Just picked this up elsewhere but thought you folks should read it. One of the many reasons we are able to enjoy this lifestyle is because of what this guy accomplished. Every one of us owes this guy. So long Fran. May you forever soar with the angels!
Quite a history on Fran. I knew of some of his work but never met him. Its a sad thing to lose all the talent the old timer had and he will be missed,
wow thanks for sharing! my you rest in peace. funny he got locked up for no fenders or running boards.
Make that 5 posts. A great innovator in many areas, responsible for the original flip top funnycars in '66. I appreciate all that he did and regret never having met him. R. I. P. Fran.
I'll raise a gl*** to you Fran. A true innovator and a guy whose impact on us car guys can never be truly measured. Thanks for making our lives better...
I grew up with Fran living 2 doors down from me in Farmington Hills, great guy. I didn't realize what a legend he was until he p***ed earlier this year and I read the history of what he'd done. When you're a young kid listening to Fran tell stories was fun but it's hard to put all that together at 9 or 10 yrs. old. Fran was also in charge of building the last Lincoln Presidential Limo started under the Reagan administration and delivered to George Bush Senior. Fran had a picture of that Limo in his house sign by Bush thanking him for the car. This is significant because I remember Fran talking about this on my parents back patio. Fran said the car was so heavy with armor that it needed to be design on a light duty truck platform. This had never been done before...before this, stock limos were bought and taken to a conversion or aftermarket shop. Fran wanted to build the limo in the prototype garage that he ran at Ford in Dearborn, and that's exactly what he ended up doing. He got his way and that was the first presidential limousine to be designed and a truck ch***is. Since then, all of the later Presidential Limos have been made by General Motors but they have all been on light or medium duty truck ch***is. Perhaps some ideas he drew from his days of commissioning "Funny cars" in the 60's. I know it's been months since he died, but I just saw an old coupe last night with a bunch of Edelbrock components on it that made me remember him again. I think I need to visit his wife Pat...she is still a sweet lady and a great cook that I haven't seen in several years. <!-- / message -->
Fran Hernandez is not a man who took life lightly. He loved people, cars, engine building and just being a great mentor to many. He will be missed and I thank the Creator for allowing all of us who knew him for this gift of time he spent with us. RIP, my friend. Normbc9
Thanks for posting this, Jon. Taking another moment to remember is the least we can do for Fran, who blazed so many trails for us all. Scotty
There are two other threads memoralizing Fran Hernandez, but, given his legacy, maybe three is appropriate....
The Jalopy Journal
