[Instrument Panel/Dash Board Reference Resource]

1929 Graham-Paige 827 - 

 

 

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Interesting mix of less common cars in this 1934 photo - maybe Willys, a 1933 Plymouth with the less-common wood wheels, and maybe a late 1920s Nash coupe.

 

Photo info - "Manhattan: 427-431 West 126th Street (June 26th 1934) -Percy Loomis Sperr, photographer"

 

 

Time machine version - 

 

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An interesting mix of photos here which includes one from Hungarian photographer Martin Munkacsi's  shots of the girl in a rumble seat, shot in Berlin in 1932. Any clues to the identity of the car?

 

April 2015 ~ Vintage Everyday

 

 

 

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Caption self explanatory - 

 

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A photo from a series illustrating women taking over driving jobs in the UK while men were away at WW1.

 

A well-used Albion which was probably several years old by then.

 

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Four early motor cars outside the Knowles Automobile & Motor Power Company Ltd premises, Melbourne 1903.

It is possible the cars are: Peugeot 1899; Royal Star 1903; Darracq; De Dion Bouton engine. The showrooms were located at 102-104 Spencer Street, Melbourne.

 

SLVIC

 

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Coincidentally I have had this one on file for quite a while. Also from 1919 but the location is Hastings, New Zealand. The NZ house is much smaller but the architecture is similar, though it has Marseilles tiles on the roof whereas the house in Australia has corrugated iron, a roofing material also commonly seen in NZ.

 

 

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'Telyarup', Michael Corbett's estate at Gnowangerup, Australia, 1919.' The car is a Buick I think.

 

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I came across the facebook page of RAF Netheravon, apparently the oldest UK military airfield still in military hands - dating from 1911.

 

There are several photos of Crossley staff cars and tenders which were built in significant numbers for military use. More info about the model here - The Crossley 20hp and 20/25 car (crossley-motors.org.uk)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In case it wasn't obvious - Huiles Renault - 😀

 

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A photo from Dannevirke in New Zealand - a town founded by Scandinavian immigrants in the early 1870s. Current population is 5,700.

 

I think the car is an Oakland. 

 

Photo from the Dannevirke Museum.

 

 

 

The building is still there - though no longer in the motor trade.

 

 

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An interesting narrative shared to a facebook page by Varun Coutinho. Originally posted on a family historical page. Credit for all of this goes to Varun, I am just passing it on.

 

"George H. Frost (born 1890-died 1953) sits at the wheel while his future wife Pearl Robinson sits beside him. In the back one of his brothers Burton Hunt or Ebenezer Theodore sits between two unidentified ladies. George is the son of William H. Frost who founded the Smiths Falls Malleable Iron Works. The car is a 'Pullman Touring Car' built by the York Motor Car Company, York Pennsylvania. The company's motto was 'not only the best at the price but best at any price' was a coy comparison to the quality and luxury of the famous Pullman Sleeping Train Cars (the two entities were not related). The cost of the car in 1910 was a whopping $2,000.00 ($125,000.00 in 2014 dollars) compared to the Model T Ford touring car at $500.00. They did not live up to their luxury claim as they were notorious for mechanical troubles and ceased operations in 1917 after only 12 years in business.
The second picture shows the car on the side of a road with a flat tire. George H. Frost is seen leaning against the vehicle while the other people are unknown. Both pictures are dated 1910 and provided by his granddaughter, Joanne Frost."

 

As an aside note how the 'top boot' - if that is the right term - on the first car is secured by a strap the rear of the frame, rather than to the body.

 

 

 

Unfortunately the original writer's identification of the cars is incorrect - doesn't that happen so often with amateur (or even professional) historical stuff?

 

The first car is actually a 1909 Pennsylvania Type C 50 hp (114" wheelbase) - 

 

 

And the second car is a circa 1907-08 Russell, built in Toronto, Canada - 

 

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Another mystery photo from a facebook page - looks American circa 1916 - maybe?

 

 

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10 minutes ago, 8E45E said:

It appears your rear window unzips and folds down in the Studebaker.  I wonder if the DeVaux has a fixed glass rear window.

