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Noma? car in upstate New York


OLDTINPUSHER

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Long story short. Searching an old shuttered salvage yard, being crushed out. In the shed was a 1922 Noma car. Chassis redone in the '7's, body off and stored. Complete car. Alumunim body touring car. One-owner car. Here is the kicker. Owned by "Leggs" Diamond, the mobster. Impounded from his hideout after his murder in 1933. Stored since. Only Noma left?

 

Current owner (grandson of yard's founder) wants offers on the car. Is anyone interested?? He tried selling many years ago, most people thought he meant Nomad.

 

I cannot find any info on Noma cars. He did have original company fliers, etc. It has a Continental 6 engine.

 

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Guest 40 Buick 51c

According to the Standard Catalog of American Cars:

Noma - New York, New York - (1919-1923) - Noma Motors Corporation had its factory at 155 Avenue D on the Lower East Side of New York City and the pilot model of its car ready for the New York Automobile Show in January 1919. The Noma was the only new marque on display at the show, and was occasionally misspelled as the Norma. It was an assembled car (Continental or Beaver six-cylinder engines would be fitted) distinguished by its handsome and low-slung coachwork. In essence, Noma was a subsidiary of the Walton Body Company, the founders of the former being officials of the latter. During the war Walton had turned its entire factory facilities over to the production of airplane wings for the government, and as a result of this experience, lightness with strength became the company's aim for the Noma. It's body frame was laminated wood covered with aluminum. The car's wheelbase of 128 inches was exceptionally long for a car powered by a 55 hp engine, but road performance was good and the rakish appearance even better. Individual step-plates took the place of runningboards. Houk wire wheels were standard, and the car's radiator was distinctive. Over 600 Nomas were build during the marque's decade of production.

There were 123 Noma's built in 1922. The Touring 6P sold for $2,200.

Hope this helps.

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Guest proscriptus

I've got some stuff on Noma--but you'll have to trade me a photo of the car for Lost & Found!

No%20Ma.jpg

Dave

David B. Traver Adolphus

Associate Editor, Hemmings Motor News

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I seem to be one of those guys that will buy anything weird! I own that crazy streamlined steam car from the 1930s,discussed in the General dDiscussion forum in months past. If the car is pretty complete then I am a buyer in the $10,000 range for it. Please pass this on to the buyer. I would like to get photos of the body,chassis,motor,etc. Please contact me on his behalf,or have him contact me. Thanks,George Albright,Ocala,Fla. cell 352 843 1624 email; gnalbright@gmail.com

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  • 4 years later...

Guys I am almost always a tell all guy. However I am trying to buy this car,even though it is not for sale. Thus mum is the word. About 15 years or so ago it was taken apart and the body and parts are in a loft and the chassis in another place. No photos taken by the owners of it before or after taken apart. I am flying by the seat of my pants on this one! Whats new,George Albright. If anyone one has photos of their 4 place speedster/touring model please email them or anything else,to me gnalbright@gmail.com. Yesterday I found this photo of a NOMA roadster. See below.Enjoy!

post-62459-143142400331_thumb.jpg

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  • 7 months later...
Guys I am almost always a tell all guy. However I am trying to buy this car,even though it is not for sale. Thus mum is the word. About 15 years or so ago it was taken apart and the body and parts are in a loft and the chassis in another place. No photos taken by the owners of it before or after taken apart. I am flying by the seat of my pants on this one! Whats new,George Albright. If anyone one has photos of their 4 place speedster/touring model please email them or anything else,to me gnalbright@gmail.com. Yesterday I found this photo of a NOMA roadster. See below.Enjoy!

George - Anything ever come of this? Always enjoy stories with a happy ending :)

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Owner stated when I first discovered the car that "any offers under $250,000 would be an insult". Family had an one off Duesenberg for sale for 50 years. It finally rotted so bad, they ran it over with a D9 and used it for fill !! Car is in pieces under tarps in several locations (including a wood shed with no roof) last I saw it. Wood was redone in the early 1970's, but...

Hate to tell you George, you are chasing your tail.

Edited by OLDTINPUSHER (see edit history)
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  • 1 month later...

Interesting link here.

Last year I was priveliged to see another of 'legs' diamond's cars.

It is a 1932 or 33 Chrysler Imperial sedan that he owned at the time of his assassination. It to was seized by the authorities and stored til the 50's I believe and was recently sold to an Aussie who is using it on club runs etc.

