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ALL German companies got 'liberated' from their owners, be it family owned, or a stockholder owned company and belonged to the Nazi government for that period of time. Even GM lost Adam Opel for a time during the war. It is open to debate whether Mr. Prym himself supported the war effort or not, and may never be solved. I recall in 1986. one classic car magazine did a nice, full report on the 100th Anniversary of Mercedes Benz. Apparently, the author got too detailed in the activities at DBAG during the second world war years, and received a nasty, terse letter from them explaining his reporting, although factual and true, made it clear it was NOT their will to be making weapons of war during that time, and was a dark spot in their history that they did not want to be remember for. Craig

War is a terrible thing! Craig

We never hid under our desks. We had to stand facing the inside wall of our classroom with our legs slightly spread apart, and hands against the wall above our head. I remember doing this emergency drill a few times. Craig

One must remember, right after the war, Germany was divided into four zones; France, British, Soviet, and the U.S zone, and Canada was a part of the British Commonwealth. Therefore, it was fitting for General Motors to import more Opels fro, Germany into the United States that Canada, and the opposite with Vauxhalls from Great Britain. The only Vauxhalls officially sold in the United States was the Victor four door sedan and station wagon from 1958, until 1961, or so. And in Canada, the only Opel was the 1970-72 1900GT that was officially imported. The Opel Olympia, Kadett, etc., was never sold in Canada, while the Vauxhall Viva, Velox, and Cresta were never sold in the United States. Craig

From all appearances, the Ruxton and Wolseley have as much in common as an Alfa Romeo 164 and a Saab 9000. Craig

What's rare in one locality does not mean its rare in a different part of the world. A Holden Monaro is rarely seen in North America, but to an Australian, there as common as a Chevrolet here., Craig

I'm trying hard to imagine anything 'Wolseley-derived' on this Ruxton. http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?64363-Orphan-of-the-Day-08-16-1930-Ruxton I could see if Wolseley was a front wheel drive car, then there could be some component sharing, otherwise no. Craig

I thought Sears made some of their bias-ply Allstate tires 'in-house', but only the most common sizes at the time. I do know their radial tires were sourced from Michelin. Craig

At least the 'driver' is also protected from the rain.

Here's a link to a 1948 Davis: http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?57613-Orphan-of-the-Day-12-26-1948-Davis 1947 is nearly identical. Craig

Story has it, Hershey is an unfavorable target for a takeover, due to them having exclusive rights in the USA to package and market Kit Kat, a former product of Rowntree McIntonsh. In their marketing agreement, it was indefinite, BUT, becomes nul and void if taken over by a competing company. HEY! Nestlé bought Rowntree Mcintosh in 1988!! Craig

I believe they call the four doors "coupes" is because of the factory 'chopped' rooflines which give it that sleeker appearance. BMW, Mercedes and VW were not the first ones to label a 4-door a 'coupe'. Rover was the first with its P5 model in the 1960's, noticeable with its lower roofline, and thin window frames. The car was supposed to be a pillarless hardtop, but they could not make the body rigid enough to do so. Craig

Keep your eye open on Ebay for this rare option: http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?95788-Ford-Mercury-speedostat-speed-control Craig

That is identical to the Flarestat unit Studebaker used. It was also mounted below the dash, suspended on a bracket so one pulled it toward oneself to activated them, versus pulling the knob downward as on your Impala. Craig

True for US cars, but a lot of foreign cars have the switch dead-center on the dash, usually near the top. Craig

1966 would be the correct year when it was an option on all vehicles, and standard from 1967, on. It was definitely an SAE-mandated thing, as many import cars had the actual number moulded, or etched right into the switch itself; usually on the side. True some cars had it as optional before that, such as 1960 Imperials, but it was only commercial vehicles, which were mainly trucks that had them. Craig

Our local 'Pick & Pull' received a 1965 Studebaker Cruiser a number of years ago which they wisely placed in their 'Complete Cars for Sale' compound before being sent to the yard for dismantling, had it not sold. I was fortunate enough to see it in there a day or two after it was hauled in, and purchased it whole on the spot. It had a seized motor, but an excellent body, with very little rust. Turns out its a rather rare engine/transmission combination, 6-cylinder with a 3-spd overdrive, with something like 74 1965 Cruisers made that way. Craig

GM themselves have very few innovations to their credit, although two big ones, the Hydromatic transmission and the Comfortron fully automatic HVAC are fully theirs. Many of the inventions appeared before GM was formed, or before the marque became a GM product; or in later years, others invented it; be it another automaker, or a supplier to the automotive industry. Often times, its the supplier who invents the idea first, an example being Perfect Circle with their Speedostat who have to 'sell' it the auto industry to see if there any takers. Chrysler was the first to make it a regular production option. In Packard's case, it was Dana who came out with the limited slip differential, and Packard was the first to use it in 1956 and Studebaker in 1957. It was the same situation in Europe in a lot of cases, where it was Triplex Glass in England who invented the common rear defogger we see today on most cars with the thin metal trips that appear as wire on it (Triplex called it 'Hotline'), and sold the idea to British automakers who immediately picked up on it. Craig

I prefer 'full screen' photos as well, to see detail otherwise missed in smaller sizes. Consider it a favor, not an embarrassment to most for making them large. Craig

I remember that. And they actually looked good either way; open or closed, as they didn't look like a 'pop-up' headlight when exposed. Craig

Could one get a fully automatic transmission on a Chrysler in 1952? Or was it still a Fluid-Drive 'semi'-automatic? I thought 1954 was the first year for a fully automatic transmission from Chrysler. Craig

A jukebox? Craig

In the case of Studebaker, the term 'Serial Number' was used on the plate, mounted on the driver's side 'A' pillar until 1964. For 1965 & 1966, the term 'Vehicle Identification No' was used on the plate. In addition, there was a 'secret' serial number also stamped on the rearmost crossmember on the frame. Craig

Here, we could only drool over them as they were never 'fedralized' for North America, and the ones that were had their engines so detuned with smog equipment which made their performance pathetic. And the few that were, got those ghastly 5-mph bumpers which obviously appeared like the afterthought it was on those cars. If you want a European car from that era, go over to Europe and get one. Craig

As I stated in a previous thread, the 1971-'72 Rivieras are more sharply defined at the tail vs. the flatter '73 tail, and much better looking. Craig