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Day Brightener for Art Deco Fans


Hudsy Wudsy

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  • 3 weeks later...

My 1934 Pierce-Arrow "production" Silver Arrow 840A (8 cyl):  A total of about 50 SAs were built 1934-35, vast majority of them in 1934, 144" wheelbase (5" longer than the 1933 halo SAs), available as either 8s or 12s and with or without sidemounted spares.  Twelve such cars have been registered with the Pierce-Arrow Society since the PAS founding in 1957.  Some observers seem to look down at these "production" SAs but they were a fraction of the $10,000 1933 price: base price for SA 8s was $3,495 and the 12 cost an additional $400. This is by far the most head-turning car I've ever owned.  They look best in motion.

 

Archie in NV Oct 2015.jpg

DSCN2357.JPG

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Pilgrim, it is a 1938 Graham 97,  supercharged. They made this body style in 1938 and 1939. For 1940 they changed it slightly, you can tell if they are side by side, I've been told. When have there been two of these side by side in the last 40 years except maybe at a Graham meet? ;)

 

The one posted for sale on page two of this thread, if one could sell that new stroker engine and suspension kit for 7 to 10K it would be a great project! That one appears to be supercharged from the placement of the carburetor in the before picture.

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Grimy, your "production" Silver Arrow is absolutely outstanding! Any "observer" that looks down on this car as a 'production' automobile probably wouldn't turn one down if one was offered to them , I know I wouldn't. There were limited production body styles that are just so beautifully styled, sometimes even more so then full customs. Everyone has an opinion but I think the 'production' Silver Arrow like you have is better looking then the show cars. Another amazing looking car is the Studebaker Land Cruiser 4 door sedans of the 1934-35 era. The 1934 Dodge and Chrysler 6 cylinder 4 door close coupled fast back sedans as well.

 

 

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Thank you, Walt!  Especially coming from you, that is a very high compliment!  Since my early teens (a VERY long time ago), I've been enthralled by the aerodynamic experiments of the mid-1930s including those you mentioned and the Hupp of course.  My favorite is the Cadillac Aerodynamic Coupe of 1934-37.  In the mid-1960s I had a 65,000-mile original 1934 Chrysler CA sedan but was on an unsuccessful hunt for the CB club sedan you mentioned.  I tend to think that the Lincoln-Zephyr was the only successful aero design.  I'd love to see you do an article on these cars in your CCCA column, hint, hint!

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OK George I can take a "hint, Hint" :blink: That will be in the works for next year sometime.

At the 2016 CCCA annual meeting in Michigan ,  I gave a talk on custom coachwork for about an hour. It was planned to be at one of the rooms at the host hotel in Novi, Michigan , but wound up being in downtown Detroit at what is today the Center for Creative Studies - the old GM design building that they built for Harley Earl ! Thanks to Bill Parfet who thought it would be a more fitting location (wow was it) and it was up on the top floor in a auditorium about the size of an aircraft hangar  where Harley Earl used to meet with his designers. They still had the working turntable in that room and Bill Parfet had his 1930 Cadillac V16 roadster  hauled in and put on the turntable after its trip up in the freight elevator. Well he decided the 1936 Cadillac V16 aerodynamic coupe by Fleetwood he owned would be better, so had the 1930 roadster taken out and the coupe put in its place! That aerodynamic coupe just about fit on the turntable, the center of the wheels front and back were dead center at the edge of the turntable. Pretty cool to see the car turning around while I gave the presentation.59ee4edfab5b1_1936CadillacV16aerodynamiccoupe.thumb.JPG.e2b31734cbb0b93b561708dc5809cef6.JPG

The talk I gave we modified for CCCA presentations at Boca Raton and Auburn , Indiana recently. At the 2018 CCCA annual meeting the plan is to have several seminars/talks including at least one on classic era design and styling.

Walt

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3 hours ago, Walt G said:

OK George I can take a "hint, Hint" :blink: That will be in the works for next year sometime.

At the 2016 CCCA annual meeting in Michigan ,  I gave a talk on custom coachwork for about an hour. It was planned to be at one of the rooms at the host hotel in Novi, Michigan , but wound up being in downtown Detroit at what is today the Center for Creative Studies - the old GM design building that they built for Harley Earl ! Thanks to Bill Parfet who thought it would be a more fitting location (wow was it) and it was up on the top floor in a auditorium about the size of an aircraft hangar  where Harley Earl used to meet with his designers. They still had the working turntable in that room and Bill Parfet had his 1930 Cadillac V16 roadster  hauled in and put on the turntable after its trip up in the freight elevator. Well he decided the 1936 Cadillac V16 aerodynamic coupe by Fleetwood he owned would be better, so had the 1930 roadster taken out and the coupe put in its place! That aerodynamic coupe just about fit on the turntable, the center of the wheels front and back were dead center at the edge of the turntable. Pretty cool to see the car turning around while I gave the presentation.59ee4edfab5b1_1936CadillacV16aerodynamiccoupe.thumb.JPG.e2b31734cbb0b93b561708dc5809cef6.JPG

The talk I gave we modified for CCCA presentations at Boca Raton and Auburn , Indiana recently. At the 2018 CCCA annual meeting the plan is to have several seminars/talks including at least one on classic era design and styling.

Walt

 

I've been on that floor when I worked for GM and GM was still in the building across the street.  It was a really neat place where a lot of brochures and other marketing materials were shot.  That was on the top floor of what used to be called the Argonaut Building if memory serves me correctly.

 

If the walls of that building could talk, they would have an astounding story to tell.

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Hey Larry, yes indeed it is the Argonaut Building. They restored the turntable in the early 1990's.

There is an exhibit of Harley Earl and a brief history of him and some photos of the designers in that area as well on display in the hall next door.

I coudn't believe I was giving a talk on pre war automotive styling and design in the very halls where so much of it was created. I believe the building was built in 1928.

As you stated so well - if walls could talk.

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The policeman with the cord looks like he is set up for riding a horse. He has long boots and jodhpurs on.

 

If you want Art Deco you had best look at the Dodge Brothers 8. There three-box Art Deco pattern is repeated all over the car: top of headlights and cowl lights; radiator surround at the top and the crank hole cover; radiator cap; bumper medallions; instrument panel; inside handles and escutcheons; on the window garnish mouldings at the bottom; the interior lights inn the top and in the rear corner; the ash trays; even the middle of the outside sun visor. Here are a couple of images from DC8Dave's topic in the Dodge Brothers forum

image.jpeg.2937ae5e0cc050b9bd887b36c917ecb1.jpeg

image.jpeg.e62d39d8bd4a3ba312f1e9627e6b073e.jpeg

image.jpeg.6972ba7a525fd60fffa3fa0de4fb1a7b.jpeg

image.thumb.jpeg.126f5b3c0e6d8a7fead756cb654bcd8e.jpeg

 

It doesn't get more Art Deco than that!

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