Erska

My 1973 VW Squareback (Type 3) has the oil bath filter.

In 1950 my half-brother drove the Alcan Highway – in a 1913 Model T Ford! He was 29 years older than me, and I wasn't yet born when he made the trip. I heard him mention it, but didn't know details until a few years ago, when photos, clippings, maps and other memorabelia passed to me after his death. I wrote an article about his trip for Vintage Ford magazine in 2020, and a few excerpts are below. In August, 1950, Larry mustered out of the U.S. Air Force at Ladd Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska, and then drove home to Los Angeles. It was a 4,500 mile journey. In Larry's own words, written on the back of a photo of his T, “it took 53 days to make the trip from Fairbanks, Alaska – plus 24 flats and 10 blowouts. This is one of the first shipment of three Model “T” Fords into the First Ford Agency, opened at Fairbanks in 1913. The cars were shipped from Seattle and eventually brought by a stern-wheeler steamer up the Tanana River to Fairbanks. The Agent, Mr. James Barrack, recalls that he sold these cars as soon as they were assembled; one touring car to Bob Sheldon, this one to Tom Gibson, while he kept the runabout for himself. I bought it from Tom in June, 1948, and spent a year restoring it. I started from Fairbanks on the 23rd of August of this year, toured down the Alcan Highway to Dawson Creek, thence through Yukon Territory, British Columbia, Alberta, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and arrived here at Los Angeles on Friday, October 13.” More details are found in Larry's trip journal, and newspaper articles that he saved. A week into the trip, the Whitehorse (Yukon) Daily Star reported that he was pulling a trailer and traveling about 10 miles per hours uphill. The reporter noted that “Parts for the old vintage car are unobtainable in this part of the country.” A couple of days later, Larry abandoned the trailer soon after it jack-knifed behind the T. Some nights he camped at the roadside, and others he stayed in small lodges and hotels. Miles per gallon ranged from 20 to 26. On September 21, the Edmonton Journal put a photo of the T on the front page, and noted in the caption that Larry “hasn't had much mechanical trouble with his 37-year-old car. His headache has been the narrow, outdated tires. On the trip from Fairbanks he has had nine flats and eight blowouts and has gone through eight spare tires. That's real trouble, because they are hard to get.” (In those days, the Alcan Highway was unpaved, with gravel and earthen surfaces.) In July, the Midnight Sun (Fairbanks) had reported on the upcoming trip. Larry was quoted as saying that when he bought the car, “it was run-down, except that the engine was in almost perfect condition, due to its having been well oiled and stored for some time. However, the wheels were rotted and the tires off the rims, of no use. Parts of the body were in bad condition, having been submerged during one of the floods.” Larry used parts from several other cars to ready the 1913 T for the trip south. The paper also noted that Larry had “also been racing a 'slightly modernized' 1915 roadster on Sundays at a race track near Fairbanks.

For hundreds of photos of cars (teens through sixties) that were in collisions, have a look at the book "Antique Car Wrecks -- From Old Cars Weekly's 'Wreck of the Week' Photo Album." Edited by John Gunnell, published 1990 by Krause Publications, 222 pages. Several copies now available on abebooks.com, likely elsewhere as well. Perusing the photos prompts appreciation for the safety technology in our modern vehicles.

1960s Volvo Amazon in a carport off an alley, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 2009.

Interesting to know that Forest Grove Concours is "the last remaining CDE in the Pacific NW." All the more reason to credit the show's organizer, the Rotary Club of Forest Grove. Not only is the concours a fund raiser for the scholarships at Pacific University, but it also supports other club projects and provides a venue to bring the region's vintage car community together. Thanks, Forest Grove Rotary!

Our 1970 Volvo 144 -- in my family since new (we're of Swedish heritage). Color is Volvo no. 100 - "yellow." Unrestored, just maintained through the years -- original paint, interior, etc. These cars are rock-solid, with some used in long-distance endurance rallies. This one just gets out to west coast Volvo meets.

I too like original, unrestored cars. This is my unrestored 1971 Volvo 1800E, mostly original paint (except for 1980s accident repair) and interior. The car was always maintained and garaged. I bought the car from its original Bay Area owner in 2006, accompanied by a thick file of records from new. Much fun to drive, has been to many west coast Volvo and other events, and almost always it is the most original 1800.

