By COLlive Staff
A car which was used to drive the Rebbe for many years, which had been in storage since after Gimmel Tammuz 5754, has finally been returned to the garage in his home on President Street.
The car, a grey Cadillac with beige leather interior, was purchased in 1978 for the Rebbe by Rabbi Nochum Pinson, Rabbi Shmuel Butman, Rabbi Baruch Kievman, Rabbi Mottel Kalmanson and Rabbi Dovid Rappoport.
It is said that the Rebbetzin visited the Potamkin car dealership in Manhattan to choose the car. The car was used for many years to transport the Rebbe to and from his visits to the Ohel of the Frierdiker Rebbe in Queens.
12 years ago, at a Farbrengen at Bais Shmuel in Crown Heights, Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, the Rebbe’s secretary, told the story of the car, telling that when the Rebbe received it he said, “we will drive to Moshiach with this car.”
Rabbi Krinsky said that the car had been in storage in the Boston, MA area near where his nephew Rabbi Mendy Krinsky lives, since after Gimmel Tammuz, COLlive has learned.
Rabbi Krinsky mentioned that the car’s condition had deteriorated considerably after years of being in storage, and that it needed to be moved, since the place where it was being stored could not hold it much longer. The car was then moved to Crown Heights, where it remained until a year ago.
About a year ago, philanthropists and donors to Chabad causes, brothers Sholom Laytin and Eric Laytin of Brakemasters in Tucson, Arizona, began to research local Cadillac dealers who could assist with refurbishing the car.
They located Jim Verra, a stockbroker from Manhattan, who collects Cadillacs, and they arranged for him to meet with Rabbi Krinsky to transport the vehicle.
“It was heartwarming to see Jim’s effort and devotion to the cause and to clean the car, fix it, yet leaving it authentic,” Sholom Laytin told COLlive. “He personally drove it to a Cadillac dealership, moved it to a repair shop to install a muffler that he had to special order and a lot of other parts, then a body shop and a detail shop.”
Laytin and his brother donated the cost of the refurbishment of the car, “in honor of our beloved Rebbe,” they said.
“It was an honor to work with Rabbi Krinsky and his nephew Mendel, and I look forward to continuing to work with them,” Sholom Laytin said.
The car has now been returned to the garage at the Rebbe’s home at 1304 President Street in Crown Heights.
“I can’t explain the special excitement on Friday before the Rebbe’s birthday, when Jim drove the car from Mt. Kisco to the Rebbe’s house,” Laytin said.
This is truly an amazing story. Thank you to all that made this a reality. Mamosh Hey Teves!
Thank you Rabbi Krinsky and family for this amazing and beautiful project.
A Kosher Un A Freilichen Pesach
Thank Mendel. A true mentch, and perfect tour guide. Gentle and elegant. Chip off the old block. A pleasure to visit the rebbe’s house and say tehillim an ask for yeshuos ubrochos. Keep up the good work.
It is a 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special Brougham, on the GM – “C” body platform. The Rebbe’s car featured a 500 cubic inch (8.2 litres) V8 engine and 3 speed Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission. The engine was the biggest ever in a production American car, but due to pollution controls, its horsepower rating was only 190 net.
Rabbi Shmaya Krinsky, a big thank you to you for your efforts in making this happen from A to Z.
You are quiet but you accomplish more than all others.
Hatzlacha Rabboh and special thanks for taking care of this and bringing the car back.
As we all know the Tefilos that were said in the car and this car was the one that the Rebbe traveled in. Special and Thank you.
Thank you Rabbi Krinsky for this. May you continue doing good things for Lubavitch and all at large, especially when it comes to the Rebbe’s Inyonim.
Beautiful story. Yasher Koiach for it.
In addition to Rabbi Nochum Pinson, Rabbi Shmuel Butman and Rabbi Baruch Kievman – is Rabbi Mottel Kalmanson and Rabbi Dovid Rapoport.
זכותם יעמוד להם בגו״ר.
A job well done.
Thank you Rabbi Krinsky,
and to all those involved.
A very special birthday present..
From all of the Rebbes Chasidim,
We wish you many healthy and happy years.
As a kid, I remember the Rebbe being driven in this car. Such nachas to see it returned to its former glory. Yasher Ko’ach!
Thank you for sharing, as the rebbe said in connection 2 hai teves all the rebbes possessions retain there kedusha so for sure this iconic car the the rebbe went to the ohel so many times to the ohel & learned Torah on the way & davend for klal yisroel .
I feel like Moshaich has to come right now!!
Thank you for retuning the car and for the restoration!
Why was it in Boston all this time?
Upholstery,carpets…
BS”D may we see the Rebbe being driven in the car very soon