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Robert McClellan (assisted for many years by his wife Sharon) was a prominent vendor of quality auto literature until about 2014. I think it likely he sold his inventory around that time; certainly I know it was for sale. We would like to contact him, the person who bought him out, or another vendor, etc. familiar with the situation, to discuss the current status of some functional assets of the business. Thanks for any leads.

Robert McClellan (assisted for many years by his wife Sharon) was a prominent vendor of quality auto literature until about 2014. I think it likely he sold his inventory around that time; certainly I know it was for sale. We would like to contact him, the person who bought him out, or another vendor, etc. familiar with the situation to discuss the current status of some functional assets of the business. Thanks for any leads.

Files and photos relating to Derham custom-body operations are part of the Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Library at the Gilmore Car Museum at Hickory Corners, MI. They might be a source for images of cars built and modified by Derham, etc. https://cccamuseum.org/About/Mission-and-History.aspx

After puzzling over the 1915 photo posted by Terry Wiegand for a few more days, we think we found the 1915 Grant Six that would logically be part of the photo. That’s it, circled in red on the closeup attached. It is parked cross-ways to the other cars, up on the sidewalk, not surprisingly under the Grant Six $795 signage! The other cars from right to left, we believe, are as follows: The first is a small four-cylinder Model M Grant. Next to it, a 1915 Oakland Speedster—a special sports model. (Additional online review of vintage newspapers reveals it very likely belonged to one of the dealership owners.) Third from right is a KRIT touring car, a brand handled by P&O. According to the Standard Catalog, KRIT was all but done for by 1915, with remaining stocks of cars assembled to clear out the parts inventory. This was probably the last KRIT P&O had. Perhaps they took on Grant to replace the brand. To the left of the KRIT are four 1915 Oakland Model 37 touring cars, with their characteristic slightly V’eed German Silver Oakland radiator. The curved windshield base and the way the upper body line flows smoothly into the cowl further seemingly suggests these are Oaklands. The Oaklands were no doubt P&O’s highest volume car brand, so it seems reasonable they would have a number in stock. The first car to the left of the four touring cars may be a 1915 Oakland Model 49, a larger 123.5-inch wheelbase six-cylinder car. According to John Gunnel’s “75 Years of Pontiac & Oakland,” only 500 Model 49s may have been produced, in two body types. That would explain why the dealer only had one in inventor. The car to the left of the “Model 49” may be a predecessor 1914 Model 48 Oakland. One important clue here is that a rather large round cowl light is visible on this car. The Model 6-48s had such cowl lights, the 1915 Model 49s did not, as far as we can tell. The next two cars to the left of the possible big Oaklands may be Mitchells, a high-end make carried by P&O. Reference for the 1915-16 Mitchells is hard to find, but from what we can tell, they did have a somewhat out of date look, and a tall hood line, as seen here. The final car is another Oakland, a 1913 or ’14 model, possibly also a Speedster, with the broader V’eed radiator seen on those models.

Wish I could help you locate its present whereabouts, but I took the photo at the St Johns "Concours of America" in Plymouth, MI on July 28, 2019 (after the April 2019 RM Auction sale), and do not have a record of the owner's name at that time. It is a really appealing car, and apparently only this '15 and a '16 are known to exist. If I can locate the show program and find owner info, I will report back to you.

Thank you for the factual comment, Craig, and for making me realize that I didn't phrase my own comment very clearly ... I meant it to suggest that perhaps over the decades, the car name "Oakland" became remembered as "Overland" by the town historians.

I think the cars with the bright radiator shells may be Oaklands -- perhaps "Oakland" became "Overland" over the years. The second car from the right appears to be of the racy speedster design Oakland produced in that period. Here is a photo of such a Speedster, restored and with non-period bumpers, I'm thinking. And, with a little searching on Newspapers.com, it is confirmed P & O were Oakland dealers in 1915 ... see ad.

Another auto parts mystery solved! Thank you, "auburnseeker" and "roysboystoys"!

Buick Magazine replaced the Buick Bulletin in 1935. The earliest Buick Magazine we have in our collection is the August 1935 issue, which is identified as Vol. 1, #5. Backing up from there puts us at April, 1935 for Vol. 1, #1. The September 1935 issue (cover shown here) introduced the 1936 Buicks, and included a four-page color foldout showing the models in the new Series. The last issue we know of was June-July 1961. Rather curiously, the editorial in this seemingly final issue describes the very positive results of a reader poll that had been conducted not long before (see attached).

