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HELP! Need info on circa 1935 streamlined vehicle I just bought!


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( HEY GUYS_-More interior photos on page #3 of threads!) I just bought this monstrositity of a vehicle. Appears to have been in Michigan all of its life. Built on a circa 1930 Packard car chassis. Steam engine added in the 1940s. May have been a worlds fair show car,a non running prototype,or had a Packard 8 with its expermential front wheel drive assembly reversed. Almost certainly built in a factory. Steel body.Any photos/leads appreciated! Yes I know its ugly! George Albright,Ocala,Fla. cell 352 843 1624 email gnalbright@gmail.com

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Edited by George Albright
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I just bought this monstrositity of a vehicle. Appears to have been in Michigan all of its life. Built on a circa 1930 Packard car chassis. Steam engine added in the 1940s. May have been a worlds fair show car,a non running prototype,or had a Packard 8 with its expermential front wheel drive assembly reversed. Almost certainly built in a factory. Steel body.Any photos/leads appreciated! Yes I know its ugly! George Albright,Ocala,Fla. cell 352 843 1624 email gnalbright@gmail.com

The attached article said it was built at the gentleman's home.

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Thanks for replying. I realize thats what it says,which is from the Clark/Kimes Standard Cataglogue of American Cars 1805-1942. However the second owner mentioned in that piece is still alive and informed me Mr. Hariss bought the car assembled from an unknown source,and he installed a Stanley Steamer steam engine in the 1940s. Buck Boudeman removed the steam engine approx. a decade ago. The car was originally built with no engine as a display piece,or had a gas engine in the rear,probably Packard,since the running gear is Packard. Could it have been built in the Packard factory? Let me hear from you guys! George

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Could it have been built in the Packard factory?

On a limb, I'd say impossible. because:

I studied the pics pretty good when it first showed up there. I was looking at what I thought was a very "non'factory" fit to the doors and general non factory fitment of other details.

When it gets delivered I am sure you can tell what the quality of the original build was.

That thing needs to get back out on the road to terrorize all the modern cars that give the antique car drivers a hard time. :)

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The old time custom body experts could tell who built a body "by eye". Each maker had its own collection of French curves and patterns and its own way of making things.

At a venture, yours does not look like it was made by a recognised maker. More like a local garage or inventor.

But if a real judge of 30s cars saw it he should be able to tell at once if it was the work of a recognised custom body maker.

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Guest elmo39

First off it is ugly ,but there is a saying (or was )beauty is in the eye of the beholder ) but i can,t see any factory accepting responsability for this , even in the days of the Tucker ,(which incidentaly i think is beautifull or the Edsel(ditto).but apart from that f&j have you ever seen a early 30,s vehicle with perfect door fit , i haven,t even right through to now , unless you have a top of the line car , the faster they came/come off of the assembly line the more profit

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Dear Guys Thanks for your thoughts! Steve your kind words made my day.Thanks for having the AACA research people look about it in the archives. I think the thought that a bus mfgr. made it is a good one which I will explore. A 30s GMC bus engine and trans might be the ticket. If anyone has a contact with the Detroit Public Library,please foward this to them,and/or email me their name and numbers. Hopefully there is something about it in the Detroit Auto Trade press. I intend to spend time and effort to properly document the vehicle. Thats half the fun of owning an old car! George

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Someone with a LOT of spare time should thumb through all the Popular Science and sister magazines of the day and hopefully find some info on this vehicle. It's no MILLER Dirt track car, but if you're happy with it that is all that matters.

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It has some the characteristic's of the McQuay-Norris that Hemmings Motor News owns.

Also the comment about the Stout Scrab is in line. Remember that during this period lots of expermental one of a kind cars were built. Even in the 1960's my brother and I built one.

The "Moon Machine"

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Dear Friends Please go to this Ebay Auction number Item number: 320390626383 to see about 15 inside and outside photos of my car. I bought from the seller after the Ebay winner decided not to buy it. Sorry I didn't post this in my initial posting. GREAT PHOTOS at the auction site! George

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It definitely has 1937 Chrysler Airflow headlamp lenses. I just sold one of those lenses a few weeks ago. That vehicle sure looks hard to change lanes in with that lack of rear visibility.

