Floyd Clymer

[Guest broker-bob]

Many of you old car people know the name------Published many old car books-------Picked up -----MOTOR SCRAPBOOK-----at aucton has a picture of Floyd in a 1905 REO and states that he lived in Colorado and had the destinstion of being the youngest Auto dealer in the world-------------in 1907 he was selling cars he was 11 years old------------that's 11 years old------------see picture --- also states him and his brother Elmer age 11 and 14 drove a Flanders cross country------HOW ABOUT THAT contact me at bobnroman@yahoo.com

[Amphicar BUYER]

As it turns out I live in Berthoud, Co where he lived and his dealerships were! In fact his home is now a restaurant (J.B. Clymer's after his father Dr. JB Clymer) where we had dinner just last night.

[Rusty_OToole]

Fascinating character. I had a number of his books and also his motorcycle and car magazines. Many interesting stories of being a car and motorcycle dealer in the early days. Certainly enough material for an interesting biography.

[Guest abh3usn]

I have a few of his books and they're great especially if you're interested in the early years of the automobile. In one of the books he talks about contacting then President Harry Truman about a 1914 car the President once owned. Can't remember the name right off hand. Mr. Clymer got a letter back from the President with a story regarding the car. I think Mr. Clymer had found one and wanted more info on it. Very interesting books, if you can find them, pick them up.

[Dandy Dave]

How I got to love early cars? Yep, it is all Floyd's fault. I can still remember as a small child of, 5 or 6, looking though one of Floyd Clymer's early automobile books while visiting at my Grandfathers house. It kept me entertained for hours and the folks noticed because I found one under the Christmas Tree that year. It was love at first sight. :cool: I still have that book and several more. Dandy Dave!

[Guest DeSoto Frank]

The Truman car was probably a "Stafford".

I think Floyd Clymer was probably the "Jay Leno" of his era, minus the talk-show & web-site...

[Ivan Saxton]

I cannot lay hand on it to check but I am fairly sure a lot of his storey is told in one of his books titled "Henry's Wonderful Model T"or similar. Floyd Clymer tells of meeting Henry Ford as a pre-teenager while a dealer for another make,(possibly Maxwell?). He received the advice that he should be selling Fords, which he later did. Many decades later he learned that Henry Ford had a full collection of every book he had published.

[RPrice]

I own a number of Floyd Clymer books. In fact, I started reading his "Scrapbooks" when I was in college in the '50s. That's how I got hooked on antique cars and am still hooked now that I'm in my 70s.

Rog

[Guest Twunk Rack]

Flyod Clymer Publicatons - rings a vague bell. Shows you how times and perspectives have changed. During summers, I worked as an auto mechanic at a FLYING A gas station at the corners where Beverly Blvd, Virgil, Silver Lake Blvd, and Temple all came together. ( The so-called "SILVER LAKE DISTRICT" of Los Angeles.

Our next door neighbor was Floyd Clymer Publications. At the time, the guy and his personal "toys" didn't interest me.

Why didn't they interest me ? Well, I was then, as now, a "fan" of the big-engined super cars we called "classics" - cars at that time, were only about 20 years old. Let's see - at that time, my own Packard 12 (which I still have and use regularly) was EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD!

I just didn't "get it"...this Clymer fellow was monkeying around with cars that were FORTY YEARS OLD ? Heck - the cars he played with and occasionaly came in for gas or to borrow tools...didn't even have factory-installed radios or heaters...!

I couldn't imagine why someone would want to monkey around with a FORTY YEAR old car....!

[1937hd45]

Add me to the list of Floyd Clymer readers in the early 1960"s, he did a great job of covering the hobby in the early years. His yearly INDY 500 books are full of useful info on the race. Wonder what the total number of Cylmer books is, I'm guessing it is close to 50.

[Guest Robin Coleman]

Ivan...The book you refer to is titled Henry's Wonderful T. My very first book on cars, and I still have it. He talks about using his father's T to grind the ingredients for a detergent he invented. He called it "Skiddo Dirt". He also talks about his career as a car salesman...He was demoing a T to a farmer who lived at the top of a steep hill. The T being gravity fed with fuel, it soon started to starve and sputter. Without hesitation, Mr. Clymer turned into a pathway and backed up the hill, telling the farmer "See, it will even climb this hill in reverse"! The farmer bought the car, but was rather put out with Floyd when he discovered backing up the hill was the only way he could get home!

[padgett]

Have quite a few of his books, one entirely on steam and another on motorcycles (has a picture of him on a "Munch Mammoth" AFAIR)

[Ivan Saxton]

I found another printing of Floyd Clymer's early experience in his 1965 book ,

Model T Ford Restoration Handbook. I will precis what may be most interest.

When Floyd Clymer was 11, he became dealer for Reo, Maxwell, and Cadillac. He was introduced to Henry Ford in 1907 in Denver by Ford salesman and later manager of Ford's Denver assembly plant Charles Hendy. Hendy told Ford that President Theodore Roosevelt said Clymer was the world's youngest auto dealer.

Ford said "You surely are a youngster to be selling automobiles. Someday I hope you will be selling Fords". Soon Clymer's real and toughest competition was the T Ford. So later he did sell Model T Fords as a salesman in Loveland Colorado.

In 1955 Henry Edmunds of the Ford Archives told Clymer that when Mr Ford's personal desk was opened, the only books found there was a full set of Clymer Motor Scrapbooks. He had every book Clymer had published prior to his death.

