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1975 C/B Oldsmobile
Ambulance
Every housewife needs a station wagon and this is the
closest Amy is willing to get. The coach was purchased new
by the Ainsworth, Nebraska Volunteer Fire Department where
it remained in regular service until 1996. We found this
ambulance for sale by its second owner while cruising the
information super parking lot. We promptly flew to Lincoln,
Nebraska and, after a quick test drive around the airport
parking lot, began our 85 mph crosscountry trek towards
home. Twenty hours, four tanks of gas, and several Denny's
Grand Slams later it was safely parked next to our 1972
Cotner/Bevington Oldsmobile Combination.
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Cotner/Bevington was the only
coach builder offering Oldsmobiles as the mainstay of their
professional car lines. Cotner/Bevington ceased production
in 1975. Production numbers for that year are reported to be
as low as 150 coaches. This ambulance is body number 145
built June 5, 1975 and is believed to be one of the last
Oldsmobile High-Top Ambulances built in America.
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When the car was first put in
service it was designated "A99" meaning "Ainsworth
ambulance". As the car aged and technology changed it was
used as a transport vehicle, driving patients the 250 mile
trip from Ainsworth to the hospital in Omaha. During this
time the car's designation was changed to "A22" meaning
"Ainsworth command and support".
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During restoration we decided to repaint the car with original 1975
Oldsmobile colors in a traditional Cotner-Bevington paint
scheme.
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The ambulance "running
hot".
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Amy with her 7,500 lbs. pride
and joy. The weight is before being stocked with vintage
equipment. The ambulance is powered by an Oldsmobile 455
cubic inch engine and a Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 transmission.
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This is the only other 1975 C/B
Olds High-Top Ambulance that we have ever seen. Jim
photographed this car sitting at C.W. Coach in the early
1980's. This ambulance is believed to have made an
appearance at a Professional Car Society meet in Pittsburgh
in the late 1980's. The fate of this car is
unknown.
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On to
equipment photos...
On
to restoration photos...
On to
car wash photos...
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