Nice old ashtray, sort of a cocoa-brown color. May be N.O.S. We like the clear knob, very stylish. It's available, but for now just curious what make it is from. Thx

John, If not already known to you, it might be of interest to note that James Melton made prominent visits to Detroit at least twice during 1946, in connection with his antique car hobby. The 1959 biography, "The Story of George Romney," by Tom Mahoney, reports that after an arrival delayed by heavy rains, Melton sang his part in the city's June, 1946 "Automotive Golden Jubilee" pageant without rehearsal. He also drove a White Steamer in the parade of antique cars on Woodward Avenue that was also a part of the celebratory activities. In August, 1946, Melton returned, this time leading the Glidden Revival Tour in his 1907 Locomobile. He and the other tour participants were hosted both by Ford Motor Co. and General Motors while visiting the area, and they put on another parade, on Michigan Avenue, while they were here. (At your request, I would be happy to send you via private message an archival digital clipping of a nice article from an August 1946 edition of The Windsor Star newspaper, about the Glidden visit and parade — it mentions James Melton several times.) I also have some notes referring to the spectacular and enormously large LHD 1950 Daimler DE36 "Green Goddess"-style cabriolet owned by James Melton, indicating it yet exists and is currently owned by the Jaguar-Daimler Heritage Trust. It is one of seven DE36 chassis fitted with such a body. I have a digital image of the Melton car, saved from an unrecorded source, which I can share as a lo-res image file with you for reference as well, if it is new to you. Searching my computer for the above references, I additionally found I'd saved at some point the attached downloaded Texaco ad image featuring James Melton and his car museum. It probably dates from 1953 or so. Even way out in Wichita, Kansas, I knew of James Melton and his antique car collection when I was a very young old-car enthusiast in the early 1950s. Good luck with your interesting project. Terry Boyce

Thank you, good to know nothing is missing.

Thanks, Greg … it does look the same!

We recently acquired what appears to be both the left and right halves of a grille for a '34-'35 Buick. But we have some questions about it. Input from '34-'35 experts appreciated! 1) How can we identify the Series application -- is it for a 1934-35 Series 40, or for one of the two versions of the 1934-35 Series 50-80-90 grille? (According to our 1942 Buick Master Parts Book, a revised version of the larger Series grille was phased in during the 1934-35 model run.) Presumably, the Series 40 grille is a bit smaller than the larger Series version. Our grille measures about 31 inches along the vertical inner molding, and each half is about 8.5 inches wide at it greatest width. 2) Our grille does not have the horizontal chrome bars that visually divide the grille into sections ... were those bars part of a separate molding assembly that overlaid these pieces? If not, how did they attach to this assembly? 3) The outer molding looks to be made up of two pieces (for each side) held together by corner clips at the inside corners. Some photos I've seen don't seem to have these clips, the molding looks like one piece. Are the clips a difference between Series 40 and the larger cars, or is this difference indicative of an early—or late—example of the 50-80-90 grille? Or, could there be an aftermarket replacement grille that explains the variance? THANKS!

We think this fits 1954 Buick Special 2-Door Sedan, Model 48D only. It may not fit other models! The Buick part number is 1163364. It is the right rear 1/4 panel Trim Strip that goes above the rear wheel opening. It is just over 29 inches long...be sure to measure your car to verify the length is correct. It is New Old Stock, which means it is mostly still in the Buick shipping coating and has never been attached to a car. NOS does not mean it is perfect. There is some clouding of the stainless at the exposed end, which you can see on the photos. The clouding may buff out, but the item is sold as-is. We got this out of a Buick dealer attic more than 50 years ago. Buyer pays shipping. It will ship from zip code 48043 and the package weight will be just over 3 lbs. Ships at buyer's cost and preference (USPS or UPS) in US only. Payment by PayPal Offered by:Terry Boyce, Mt. Clemens MI 48043 SEE PICS BELOW

The Automotive History Preservation Society offers online accessibility to many AMA sets in their online technical publications library. For example, they have cataloged 33 Cadillac AMA/MVMAs starting with 1946. For details about accessibility and membership, see https://wildaboutcarsonline.com/cgi-bin/pub9990448202528.cgi?categoryid=9990448202528