Our northern California college town does pretty well for projects and interesting cars, both then and now. When we came here nearly 35 years ago, there were two MG TDs immobile under tarps in carports within a couple blocks of our house. As a past TD owner, I did not follow up. More interesting was the pristine Austin Healey 3000 also in the neighborhood, unfortunately over my budget. Over the years I've run across a rough but complete 1959 Chevrolet El Camino (in a hoarder's driveway, surrounded by junk), a 1970ish BMW 2800CS, baking in the sun (it sat in a driveway for at least ten years), and a like-new 1980s Porsche 911 retained in the family of its original owner. There was also a professor emeritus a few blocks away with a Pierce Arrow sedan. As I write tonight, there is a Model A Ford under a tarp, and a garaged but immobile early 911, both no more than a quarter mile from here. Not bad for an academic town.

Yet another techie solution to a non-existent problem. This Californian is very happy with his old-tech metal plates -- especially the ones that are original to their 50+ year old cars.

Like it or not, the turquoise Delahaye would sure attract attention. Can anyone comment on what cars of this genre are like to drive, compared to a more conventionally-bodied contemporary? I'm guessing visibility would be worse, as would the sense of where the car ends. Did anyone really drive these things back in the day? Or were they always understood to be mechanized sculpture?

Two cars I wish were still in the family: One, my 1950 MG TD (#2038), sold early 1980s since, just starting work life, I had no time or space for it. Second, and pictured, my father's 1933 Packard Twelve Convertible Sedan, which he sold late 1950s in Los Angeles when I was two or three. Would have been nice to just lock that one away the last sixty years!

Found a rosary under driver's seat of our 1971 Volvo 1800E. We bought the car from its original owner, a devout Catholic, who said she would pray for us until we got home. Home was about 150 miles away via backroads (not Bay Area freeways) -- an eight-hour drive with lots of stops to let engine and seized caliper cool on what was indifferently maintained car. The prayers worked, we made it home, and the rosary is still with the car (though now in the glove box).

Hope to see the missing photo of the Volvo 1800! Good looking, and solid and reliable too -- just finished 500 mile road trip in mine (to Monterey Car Week and back).

My slowest car was this 1973 VW Squareback, with a 1600 cc engine rated at 65 horsepower. It was (and is) solid and reliable. Bought new in college, driven as first car then backup car for about 25 years (covered about 200,000 miles, but always well maintained), then in "dry, covered" storage for about 20 years. Refurbishing almost completed. The paint and interior are mostly original. Squarebacks (aka Type 3 VWs) once were common (at least here on the west coast) but now are very scarce, and largely forgotten amidst the Beetles (Type 1) and Buses (Type 2). Looking forward to taking it to a few shows next year!

Here's a photo of one of the Pebble Beach Best of Show finalists, the 1937 Bugatti Type 57S, taken the day before the Tour d'Elegance, "in the wild." I was walking on Asilomar Ave., a residential street near the seashore in Pacific Grove, heard an unusual engine sound, and was able to get this shot of the car, likely on a test drive before the Tour. My Monterey Car Week experience this year was at more plebeian events (Classic Motorsports Cruise-In, the Little Car Show, Rotary Rally, etc.) that bring in lots of interesting sub-classic, sub-exotic cars, mostly from Northern California. Still had a blast! We were driving a Volvo 1800E, not only in the Monterey area, but for the 400 mile roundtrip from home. Maybe next year the non-Pebble Beach events can have their own thread here.

Here's one car that vintage VW people likely would like -- 1973 Squareback (Type 3), original owner, absolutely no modifications.

This topic was covered in another thread here a month or two ago. Passport Transport was one of the companies recommended. I used them a couple weeks ago to ship a car from Florida to California. Passport did a great job; I would hire them again.

I recall reading that the key difference is that the collector organizes the stuff, but the hoarder does not. Also that (generally) the collector's interests are in specific areas, but hoarders often accumulate anything and everything. I've had to deal with other people's huge accumulations of stuff several times, which leads to another possible criteria: If you have to bring in dumpsters to carry it off, it's a hoard. But if you can sell it (through dealers or auction houses) it's a collection. Estate sales could be either.

My hunch is gas-powered "antiques and classics" will be around for a very long time. Lots of people still ride and drive horses.