 

Craig

In a word - yes. This photo is from when the car was for sale last year. It has a 'plastic' rear window although the original was glass with a steel frame. It came with the car and I have it here in my office - 

 

 

 

 

As an aside there was thread on a facebook page earlier this year by a guy restoring a similar era Rolls-Royce with a similar rear window. He fitted his with zips which I think are not correct for the period. I don't know whether those domes on mine are period correct.

 

EDIT - this photo is of the interior of the only other surviving GE cabriolet, restored in the US some years ago. It is probably more 'correct' than mine, which was done in the 1980s.

 

 

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13 minutes ago, keiser31 said:

I'm going with 1931 DeVaux for the cabriolet.

 

 

Edit - btw from a look at the De Vaux article in The Standard Catalog the model is a Custom Coupe, which suggests the top may not fold?? 

 

Much like my Studebaker - which the factory referred to as a cabriolet even though the top was fixed - 

 

I think whereas the Studebaker's roof is 'soft', the De Vaux coupe probably has a 'hard' roof though and the irons are for show.

 

 

 

 

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4 minutes ago, keiser31 said:

I'm going with 1931 DeVaux for the cabriolet.

 Looks good - everything seems to match - the tail lamp, the roof line, the landau bars, door handle position etc.

 

A rare car, it would be interesting to know how it got to Samoa. Hard to say from the original photo whether it is right or left hand drive.

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They keep coming...This one was posted on an fb page just a few minutes ago.

 

The angled louvres are distinctive on a car as early as maybe 1914 - 

 

 

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Here is a mystery car from New Zealand. My first thought was that it was one of the larger models from the Standard Motor Company but on their models with horizontal louvres they are in groups of seven. This car has eight. I still think it is an English car but could be proven wrong.

 

 

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Another one from ebay - posted with no information. The tie rod across the front suggests an early date. Perhaps when identified I should add it to the period race cars page.

 

 

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A crop of a photo from ebay - an unnamed Minneapolis streetcar executive with his new car. My guess is from 1913 by the electric had lamps and gas sidelamps. Various details pick it out - particularly the small 'kick-up' of the body side behind the rear door. Make unknown.

 

 

 

 

 

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4 hours ago, LCK81403 said:

We may never know definitively what the Samoa car is.  The small door handle is not seen as clearly defined as the larger and more comparative features of a 1931 Plymouth and '31 DeSoto.  The Plymouth has a much more pronounced radiator shell than the Samoa car, and the hood louvers of the Plymouth extend more along the length of the hood than the Samoa car.  Perhaps I am not understand something in the imagery, but the Samoa car still looks way more DeSoto and Plymouth.

 

My reasons for suggesting 1931 Pontiac were - the suggestion of a slight vee in the radiator shell, the position of the hood louvres, and the dome hubcaps. I know it doesn't have the fender lamps. The position of the door handle means it is probably not a Pontiac though - 

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A photo from Samoa - captioned 1920s but I think the coupe might be a 1931 Pontiac. Anyone got a better idea?

 

 

 

 

 

Anything identifiable among the other cars?

 

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1 hour ago, nzcarnerd said:

A couple of early post cards from New Zealand - not very large unfortunately.  I think the car in the earlier pic is an early Darracq but the other one with the plate RO9 is a mystery, although I am fairly certain it is American. I have another photo of it somewhere - somewhere -but still looking. Posting these now as I hope someone may have a clue to its identity, while I hunt for a better version.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I knew I had posted pics of RO9 before -just took a little searching -  

 

[Instrument Panel/Dash Board Reference Resource]

16 minutes ago, pmhowe said:

!835 Cadillac. Note the lock for the radio. Early radios for 6V systems were terrible energy hogs and could quickly drain a car battery.

Edit needed - 1835?

[Period images to relieve some of the stress]

A couple of early post cards from New Zealand - not very large unfortunately.  I think the car in the earlier pic is an early Darracq but the other one with the plate RO9 is a mystery, although I am fairly certain it is American. I have another photo of it somewhere - somewhere -but still looking. Posting these now as I hope someone may have a clue to its identity, while I hunt for a better version.