8E45E

I have no problem believing the performance of an electric. For years, where I lived, many of the transit buses were electric trollies. They had far better acceleration; especially on steep hills than their diesel-powered brethren. An electric CCF-Brill trolley bus fully loaded with passengers would be at the top of the hill before the 'new look' GM bus was a third of the way up. Craig

Thanks for those photos; especially those Minerva ones. Craig

Story has it, he was a newspaper photographer. Don't those guys get bonuses and danger pay for doing 'stupid' things to get that special photo for their readers? Craig

The Westgate Bridge failure was due to carelessness and total disregard of any consequences resulting thereof. Being a pre-assembled Box Girder construction bridge, tolerances were ignored, and when the span did not match the adjacent one for height once it was hoisted onto the piers for boltup, it was suggested to add weight to bring it down from where it was five inches out. Instead of lowering it back to the ground for proper re-assembly, the inevitable happened. Craig

I believe that video is shown to every first-year engineering class right down to this day, and one still has to write their own thesis as to why it collapsed in only a 42mph wind. Yes, harmonics and oscillations were a huge factor in its failure, along its unprecedented 1:74 span-to-width ratio. The great debate among structural engineers still go on. Craig

And the 'wannabes' drove Roamers!! http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?51752-Orphan-of-the-Day-06-04-1920-Roamer-Touring Craig

Could have also been a Minerva from Belgium. They were popular with the movie set at the time. Craig

Today, it would be am 8-passenger MINIvan!! Craig

Craig

http://www.psmcdr.com/ Craig

Now that would be very popular at the PSMCDR event. There is a growing interest in base trim level two-door sedans with the highest-performance engines offered for that year. Only way this example would be any lighter is if it was the Utility Sedan (Fleetmaster?) without a back seat!! Craig

The 20 year old will spend ALL DAY looking for it. The 40 year old might get resourceful and go downstairs and look through the old microfiches and see if it goes back that far. The 60 year old will tell you to go to Hillcrest Cadillac or some other Cadillac agency that's been around for 100 years. The 80 year old who has not retired yet might remember seeing the a part hanging on the wall of his garage at home because his dad once owned one. Craig

What to expect? Absolutely NO help from your local new Caddy dealer!! Craig

THIS is the almost-made-it Saab: http://9-5sc2012.com/ A genuine collectible for sure. Craig

Yes, I also appreciate dash plaques. They are compact and don't take up a ton of room, and don't have to be mounted 'on the dash' as seen in the top pic. I also have plenty of them dating back to the late 1970's. Craig

He's probably never been more happier. Too bad it took him so long to get rid of her, but he might make it to 100 now. Craig

Me too! I haven't used my oven for over 20 years! Craig

There doesn't appear to be enough headroom for an average adult inside, unless the proprietor was very short, or continually sat down while preparing the food. Craig

Being a 'park bus' and looking at the size of it, it was meant to shuttle kids around. Using a Crosley running gear would have been an economical way to do so at the time. Craig

It was also a HUGE problem on early 1970's North American Fords; especially full-size models. They suffered premature rust-out of the doors and front fenders, especially in the rust belt areas in the northeast. It was a huge scandal, and caused Ford to take a serious look at rustrproofing and offering a 'Duraguard' body warranty starting in the 1977 model year. Craig

If there was drinking involved, that was probably a good idea. Craig

I thought Ford radios of that era had a 'V8' on the dial face. Craig

What about Mazda? 'Mazda is the 'god of light'. I have some nos GE pre-focused headlight bulbs from the 1930's with 'Mazda' depicted on the sleeve of them. Craig

Since we've drifted 'across both ponds' on new-car quality, British Leyland was notorious for shoddy workmanship, but a lot of the blame must also go to their supplies, including Joe Lucas, Smith's etc. Craig

The first Dodge Aspens and Plymouth Volare's were VERY sub standard, which could be attributed to rushed production as they appeared a good two months after the usual new-car introduction time in September. I remember looking at a brand new Volare wagon in the showroom, and the imitation wood trim was very poorly applied on the front fender, where the driver's door would rub against it as it was not stuck down where it folded around on the backside of the fender. And that was just one of the loose ends those cars had when they were new. Craig