THE MONTHLY MILLER-METEOR

1975 Miller-Meteor Cadillac Criterion ambulance owned by Cedar Knolls Fire Dept., Cedar Knolls, NJ.  Photographed as new by John Toomey.  Photo courtesy of Rich Litton.

Do they get any nicer than this?  Here's a 1976 Miller-Meteor Cadillac Lifeliner Ambulance  that is well equipped with warning devices!  This massive ambulance is owned by Pat Lapennia of Kalamazoo, MI.  This picture was taken during the 2002 PCS International Meet.

From Tony Karsnia's archives comes this photo taken by Tom Parkinson:  A 1966 Miller-Meteor Cadillac Paramount ambulance in service at Bay Area Ambulance Service, Burlingame, California.

This beautiful two-tone rig was fully loaded with Guardian lights, dual fender-mounted whip antennas, and dual spotlights. Notice the leading ends of the M-M ambulance grilles in the quarter windows. What a thrill it would be to come across this beauty, tucked away like a time capsule in a garage all these years!

Miller-Meteor expert Tony Karsnia photographed this 1949 Miller Cadillac Combination at the 1995 Professional Car Society meet in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. It is owned by C. Taron Smith of Smith & Sons Funeral Home in Columbia City, Indiana.  This is truly one of those rarely seen gorgeous survivors.  According to "American Funeral Cars & Ambulances since 1900" by Thomas A. McPherson, such a car cost $ 5,595. when new.

As photographed by Bernie DeWinter IV, this attractive Georgian silver 1974 Miller-Meteor Cadillac Eterna with a black crinkle-finish top appears as an in-service professional car with "FARRIS" names plates in the windows and Ohio license plates. 

The Eterna was styled for those professionals who preferred a combination of landau and limousine styling.  Miller-Meteor even had special sized chrome landau bows cast for this application.  Though impossible to tell for sure without seeing the interior, the possibility exists that this car could have been a hearse/ambulance combination.  Notice the full crinkle top, sparkling-clean white wall tires, 3 piece window draperies, red Federal beacon-ray with the skirt cut to the proper dimensions for the roof slope and, barely noticeable in this picture, rust along the rocker panels.  Bernie often referred to this as, "the tin worm."

Many ambulance enthusiasts have seen Joe Klein's 1969 M-M Cadillac Classic 48" ambulance (which was our featured M-M one year ago this month.) In keeping with the December red-and-white Christmas theme, here is his wife, Trudy's, rig, a '72 Volunteer that Joe & Trudy restored themselves and painted to match the '69. This car, which has less than 60,000 miles on the odometer, last saw service in Greeley, Nebraska. It is equipped with Miller-Meteor's exclusive tu-way jumpseat (pictured) which allows for placement of the forward attendant's seat to face either the rear or right side of the car, depending on the needs and preferences of the owner.

Josh Gentry of Lebanon, Tennessee is the proud owner of this sable black 1967 Miller-Meteor Cadillac Classic Limousine Duplex.  Regardless of whether this car is outfitted for funeral coach or ambulance duty, she's a beauty!

Perfection!  Larri Dirks' 1976 Miller-Meteor Cadillac Duplex, in ambulance mode, at a parade in Aurora, IL.  This has to be the luckiest car on the planet, considering its past life and what Larri did to bring it to its current condition.  What's that behind Larri's '76?  That would be Larri's 1972 C/B Oldsmobile ambulance, followed by a couple of stray Eureka coaches!

One of the nicest Miller-Meteor Cadillacs around iS this 1979 Miller-Meteor Cadillac Landau Duplex owned by Chuck Kramer of Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin.  1979 was, of course, the last year for Miller-Meteor coaches built in Piqua, Ohio.  Chuck's car may be 30 years old but looks like the day it left the Piqua factory in 1979!

A 1954 Miller Cadillac First Aider Ambulance as new outside the Miller plant in Bellefontaine, OH.  This car was delivered to Hillsdale, NJ Fire Department.  Photo courtesy of Rich Litton.

A 1956 Meteor Cadillac Ambulance poses for the photographer in this factory shot.  Most notable are the roof lights, the enormous chrome siren/light, the ambulance patterns etched into the windows, those gorgeous wide whitewall tires with gleaming chrome wheelcovers, and the unique Meteor side chrome treatment with a dip in the number two door for a crest with the owner's initial.  Class A, All The Way!

A recent addition (2008) to the professional car collection of Northland Chapter Member Ron Devies is this attractive 1976 Miller-Meteor Cadillac Classic Limousine Duplex combination. Notice the updated body side trim, formal drapes, and unique color scheme.  Photo by Marlboro Township, Ohio, Police Chief Ron Devies.

Three 1960 Miller-Meteor Cadillac 48" Volunteer ambulances (unknown owner / location.)  These appear to have been a dark green and white 2-tone.  Note these cars are equipped with the optional Safe-T-Vu lights.  Photo courtesy of Rich Litton. 

From John Sullivan (second from left in the above picture) comes this news picture from the Lexington (MA) Minuteman Newspaper, dated August, 1970.  Lexington was replacing their 2-year-old 1968 Miller-Meteor Cadillac ambulance with a brand new 1970 Miller-Meteor Cadillac ambulance, which John had personally driven from the Miller-Meteor factory in Piqua, Ohio.  John Sullivan, Sr., the tall man at the left, was a New England representative for Miller-Meteor for many years. 

Never at a loss for photos of unique ambulances is New Jersey Professional Car Society member Rich Litton, who submitted this shot of a 1969 Miller-Meteor Cadillac 48-inch landau ambulance.  While M-M 48-inch rigs were popular, the landau option was not commonly seen.  Notice the dual fender mounted Mars 888 lights and the placement of the electronic siren speaker!  This car was in service with the Rocky River, Ohio Fire Department.

The lush green grass in this picture makes us long for spring, and the beautiful 1967 Miller-Meteor Embassy Flower Car, owned by Antonio Militello of Columbus, Ohio, makes us appreciate the long, elegant lines of the Miller-Meteor Cadillacs of the mid and late 1960s.  Miller-Meteor built only six flower cars in 1967.

This 1930 Meteor Cadillac Ambulance, owned by the Pray Funeral Home of Charlotte, Michigan, was one of the stars of the 2001 Professional Car Society International Meet in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Earl Kemp Long, former governor of Louisiana and brother of Huey P. Long (also a governor of Louisiana) died of a heart attack on September 5, 1960 in Alexandra, Louisiana at age 65.  Here's Governor Long's final journey in a 1960 Miller-Meteor Cadillac Classic Limousine Combination.   From the Walter M.P. McCall Collection.

This 1957 Miller-Meteor Cadillac Futura is owned by VanderLaan Funeral Home in Hudsonville, MI, and was displayed at the Professional Car Society's 2002 International Meet in Grand Rapids, Michigan.