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Then and now: where did these prewar cars go?


twin6

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Roster keeping often involves sorting through photos from decades ago of cars that might or might not still exist.  The most challenging ones are of cars believed to have survived the scrap drives that can’t easily be identified as a specific car that exists today.  Even photos taken of a brass or nickel era car taken at meets in the 1950’s present challenges, but they are a lot of fun to examine and usually with some help, the mysteries get solved.  In that spirit, I’d like to share some photos and see if anyone knows what became of the cars.  I hope others will feel free chime in with their thoughts and photos of their own they need help with.  To start, I'm re-posting a couple photos that

I posted on the Missing Classics thread that trimacar started (the photos didn't fit well on that thread).  This is a c. 1915 Packard model 48 that appeared in various press photos and Packard publications over the years.  No one seems to know its fate.

48.jpg

Packard Queens Motors.jpg

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In the early 1970's Clarence Sharp was a good friend who owned the Selden roadster that eventually went to Pebble Beach.

Here is a picture of Clarence, standing, and his sidekick, Skyrocket, seated.

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I took this at the AACA GVACS RIT show in 1974. He had owned the car since the 1960's and an article was written in the local city paper in 1958 telling the car's history. The car still exists in much finer condition.

Clarence also owned a Model T touring and a 1904 Brush at the time. I would meet up with him at Mr. Ed's bar near his house in Rochester. If he brought the Model T it wasn't hard to go on a little bar tour with a couple girls from the bar. Either I cranked it or he would take a nitro pill for his heart and he would give it a swing.

He didn't drive the Selden much. It had a compressed air starter that I think leaked down. Prior to the pictured meet he and Skyrocket towed it down Culver Road with the Model T to get it started. It was dirty, had a puddle under it, and the tires were soft at the meet. I remember the guys in the row of shiny Model T's were unimpressed.

 

Those two were a lot of fun to be with. I don't think he ever finished the Brush..... or the Selden. I remember Clarence puttering in his driveway with the Brush wearing his suit coat and being quite businesslike.

 

Still around, haven seen Bob, the restorer, n her in a while.

Bernie

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I would think there are a good many early cars covered in dust or junk sitting in poor storage now for decades. Elderly gentlemen in their 70s, 80s and some in their 90s that have not driven their cars for poor health or other reasons but refuse to part with them. Here is three cars I found in Pa. that the fellow put in his basement in 1942 when he volunteered for WW2.  I found these cars 3 years ago and he is still around in his 90s and the cars are still in his basement sitting as of Oct. Under the cars is a mass of cobwebs if you notice. They will go in his estate sale I would think. 

The last picture is the 1912 Canadian T touring I bought through this forum that had been sitting from 1949 with the original family from new. The owner is in very poor health and his daughter had no interest in it so lucky for me.

What I am saying is the cars are out there and the owner will not sell until there is no other alternative. So there they sit to be rediscovered again.

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2018-04-08 1912 T 002.JPG

Edited by Joe in Canada (see edit history)
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So true Bob as we all hold onto things that brought joy to us when we were younger.

Example: A farmer down the road had a stroke in his 80s and I used to borrow a cast iron kettle from him every year for our annual corn roast. He would not sell it to me as he was hoping to be able to use it some day again ( he was in a wheel chair). I was able to buy it at his estate sale where they sold off all his farming equipment that he was able to held on to.  No different than holding on to an old car.

 

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Here is a 1909 White model M that may well have survived the scrap drive but can't be linked to any of the surviving M's.  The gent behind the wheel might be Rollin White who by the time this photo was taken was with Cleveland Tractor Co.

M.jpeg

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Many many mystery Stanley pix on file - here are a few.

 

The first one is one of the most stubborn - beautiful shot of a Model 740 in Florida, owned by John Russell in the early '50s.  I suspect it's stil lin Florida, but have no concrete info.  Russell also owned a very nice barrel-hood Franklin.

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A couple more recent ones.  This is Walter Durst of Wisconsin, now deceased, in 1970, in his Model 735.

FOUND!  This is #19505, now living in Illinois.

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And another Florida car, also a Model 735, Bob Lewin, in 1971.

1971-03-29_MiamiNews_Lewin.jpg.fe6e338401be684c6742ce390bf60a92.jpg

 

And, a couple of early ones.  First is bandleader Jack Teagarden, probably in 1939.  He had his beloved Stanley shipped to Texas at that time so he could drive it there while associated with some show.  He put it in storage and managed to forget about it for 10 years, and gave it to the garage owner for storage fees.  So sometime around 1949, a very nice Model 64 became available in Texas.  (Although it looks like the burner is out of it at the moment.)  This image came from a blog that I can no longer locate.

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These images are available on eBay.  Someone must recognize the estate of an early collector - I'm pretty sure it's not Melton.  Pictures look like '40s or early '50s to me.

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Edited by StanleyRegister
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Here's one of them consarned gas cars, but it has a close relationship with a Stanley.  In 1951, Popular Mechanics and the Chicago Museum of Science and industry put on a "race" to finally settle which was better, steam or gas. Two cheerful old codgers in their 70s, on the museum staff, drove a 1913 Stanley Model 63 and a 1911 Stoddard-Dayton from Chicago to New York City in about 8 days.  It was widely covered by the AP at the time, and also generated a couple of articles in PM.  The Stanley still exists, and belongs to a friend.  But what about the S-D?  It can't possibly have been scrapped since 1951.  Further research has turned up the name of the original owner.  I'd love to pass this along to the current caretaker.  (By the way, the Stanley "won", with a 37-minute edge in elapsed time.)

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Incidentally, each car also had a passenger, a cute staff member from the museum or the magazine, for the whole trip.  Amazingly, the woman who rode in the S-D is still living.  I'm hoping she will have some fun memories to share.

