweeping lines of the extended Bonneville body are set off by the Portofino Blue paint and polished chrome pieces on the rockers and the addition of `65 2+2 fender louvers on the roof. The rear doors are most noticeably longer than stock Bonneville`s and were stamped at Superior Coachworks factory in Kosciusko, MS."

Ten years later the Limo was pulled from storage as intentions were stated for its second go around. A few months into the project, Vince got a call from his friend and “fellow Pontiac freak” Jim Hodges who had been on a business trip in upstate New York when he discovered another `65 Bonneville Limo. Located at Duchess County Autobody, this one was black, had a little rust, and appeared solid with only 48,000 original miles. Being that the car seemed to be in much better shape than his white Limo, Vince decided to roll the dice and jet out to New York.
A test drive quickly revealed a badly rusted floorboard and dry rotted tires, however this was nothing that couldn’t be fixed with a piece of scrap metal and a trip to Sears. Unwilling to fly home empty-handed, Vince decided to rake another chance by purchasing it and driving it back to Texas. In addition to a new set of brakes, radials and alignment, Vince decided gambling with the 30-year-old water pump and alternator wouldn’t be prudent.
Back at the small town of Alvin, Texas, just below Houston, is where the now 50-year-old Vince had gradually acquired a large cache of Pontiac parts in his garage. The stock 389 was swapped for a B&M supercharged 428 that was in his rusty Grand Prix. The Turbo 400 “switch pitch” tranny was prepped for another tour of duty by local mechanic Ray Dotson and mated to the 428. Vince then installed a Gear Vendors Overdrive to help recover some of the lost fuel mileage (going from 16 to 12 miles per gallon) due to the increase in engine displacement. Then he another local shop Brad`s Muffler, install a Dynomax exhaust system to free up some horsepower and sweeten the exhaust note. The stock 2.60 peg-leg axel gave way to a 3.42 rear that later failed, and now a 3.73 Safe-T-Track from Vince`s Catalina 2+2 and 11x3-inch finned aluminum disc brakes with Praise Dyno Brake linings to help halt the even porkier 5,800 pound sled. Monroe shocks and reinforced lower control arms help keep the Limo planted firmly during dragstrip launches.

 
"External gauges mounted on the hood cowl monitor volts, oil pressure, engine temperature, and boost pressure. Note the matching blue Indian head in the center of the dash, a gift from a friend and fellow Pontiac hobbyist."

"This B&M Streetcharger may have caused a great deal more work in modifying the Offenhauser intake manifold, not to mention the hood which had to raised to fit the blower, but it was well worth it. When combined the Holley Double Pumper and forged internals, the 467 blasts the 5,800lb Limo into the low-14-second range. "

With the drive train and powerplant taken care of, next on the agenda would be the bodywork and interior. The hood was first on the list because with the supercharger, there simply wasn’t enough clearance. So the hood was raised by grafting a section from another Pontiac hood—creating a cowl induction to draw air in. A Grand Prix front clip was also added, along with 15x7-inch Rally wheels to give the sled a sporty look to match the performance upgrades. The body was painted DuPont Portofino Blue, and the top was given a blue-grey finish to match the shirt that Vince was wearing when he went to the paint store. While it was an odd way to arrive at such a decision, he was very pleased with the results.
The interior was a custom-design for this rare treasure by Benny Meza in Pearland, Texas. Two tone panels, black carpeting and grey with black piping headliner were designed to complement the previously purchased Navy Malibu/Mist Gray cloth seats. Originally designed for a pickup, the Qualitex Eagle Trucker seats were retrofitted to the Limo yet blend seamlessly adding to the luxury and comfort.

"These seats were originally designed for a pickup truck, but when combined with the center console, provide the utmost comfort. One of the key features of the Embassy Limo was the forward facing jump seats capable of accommodating three more adults."

Being an extremely rare car with looks and added individuality to boot, this Limo was sure to be a showstopper at the Dallas Area Pontiac Association Southern Nationals. However, while on a Sunday cruise to Galveston Vince`s 428 "suffered a cast iron heart attack" as he called it, when the crankshaft snapped in two. With only two months until the May of 2004 show, it would be a mad dash to finish. Luckily Vince had a head start as he had already acquired a 455 block with #66 heads from a `71 Bonneville purchased for the first Limo. He then took the 455ci Pontiac motor over to Owens Racing Engines in Pearland, Texas. It was disassembled and the block was bored over and fitted with an Eagle 4.25 stroker crankshaft (resulting in 467 cubic inches), Eagle H-Beam 6.80-inch rods, and JE pistons and rings. A Crane flat tappet hydraulic cam features 226/234-degrees duration at .050 with .457/472 lift with 1.65:1 Crane roller rockers.

Next the Offenhauser intake manifold was taken over to a local machine shop, Gates Machine Tool Repair in Manvel, Texas, where the B&M 174 Streetcharger was to be fitted to it. A top plate for the manifold had to be fabricated to match the supercharger before it could be mounted. This lowered the blower 2 ½ inches because it originally had an adapter plate. The supercharger was then fitted with an 850-cfm Holley Double Pumper. Lastly, a Mallory Unilite distributor, coil, and Hi-Fire unit were added.

With this setup Vince managed a best e.t. of 14.37 at 97 mph. That’s pretty impressive for such a heavy car, Vince thinks he can improve on those times now that he has a new set of headers. Although no one makes headers for the `65 Bonneville, Doug Thorley`s `69-70 Grand Prix headers fit the limo" given lots of persuasion", said Vince.

While some people might criticize Vince`s Embassy Limo for not being a "faithful restoration," I doubt that this will bother him as he is blasting past cars half his weight at the strip and taking home trophies at car shows. Whatever your preferences are, you have to admit this is one unique Superior ride that provides the show and the go and can seat nine passengers to comfortably witness both .

"The dash is kept mostly stock except for a Jensen radio cassette, which nicely complements the Craig Quadraphonic 8-track. Aftermarket controls for the overdrive were also installed just below the dash by the steering column. The steering wheel is from an `80s Pontiac Parisienne."

"The door panels, along with the carpet and headliner, were installed locally by Benny Meza who incorporated symbols from the American Pontiac Association."