Zimmer (automobile)

A Zimmer Quicksilver

A wedding Zimmer limousine in Tallinn, Estonia

The Zimmer Golden Spirit was the flagship of the Zimmer Motorcars Corporation with more than 1,500 produced during its production run from 1978 to 1988. The original Golden Spirit was built using a Ford Mustang chassis and drivetrain.

The second Zimmer Motorcars Corporation offering was the mid-engined Pontiac Fiero-based Quicksilver which was built between 1984 and 1988. The Quicksilver is a two-seat personal luxury car designed by former General Motors designer Don "D.A." Johnson. Each Quicksilver was constructed from a complete Fiero donor car, which was dismantled at the Zimmer factory in order to lengthen the chassis by 16". The Fiero bodywork was replaced by a new fiberglass body with styling similar to the Lincoln Mark series but with a sloping nose and pop-up hidden headlamps. The interior was trimmed in leather and wood, and the new body had increased luggage space in the front. The retail price of the Quicksilver was $52,000.[1]

Both models were built in the same factory in Pompano Beach, Florida, on simultaneous production lines between the years 1979 to 1988.[2] Ford supplied new Mustangs, which were then modified by stretching the frame for a longer wheelbase and modifying the bodywork etc. The Mustang VIN was retained as it met all the required US safety features at the time.

In 1988, Bob Zimmer sold his shares in the company and purchased an automobile dealership. Shortly after that, Paul Zimmer suffered a major heart attack and became less involved. At that time a group of employees and members of the Board of Directors attempted to direct the operation of the company and were not able to navigate such a large entity during a difficult economy and the loss of the company's most important and influential member.

Zimmer Corporation fell into serious economic distress and the $325 million a year parent company was forced into bankruptcy, taking down with it all of its operating divisions, including the highly successful and profitable $25 million a year car company.

Zimmer Showroom in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

In September 1996, Art Zimmer (who is no relation to the original Zimmer family) became aware that an automobile had been manufactured which shared his surname. Shortly thereafter, he acquired the "Zimmer Motorcars" name and various Zimmer Motorcars Corporation materials and established the Zimmer Motor Car Club for Zimmer car owners. By 2001, there were over 500 members in the club.[2]

In 1997, Art Zimmer, president and CEO,[2] started the Art Zimmer Neo-Classic Motor Car Company after buying a model in a local automobile dealership.[2] The company, also known as Zimmer Motor Car Company, currently builds 10 to 20 automobiles each year and is headquartered in Jamesville, New York.[3]

The current Zimmer Golden Spirit retails for $175,900 and is billed by the company as "the most awesome automobile in the world." It is the first four-door convertible produced in decades and is based on a Lincoln Town Car chassis. The company also offers a two-door model that is built on a Ford Mustang chassis which retails for $109,900.[4] The advantage to owners is that the automobile can be serviced at any Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealer. This includes full service and Ford parts and warranty work. Additionally, the automobile has all the latest safety and modern engineering features available.[3] Because Zimmers are built atop existing chassis, the company can use the legal certification of the Town Car and Mustang, obviating the need for separate crash and emissions certification by Zimmer.

Art Zimmer established the company's manufacturing facilities in Cambridge, Maryland, and in December 1998 the first Zimmer Golden Spirit produced by the newly formed Zimmer Motorcars rolled out of the factory.[2]

During 2000, the company established a Syracuse presence when two of its operations, Rosenthal and Chadwick, a metal fabricating company, won the contract to supply heavy-duty steel bumpers, badge bars, and associated support parts. For the first time since 1934, when Franklin Automobile Company closed, automotive manufacturing returned to Syracuse.[2]

In May 2000, Zimmer and Sam Vigliotti, president of Sam's Auto Body and Service Center on West Genesee Street, located in Syracuse's historic Automobile Row, announced that the latest Zimmer model, currently in development, would be manufactured at Sam's Auto Body. Because of this alliance, by 2001, the company was able to manufacture a new vehicle every six to eight weeks.[2]

Zimmers are manufactured "on order" and sold through an international distribution network. There are distribution centers in several states in the United States, as well as throughout the world such as Saudi Arabia.[2]