Belt drive antique automobile

[Guest]

Please help me identify the brand name of this belt drive automobile: If you would like a much larger image to examine, please scroll down. The person in the car is my grandfather. I would like to find out the make of the vehicle so that I can do further research. Since my entire family is from Saginaw, Michigan, I do not think that the word "Saginaw" on the door of the car is the brand name. Thanks in advance. Wayne<P>[ 10-29-2001: Message edited by: Wayne Eastman ]<p>[ 10-29-2001: Message edited by: Wayne Eastman ]

[Guest]

wayne,<P>post the larger photo, or send it to me so i can post it on the site. some detail would help in identifying the vehicle.<P>peter<P>peterg@aaca.org

[Guest]

Here's a bigger photo. (sorry, really big)<P>

[Guest]

NOTE FROM THE PHOTO OWNER:<P>Dear Peter:<BR>Here is the larger photo of the vehicle in question. I hope that this will generate some action. <P>Don't be influenced too much by the word "Saginaw" on the door of the vehicle. My grandfather lived in Saginaw and may have worked for a company that had a "Saginaw" vehicle. I don't think that this is a Saginaw brand car, but I could be wrong.<BR> Thanks again,<BR>Wayne Eastman

[Guest]

In checking the Standard Catalog, this car is a 1914 Saginaw cyclecar, originally selling for $395. It was produced by the Valley Boat and Engine Company.

[ronbarn]

kmiller nailed it - the larger photo clearly shows the belt drive and the "Saginaw" reference made it easy to find the Standard Catalog reference - the details are very clear. Most of the cyclecars were chain driven, but the larger photo more clearly shows the "block belt" and it is not the traditional V belt referenced in the Standard Catalog.

[Guest]

WOW!!! You guys are great! Thank you so much for identifying my grandfather's car. Since I have very little knowledge of antique automobiles, I am not familiar with the Standard Catalog. Is this something that is available online or do you purchase it somewhere. Please advise. Thank you kmiller and ronbarn. Wayne

[ply33]

<span style="font-style: italic">The Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1805-1942</span> by Henry Austin Clark and Beverly Rae Kimes is published by Krause Publications.<P>700 E. State St.<BR>Iola, WI 54990-0001<P>(715) 455-2214 <A HREF="http://www.krause.com/books/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.krause.com/books/</A> <P>You can also get the book from some book stores and from Amazon.com.

[Guest]

Here is the entry on the Saginaw from the Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile:<P>SAGINAW (US) 1914<BR>Valley Boat & Engine Co, Saginaw Michigan<P>Originally to be called the Faultless, the makers chose the more modest name of their hometown. The car was a cyclecar with the usual 9/12 hp V-twin engine, although they made it themselves rather than buying from De Luxe as so many of their rivals did.<P>Friction transmission and belt drive were typical for cyclecars, but the Saginaw had more dashing lines than most, with swooping curved wings over the driving belts and headlamps mounted on the wings Pierce-Arrow style.<P>With a wheelbase of 100.5 inches (2551 mm) the Saginaw roadster sold for $395, but did not survive the year of its launch.

[fordee9r (Ron Springstead)]

Hey PeterG,<P>Is there some reason this whole post appears much wider on my screen than other posts?<P>It's annoying to have to keep scrolling to the right and then back to the left to continue reading!<P>Anyone else have this problem?

[ply33]

Your web browser is stretching the whole page to allow the picture to fit. Once the page is made that wide, your browser wraps the text in to the larger width. Everyone is seeing it the same way...<P>The solution is to not put the picture into the thread but place a link to it and display it as a separate page.