He told me that he was approached by the grandson(?) of Leg's Driver who also lives in Melbourne Australia!

I can't vouch for the accuracy of this story but I do believe it IS Leg's old car and it looks great with the patina of a car stored for most of it's life one way or another.

It even has the monogrammed suit cases of his girlfriend in the trunk.

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  • 1 year later...
Guest Luckhurst

Wiring Diagram for 1920-1921 Noma Model 1B is available in September 1, 1923 issue of Automobile Trade Journal page 87

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

@OLDTINPUSHER I would like to talk to you about some of your tall tales regarding my noma. That car never got shot!

And in regards to photo documentation. My grandfather photographed the car before,during and after dismantling. Also an extensive notebook documenting all work done.

Anybody cares to talk to me personally on the matter, feel free. boomersgarage@yahoo.com or (518)416-6690 

Edited by Boomers garage (see edit history)
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Wow, a living post from 2010 thru 2016 gets new life...

 

Boomer, if you are serious about selling, you should place an ad with loads of pictures which shows the cars condition and a few of the documentation couldn’t hurt either. There’s an active cars for sale section here, but adding to an ancient post with any information, correct or not, is only perpetuating that bad information.

 

 I am not a player here as having owned a Bay State (2 known at the time) I know for a fact that rarity doesn’t come close to any value in an assembled car...

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I may be able to clarify a bit on the Continental engine matter.  For the approximate year and the piston displacement of just over 300 cubic inches, it is likely to be a 9N Continental.  This was used, probably until stock was used up, by Roamer as alternate choice to the 4 cylinder "walking beam"  Rochester Duesenberg.  The 9N is a side valve 6 wit a fixed head cylinder bock bolted to the aluminium alloy crankcase, with the valves serviced through individual holes sealed by threaded caps with separate ring gaskets. Crankshaft has three main bearings, with all journals of generous size and strength.  There is a piston type oil pump driven from a camshaft lobe to send oil (at probably fairly low pressure) to the main bearings,  while dippers splash- feed the big end bearings,  and probably most else relies on Faith and Hope.  The model of Roamer was the 6-54E, said to produce 54-54 horsepower at very moderate rpm. it has long and quite heavy cast iron pistons, and the combustion chamber shape pre-dates Rickardo's patent.  I have a 1917 serial number Roamer chassis frame and significant other remains, which was built for the alternative smaller Rutenber6 cyl engine,  which was a dog with hopeless die-cast zinc-alloy crankshaft bearings. (luckily my two red Kelpie computer and cattle dogs are having a snooze and did not try to read what I last wrote.  Try to find accessible copy on the internet of Red Dog Movie,  a fun film about a Kelpie and vertical, short-nose, long claw dogs that he adopted in the Outback iron-ore mining areas of Nth-west Australia).

Case used a 6 cylinder detacheable head up-grade of the 9N with the same bore and stroke.  My late friend Mike Gausden told us of one that he owned in the 1950s, that he said was a delight to drive and handle.  He said that though it had one dud spark plug,  it cruised effortlessly on 5 cylinders on a long trip back from Adelaide to Melbourne at 55 mph.   I hope this gives you a little perspective. If the Noma remains most valuable to the current owner, though you explain you are neither an outlaw nor a dealer, you could look for something similar .......just in Case.

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On 10/13/2014 at 4:04 PM, George Albright said:

Hello Everyone. About 6 months ago I mailed the guy an unsolicited check for $15,000 for the NOMA to his son,who runs the family business. The dad turned my offer down and returned the check. That is where things are at. I am still working it! George

I once did that, fellow asking 9K for a car, he turned down my 7K offer.  I later sent him a check for 8K, but he refused that too and sent the check back.

 

later, telling the story to a lawyer friend, he said I was lucky to get check back.  With no previous agreement between the two parties, an unsolicited check can be considered a gift.  He could have cashed check and you'd have no legal remedy.

 

As to the car, I'd advise owner and son to have a clear title for the car, and have it listed in the father's will, as it will be in the estate if his thinking on price remains the same.  The value of that assemblage of parts is in 5 figures, not 6 figures, and lower 5 figures at that.

 

Kudos to the father for saving the car. Shame that it is all apart, parts to be lost, and gathering dust.  He saved a car, not a lottery ticket.

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4 hours ago, trimacar said:

As to the car, I'd advise owner and son to have a clear title for the car, and have it listed in the father's will, as it will be in the estate if his thinking on price remains the same.

 

I was thinking along the same lines.

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