Let’s say you’re a 7 term congressman, and you invite rich and influential people to your King Ranch, which
is 825,000 acres(333,866Hec) of Texas, for some BBQ, drinking, wild animal shooting, arm twisting, and
campaign donation extracting. Of course they’re impressed with the food and hospitality but when it's time
to kill critters that's your weak link. You must pile them into a ’46 Ford that’s been jerry rigged to venture
into the great wide open. What to do? What can you do?
Miss Buxom, get Harley J. Earl on the line.
Harley sends his right hand man down to gather facts. They get in the Ford the and took off across the
mesquite, hog wallows and dry washes at 60 mph, where the GM man got beat up and his teeth rattled.
To get over sand dunes, deflate the tires, and reinflated them with a carbon monoxide fire extinguisher.
Enough facts, enough… please let me go back to Detroit!
So GM built this Buick, El Kineno, the Kings Men, the name being a tribute to the entire Mexican village
moved to the King Ranch for labor.
1949 Buick 152-hp Fireball straight eight and Dynaflow transmission, frame dropped 5.5 inches(14cm),
overall length grew 4 inches(10cm), height and ground clearance increased, and weight grew 900 lbs(408kg).
Nickel chrome moly shot-peened steel for power steering and suspension components, a 32 quart(30L)
cooling system, hood emblem air intake, 20-gauge steel rear quarters. The hood, doors and decklid were
.064 inch(1.63mm) aluminum(aluminium). Rugged 15x8.90 6 ply truck tires with 2 spares, and canvas top
with Plexiglas side curtains.
Outside - game forks for holding deer, chrome tiedowns on the bumpers and running boards, and 3 rifle
cases on each front fender. The windshield folded down to shoot from the front seat. A seat on the front
fender, the only seat with a belt. Each fender hid a spring-loaded lighted storage compartment, a first
aid kit with Band Aids to hypodermic needles.
Inside - chrome grab rails, adjustable air cushioned brown leather seats, painted pony-skin rug, compass,
altimeter and tachometer. The door panels and aluminum tumblers in the bar carried the Running W brand.
Under the dash is the winch control, pistol holster, and a radio-telephone.
I would believe this car cost GM over a million 1949 dollars to design and build.
But what the congressman/cowboy paid, nobody knows.
Well, nobody’s saying… I’m just saying, you know the old saying, hear what I’m saying?
