City’s final fleet of Crown Victoria taxis destroyed by Sandy

Hurricane Sandy destroyed everything in her path — including dozens of the city's last new Crown Victoria cabs.

Scores of the new cabs were ruined by floodwaters as the vehicles sat in a Hoboken, NJ, lot awaiting shipment to a Manhattan dealership.

The new cabs would have been some of the last of the iconic model, which Ford stopped producing in 2011.

Two hundred of the vehicles in the lot were lost in the storm.

"When I first started seeing the pictures, I was on vacation in the Dominican Republic," said Ralph Sibbio, 50, head of Manhattan Ford's taxi division. "That one photo sums it all up . . . and it's all you needed to know."

Sibbio said that in addition to the Crown Victorias, the dealership lost 75 other cabs — totaling $4 million in losses.

"It was devastating to see," he said. "It really was a tragedy."

Although the insurance company paid Manhattan Ford for the cabs, Sibbio said, the company still took a major loss given its deductible. He added that cab owners suffered as well.

"It was devastating to us, not only financially, but to clients," he said, noting that the car was popular because it rarely broke down.

"They wanted the last of the stronghold of the Crown Victoria, the car that can handle the mean streets of New York City."

Taxi and Limousine Commission chief David Yassky said the photo of the flooded cabs captured much of the suffering throughout the industry. Many owners lost their cars and suffered through a gas shortage.

"The photo became emblematic of the storm in general, but it really illustrated the impact on [the industry],'' Yassky said.

Richard Wissak, who co-owns the 55 Stan Garage in Long Island City, said his family taxi business struggled after the storm.

The company lost 28 cabs entirely and dozens more were damaged as saltwater corroded their engines. He watched it through their surveillance cameras.

"We saw through the cameras the water rising and rising, and then at a certain level, it all went black," he said.

"We have hundreds of drivers that rely on this job to feed their families. To come to work and not be able to go work was frustrating for them, and for me."

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