Hello... I'm working up a detailed report about a 1935 rear-engine streamlined car, powered by an X-8 engine. The car was designed by Roscoe C. "Rod" Hoffman. I found that there was a connection between Mr. Hoffman and Marmon, for whom he may have designed a 1931 front-wheel drive prototype. During that project, he apparently became acquainted with J. J. Felts. Later, Felts seems to have contributed to the X-8 engine for the 1935 Hoffman project. The text below is quoted from THE MARMON HERITAGE, by the late George Phillip Hanley and Stacey Pankiw Hanley. The book was published in 1985... In 1931 Mr. Felts made layout drawings of a transfer case for a four-wheel-drive truck under the direction of Col. Herrington [at Marmon]. Again in July 1977, he recalled working with a Rod Hoffman (now deceased), who held patents on a front-wheel-drive configuration similar to that used on the 1929 Cord, and who was working on a front drive concept car for Marmon. Joe was transferred to Howard Marmon's personal payroll on August 10, 1931, and remained until August 19, 1934. He then went to work for Auburn where he stayed through August 1935, when he joined Rod Hoffman in Detroit to work on an engine, reportedly for a Fisher Brothers car, which had four cylinders in an 'X' configuration. (The car is preserved in the Brooks Stevens Museum.) He [Felts] then worked at GMC, going to Reo in 1937 and to Ford Motor Co. in December 1938. By February 1952, he was Asst. Chief Engineer for Lincoln-Mercury. Joe Felts retired from Ford in 1966, as Chief Engineer - Body and Electrical at Ford. According to the Hanley’s book, Felts passed away in 1982, just days after he was interviewed by the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum about his time at Auburn. I'm wondering if the Hanleys’ research papers might have ended up with the Marmon Club, or a member, and if transcripts of either or both the interviews mentioned in the material quoted from their book might be in those papers. It could potentially help me assemble a more complete and accurate telling of this story if I can locate more information about Mr. Felts work with Hoffman, on either the 1930-31 front-wheel drive prototype and/or the 1935 rear-engine streamlined car. The image of the 1935 Hoffman is credited to the Historic Vehicle Association. Thank you!

Amazing footage ... that '40 has a show car past, I'd bet! Notice the non-standard chromed rear fender stone guard. Although it seems to be in a dealership in the film, wondering if it could have been a show car for the Golden Gate International Exposition going on in Oakland 1939-40? Also, it is a Model 71 Roadmaster, same body as Super but four inches longer in front-end, with four section (Su;er had three) louvers on front fender and 15" inch wheels.)

Thanks for the information. Like the "repurposing" for green house use.

Thanks for the response, Larry ... It would be interesting to me to see an actual REX top. But no hurry, perhaps we can get together on seeing it in the spring? Terry

Found some some 1923 paper items today at an antique shop that includes info, pricing and a few photos of Buicks with the REX removable closed-car roofs produced for 1921-23 roadsters and touring cars and maybe a year or two prior. REX Mfg. was in Connersville, IN, and apparently had a deal with Buick to sell these tops to Buick dealers. The information is dated Nov. 1922 and was sent from the Buffalo Buick Branch to solicits dealers to order quantities of the tops from REX for the 1923 models. Just wondering if anyone has a Buick with a REX top. Searching 1920s classifieds on Newspapers.com turns up many ads for used Buicks so equipped, but I don't recall seeing an existing one. The photo is of a 1923 Model 35 Touring with REX top.

Pair used 1958 Buick headlamps rims, clean and mostly shiny but chrome is clouded in some areas. Attaching screws still with them. Part numbers 1182347 LH and -48 RH. $34 plus buyer pays all shipping costs. Paypal preferred. Thanks for looking!

I like anything having to do with the '39 and '40 Buicks, but this piece is one of my favorites; thought I'd share a pic...

Wow, what a great bunch of Buicks! Ironically, there is a '42 Century Sedanet going up for auction in Florida this month.

Decent for an oldie. Shines pretty good, only a relatively few dings, some of the black accent paint is intact (don't know if it was ever repainted)—has one small spot edge spot where chrome is gone. Check the close-ups so you can really see what you're getting, Would look nice on a driver-quality car. Back-side has rust as shown. $90 plus shipping. Thanks for looking! Allcars