Edited by keiser31 (see edit history)
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If any of you guys have Popular Mechanics magazine,trade journals,etc. from 1930-42,please look thru them for this vehicle. Does anyone have a name and phone number of someone in research at the Detroit Free Library. Finally does anyone own or know the whereabouts of a 1930-42 bus gas or deisel engine and transaxle that we might use to power the "bus".Thanks! George Albright ,owner cell 352 843 1624 email gnalbright@gmail.com

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Thanks for those nice words. The first order of business is to thoroughly research it,and uncover its unknown past,for it to travel with the car. Research is half the fun of owning an old car! Then we'll decide what if any motor was original to it,and try to repower it as near as original. Geo.

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PS Spoke with the NAHC dept. at Detroit Publi Library today and same with the Gilmore Museum in Hickory Corners,Mich. Sent both of them the photos and info from the Ebay auction. They are on it-hopefully they will find something. Will keep you guys posted. Any other literature collections that should be contacted? Geo.

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Dear Guys Thanks for the Twin Coach Idea-I will contact the Kent State Univ. and have them check their literature. I will also post on the Packard website. I do not know the wheelbase,as the car is still in Grand Rapids Mich. I think it is around 20 feet long overall,so the frame,if Packard,would have been lengthened. To some of the other posters,yes I am aware of its association with Mr. Hariss of Dertoit. He put the Stanley Steamer engine in it,but he did NOT build the car. It was built in some car or bus factory or design shop or studio,probably in Detroit. There is no way an individual hand built this steel body,and finished the interior,door panels,etc. It could have been built with a Packard straight 8 turned backwards,or a 1930s gas or diesel bus engine and transaxle. Or it may have been just a rolling display piece with no engine,until Mr. Hariss acquired it in the late 30s or early 40s and installed the Stanley engine.If you guys have some Popular Mechanics and Automotive Trade Journal magazines or truck and bus trade magazines from 1930-42 era,please check them out for me. Somewhere there must be info on this car at a show! Thanks,George Albright PS Several threads up is a hyperlink to the Ebay auction which I bought the car from,with around 15 more photos. Please look at the interior quality,the custom dash with Packard gauges,etc.

Edited by George Albright
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That would be great! I also have Barbara Thompson at the NAHC working on it. Finally I sent an email with the info and photos to automotive expert David Cole at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor,and spoke with,and emailed info to William A. "Bill" Luke,expert on vintage buses and author of many books on buses. He is in Spokane,Wash. ONWARD! George

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THANKS for 2 great leads! You will see they were built in the mid/late 40s. I am all but certain mine was built in the mid 30s. Remember we probably have a 1928-31 Packard chassis under it. Yes I realize that could have also been acquired in the 40s from a junkyard. However every indication we have is that it is a 1930s vehicle. THANKS guys for digging!! George

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OK Everyone-Its contest time!! I will donate $100.00 to the AACA library in your name for the person who provides me with new written info and or a photo of my car. Must be different than the one in the Clark/Kimes Standard American Catalogue of American Cars book,which provided the photo and info shown at the beginning of these threads. Lets git er dun! George

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Guest Xprefix28truck

George, I'm confused... Why do you say that it had to be built in a factory or coach shop. You seem to rule out home built, because of fit. I'm NOT picking on you or your new purchase. There are many tallented people around. Probably more in the past than today. I have personally seen a few hand crafted vehicles, that were home built, that you would swear were factory vehicles. So I'm just wondering why you would rule this out?

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Good Question! I am not totally ruling out it was made by an individual. However in my 40 years of car collecting,I have viewed many many one off cars. If you first look at the steel body that has no fabric inserted in the middle top section,like most mid 30s cars,you have to ask,how could an individual build this?? Then look at the interior photos and notice how there are interior door panel covers,moldings,and then moulding panels on the inside and inside roof area. That looks like factory or studio work,not an individual who pieced something together in his garage.Let me put it back to you: Who during the depression would have had all the tools necessary as a private party to build such a piece? Inquiring minds want to know? Thanks for the question! George

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  • 1 month later...

Dear Friends I am about to move the beast from Grand Rapids Michigan,to my home in Ocala,Fla. Before I do,I am going to see if anyone wants it for $25,000.I really don't want to sell it,and am looking foward to getting it under way. However,someone out there may be crazier than me! George Albright Email; gnalbright@gmail.com cell 352 843 1624. PS I have lots of photos I can email a serious buyer.<!-- google_ad_section_end --> <!-- / message -->

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Am I reading this thread correctly????

The link to the ebay listing showed it ending @ $8600, but then I see a more recent post:

"Dear Friends I am about to move the beast from Grand Rapids Michigan,to my home in Ocala,Fla. Before I do,I am going to see if anyone wants it for $25,000."

Is there something I'm missing here?

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