Vanderbilt Cup Races

Cantrell sometimes got chassis from the factories to body cars that were complete except for the body as seen in this photo that shows the rear fenders crated and lashed down to the frame above the gas tank, also complete with the cowl and windshield.

1922 Dodge-Cantrell

Dodge chassis received the majority of the Cantrell bodies prior to 1940. This example is from 1922 and shows the earlier version of their wagon body construction, note the light color of the body panels and location of the "b" pillar.

Windshields and cowls were the factory issue components (supplied to Dodge by the Budd Body Co. of Philadelphia, Pa. ) and used on roadsters and touring cars.

1926 Dodge-Cantrell

This is a 1926 Cantrell body on a Dodge chassis. Compare it to the 1922 version. By 1926 Cantrell was using dark body panels and the "b" pillars were moved back. The seating configuration was for 7 people, with clear floor space under all of them except the drivers seat where the toll box was located. The front and rear seats were bench seats while the center seats were individual with a space between them to allow people access to the rear seat.

The center seats could be removed and ter rear bench seat fitted in its place, or all seats could be removed for clear space aft of the front seat. You got truck cargo
space with the comfort of a passenger car.

The above information I was told by Wilbur Percy, the stepson of J.T. Cantrell back in the early 1970s.

1928 Franklin-Cantrell

Cantrell advertised its wagons almost exclusively in the Country Life magazine published by Doubleday in Garden City, NY.

This advertisement dates from 1930 but the car shown is a 1928 Franklin series 12 B built in the latter part of that year.

1937 Packard-Cantrell

In late 1936 the Packard Motor Car Co. in Detroit, Mi. contracted with Cantrell to be its supplier of wood station wagon bodies for its 6 cylinder "110" chassis and 8 cylinder "120" chassis.
 

Packard even went to the extent to produce a b & w sales folder specifically for that body style and mentions Cantrell on the cover. This is the most national exposure Cantrell ever received.

Not many Packard wagons were produced as the Packard chassis was more expensive then the other wagons offered by other manufacturers at the time (Hudson, Dodge, Chevy, Plymouth, Ford,Terraplane, and Pontiac)

If more space was needed the tail gate could be lowered as shown and a larger carrying platform was available.

In the Packard Six- Cantrell station wagon the spare tire and wheel mounted in the back of the front seat. They were covered with leatherette matching the upholstery.

1948 Dodge-Cantrell

At times Cantrell would order the cars or the factory would send cars with the cheapest body style available ( a business coupe or 2 door sedan) mounted to the chassis - a complete car, and they would cut the body off above the windshield to then build their wagon bodies.

They then stacked the cut off bodies out in a near by field, all brand new but minus the cowl/windshield area and the doors.

As with the above, this is a commercial truck chassis, postwar most of the Dodge's  that Cantrell built were on truck chassis.