You might wonder why I would bother to be interested in early Fords, with the cars I have that are my main interests. It is through getting to understand Henry Ford a bit, and what he sought to do for people, and his solial responsibility.

His basic grasp of practical economics, including his understanding of the distinction between money and wealth, probably made him one of the greatest practical economists who ever lived; yet doing everything by his own judgement and resources. If present governments of this rock in space were to follow the principles Henry Ford might have given them we might not have many problems that face us. (This is not intended to be politically contentious or provoke debate).

[MCHinson]

Sorry to be off topic, but...

Ivan, I just finished reading a book that you and anyone else interested in Henry Ford should read. It is The People's Tycoon : Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts. ISBN 0-375-70725-5

[Amphicar BUYER]

...salesman in Loveland Colorado.

Just one minor correction and only because I live here. It was actually right here in Berthoud, Colorado. I'm just south of Loveland and it's pretty common to be overlooked becuse we are small (4000) and Loveland is much larger. (60-ISH?) I always thought it was cool we had one semi-famous person from our little piece of Colorado. :cool:

[Guest broker-bob]

Yes----Henry Ford has gone down in history and ---AHHHH----the loveable Model T----------------BR

Edited December 5, 2009 by R W Burgess (see edit history)

[MCHinson]

broker-bob,

Henry Ford was a flawed individual, as we all are.

He was a genius at some things, and yet the sad history of anti-Jewish (and anti-some other things and people) thoughts and comments is part of the entire picture.

I admire many of his accomplishments, but that does not mean I agree with everything that he said and did during his lifetime.

He was human, like we all are.

[MochetVelo]

Henry Ford was definitely an interesting and complex character. One of his admirers, a man he hosted in Detroit more than once, was the French car maker Andre Citroen. I assume he knew Citroen was of Jewish extraction yet the two had a mutual respect. Perhaps there was a lesson in this for Mr. Ford.

Phil

Edited December 3, 2009 by MochetVelo (see edit history)

[Ivan Saxton]

Broker Bob, I never intended to lead into anything political or critical. We have to be as if descended from Solomon, Fair and Wise in what we think and write. And we have to be sure that we form our opinions on reliable fact and research.

I was never interested in Ford or Fords until I thought that it might be cheap and useful to gather enough to put a functional T together for my autistic son to drive round my paddock. Then someone insisted on lending me Young Henry Ford: A Picture History of the First Forty Years by Sidney Olson. I told MCHinson by PM how to find good secondhand copy from about US$10 on abebooks.com If you are interested to find out where Henry Ford came from and what he was really like, you need to get a copy before all the affordable ones quickly vanish.

One further thing I can tell you. I can recognise in Henry Ford some characteristics of Asperger's syndrome, which is not well recognised as giving high ability in cognitive functioning in many areas, but with social gaps. I have only known for seven years that I am Aspergers. I cannot read body language, facial expressions, eye expressions, and I have always been too trusting initially of the untrustworthy. Aspergers syndrome is a substantial advantage, but you have to learn to prevent people taking advantage of you or misrepresenting you.

[Hupp36]

I have #1-6 of his Scrap Books Signed by him and they can pry them out of my hands when the time occures. Chuck

[JustDave]

HELLO IVAN

I HAD NEVER HEARD OF THAT SYNDROME BEFORE,GROWING UP I SHOWED MANY SIGNS OF WHAT YOUVE DESCRIBED,I HAVE ALWAYS TRUSTED THE WRONG PEOPLE,

BODY LANGUAGE AN FACIAL EXPRESSIONS WHERE NEVER A FACTOR IN READING PEOPLE,SINCE IVE GOTTEN OLDER IT HAS GIVEN ME MANY SET BACKS,I REMEMBER GROWING UP MY DAD USED TO TELL ME, HED ALWAYS SAY DAVE YOUR ONE DUMB SON OF A BI!@#$%^&*(,WHO WAS I TO ARGUE,GLAD THEY PUT A NAME TO IT

THANKS IVAN I REALLY APPRECIATE KNOWING

DAVE

[TG57Roadmaster]

Focus people; please take Ford's anti-Semitism elsewhere...

This is about Floyd Clymer, and here's photograph of him at the

1953 Berlin Motor Show, inspecting the Mercedes-Benz 300 Chassis.

His books are fascinating, and a great addition to anyone's library.

From the fond reminiscences generated here, it's obvious he touched

a chord with many that still resonates today.

TG

Edited December 4, 2009 by TG57Roadmaster (see edit history)

[TG57Roadmaster]

Kickin' around the Web looking for something else, I found this announcement on the disposition of Floyd Clymer Publications...

VelocePress: Publisher of European Automotive Books, Manuals and Buyer's Guides

So now we know,

TG

[Rusty_OToole]

In 1927 Henry Ford changed his mind, repudiated his former views, shut down the Dearborn Independent, issued a public apology and burned a large collection of valuable, but anti Semitic books.

Too bad the Ford bashers can't learn by his example.

[Guest kwtownsend]

Can anyone tell me when Floyd Clymer left Walla Walla Washington and went to Colorado?

I have a 1911 Model T that the original owner bought from the Dahlen Ford Agency in Walla Walla, Washington in December 1911. If Floyd was still there then he may have sold the car to the original owner.

Any timelime on the exact date? In his book, Henry's Wondeful Model T, he says he started selling cars for Dahlen in 1910 and "about 1911" moved to Colorado.

Thanks,

Keith Townsend

Gresham, Oregon