Great car! It is always nice to see something different. There is some information about the design and production of these ZIMS in the book Cars for Comrades - The Life of the Soviet Automobile, by Lewis Siegelbaum (2008, Cornell University Press). If you don't already have a copy likely you can find one on Abebooks or some other used book service. The author says 21,527 of these cars were built 1950-1960, and were used in the USSR for limousine and taxi service. I wonder what the Norwegian taxi drivers thought of the ZIM, especially in comparison to other cars commonly in taxi service in 1950s Norway (I'd expect Volvo and Mercedes were the most likely).

Zepher said: "Same Edward Towe that started the Towe Ford Museum in Sacramento that later became the California Auto Museum?" Trimacar said: "And yes, the Sacramento museum is interesting, but finances are tight and if you go there on a rainy day (this from 8 years ago) you might be asked to move a bucket if you see it's not catching a roof leak. I hope they're doing well, a lot of interesting cars there, a lot of them on "loan" for a storage fee of $50 a month. Again, I spent time there for a few years around 2010 or so, my information may be outdated." Yes, Edward Towe of Montana started the Towe Ford Museum in Sacramento, that eventually became the California Auto Museum. Starting out as a strictly Ford collection, owned by Towe, it is now home to a varied collection of cars, foreign and domestic, from Brass Era up to recent electrics, and operated by a non-profit group with plenty of donors and volunteers. Perhaps carrying forward Towe's focus on Ford, most cars in the collection could have been owned by the average guy. There are a few great classics, though, my personal favorite being the 1933 Lincoln KB formerly used by Bank of America founder A.P. Giannini (see below). Nowadays there are lots of differences since Trimacar's visit years ago. The Museum is still located in the same ex-warehouse just off I-5 near Old Sacramento, but the roof was replaced and no longer leaks, and the HVAC system was updated too. For some years, there have been interesting short-term exhibits, recently including station wagons, British cars, Northern California hot-rods, and more. The museum is well worth a visit if you're in northern California. Due to pandemic restrictions the museum has been closed since last spring (except for a month or so in November), but hopefully can reopen when COVID vaccinations are more widely administered.

My father (b. 1904) lived almost all his life in car-centric Los Angeles. I came along in his 'second family' in the mid-1950s, and heard lots of stories about his Model T (first car), Model As, Packards, and others. He always had interesting cars as I was growing up -- my first car memory is riding in his 1948 Lincoln Continental; later there was a grey '57 Thunderbird, white '57 Cadillac, and triple-black '63 Lincoln. His last cars were European, Mercedes 280 and Volvo 144 (we're of Swedish heritage). The Volvo ended up as the keeper, and came to me when my mother stopped driving about 25 years ago. It is a survivor, low-mileage and always garaged, got me into the Volvo Club of America, and then led me to start a meet in my town's Central Park which 20+ years on has become the largest Volvo meet on the west coast. But I've always had broader auto interests, and when I have more time after retiring in a year or two plan to buy a pre-1940 car. High on the list, likely because of the family connection, are a Model T Ford or a late '30s Packard. Thanks, Dad!

Matt, Commenting with my lawyer hat on (but from general principles since I am licensed in California, not Ohio), on the facts stated I don't think you have any legal obligation to take back the TD. It is not your job as seller to assess the buyer's planned use for the car, and whether it fits their purpose (just as it is not your job to figure out whether they can really afford it, fix it, etc.). I would only be worried if you made some clear statement to the buyer that it would be a fine daily driver in modern traffic, capable of safely getting them to work on time and in comfort, etc. And apparently that is not what you said. Even so, as a matter of business goodwill, maybe you will want to make some accommodation to the buyer, as mentioned in other posts. Even so, the buyer should be the guy who loses money on this deal, not you. I myself had a TD back in the '70s, while in college -- and even then it was a fun car, never a daily driver. I saw the photos of this one on your website a couple weeks ago, and it seemed like a nifty little car for the money.

Well, I don't think my daughter would go along with that! That second shelf has the books about the early 1900s road trips. Happily mine are first editions, bought 8 or 10 years ago. Most are available in reprints -- a good source is Abebooks.

Here's a photo of my main auto bookcase, some shelved two-deep, the accumulation of some fifty (!) years. This all started with two gifts from my father: Philip Van Doren Stern's Pictorial History of the Automobile, and Ralph Stein's Treasury of the Automobile (interesting that a couple of others have mentioned that book too). The second photo is another shelf -- stories of early 1900s road trips in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia. These are great stories of the cars and roads of the time, along with the countries and cultures travelled through.