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The post regarding the cars put away when going to serve in WW2 reminds me of this 1930 Chrysler 77.  Apparently it was put in storage in New York somewhere in 1941. The owner didn't come home unfortunately and the car remained in storage. I am not sure how long it remained in storage but it was retrieved some years ago and found its way to NZ where it has been 'recommissioned'. The only significant repair has been to replace the fabric top. I know the owner and must catch up with him again. Photo taken in 2011. I guess there were a few cars that followed the same theme. 

IMG_0260.JPG

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This car was supposably put in storage during the Korean war,  it had about 40KMI when I got it.  The fellow I bought it from,  went to look at a Model A that was for sale and saw it in the corner covered up of a second story barn in the late 90's or early 2000's in down state NY.   It has it's original paint in the photos that I worked back to a shine but it was pretty  thin in spots.  Really no rust at all and loaded with a bunch of accessories.  The owner went to Korea and never came back and it was his Sister that still had it and finally turned it loose.   The man I purchased it from had it about 10 years.  

 

IMG_2515.JPG

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Decades ago this Packard 2-26 touring was sold in Australia to Harrah.  The seller is interesting in knowing the car's whereabouts and has all but given up trying to locate it. It's not on any roster, and there aren't that many 2nd series sixes extant. Cowl lights on 6's are also very uncommon.  And RHD to boot, making this a unique car.  Has anyone seen it lately?

226 a.jpg

226 b.jpg

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On 12/17/2018 at 5:06 PM, twin6 said:

I suspect this Stutz is alive and well, somewhere.  Photo looks to date to the 1950's.

unrestored.jpg

I believedownload.jpg.0345bb3f1e6f0e94fc6edc97a17079f4.jpg these photos are of same car (some difference in belt molding/hood, and ...though somehow I associated them as the same car over time  - the unrestored car is in SV-16 style trim verses the restored car is in MB trim) -  a Stutz expert will need to verify.   The body style would be a Versailles and it is a Weymann style car.

Edited by John_Mereness (see edit history)
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48 minutes ago, John_Mereness said:

I believedownload.jpg.0345bb3f1e6f0e94fc6edc97a17079f4.jpg these photos are of same car (some difference in belt molding/hood, but ....) -  Stutz expert will need to verify. 

Hinges i doors are in different places, too, and the roofline is curved in the old photo and straight on the new photo. I'm going to say it's a different car.

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On 12/17/2018 at 5:06 PM, twin6 said:

I suspect this Stutz is alive and well, somewhere.  Photo looks to date to the 1950's.

unrestored.jpg

 

This 1931 Stutz DV-32 aluminum Weymann sedan was in Chicago and was discovered about 8-10 years ago in a partially disassembled state.  Same person had owned it since the 1950's.  It is in the hands of a collector at this time.    The photo was published in teh Stutz Club newsletter when the car came out of hiding.    

Edited by K8096 (see edit history)
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Thanks for the background on the Stutz!  It's good to know it is being cared for.  Here's another 1950's era photo of a custom bodied Packard just resting in a field, which I think has also been rescued (but I don't know where it is today).

resting.jpg

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It’s only one of five, and I believe its out on the west coast. Great car. Fun to see photos of cars that are priceless today just junk yard relics in days gone by. More great cars started off like this than many people realize. Usually the first restoration didn’t do the car justice, so they often get done over again, and sometimes, three times. 

Edited by edinmass (see edit history)
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I remember seeing an auction report on one of the Harrah's dispersal sales. I recall there being at least 2 or 3 Weymann bodied Stutz's , in so -so unrestored condition. They seemed to sell at quite a reasonable price , and planted the seed in my then youthful mind that I might possibly own a Stutz one day.  Ahaa the optimism of youth.

  Anyone know anything about them ?

 

Greg in Canada

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On 12/16/2018 at 11:28 AM, twin6 said:

Roster keeping often involves sorting through photos from decades ago of cars that might or might not still exist.  The most challenging ones are of cars believed to have survived the scrap drives that can’t easily be identified as a specific car that exists today. 

1932 Chrysler Custom Imperial 8, model CL, close coupled sedan that was needlessly rebodied into a fake dual windshield phaeton after it was purchased from Dave Soper, Atlantic/Wiota, Iowa

Serial 7803456, motor CL1184

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Edited by dep5 (see edit history)
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We all know of really old cars stored, but not for sale.  Remember that someday somebody else

will buy it because they asked at the right time. 

At one time in the 1990's I tried to buy a 1912 Regal from a retired Judge.  No Sale.

Last I heard his son kept it an many other cars until he got old & sick, then they were sold.

I also had the same thing happen with a Apperson Jack Rabbit.    In the end, it was a good thing

because I wanted them for the 2008 NY to Paris Great Race.  (Vehicles had to be 1915 or older)

Remember the Tibetan Monks protesting in China?   That caused the Chinese government to cancel all foreign visa's and they never did the Great Race's 100th Anniversary version of the Great Race of 1908. 

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23 hours ago, twin6 said:
23 hours ago, twin6 said:

Was the Regal a roadster?  How many of those have survived?

parade.JPG

How many of those have survived?

parade.JPG

No, not a roadster, an early Speedster.  I liked it for the right hand drive, big engine and underslung suspension.  Looked like this one but no fenders, doors, top or windshield.  I have pictures somewhere, of both cars, but taken before computers or smart phones with digital cameras.  If I can find them, I'll scan them & share.

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The picture of the 1936 Packard Eight phaeton looks like it was taken on a CCCA CARavan.  There were a few CARavans in the mid to late 1950's where gasoline companies sponsored them and gave the participants free gas.  It looks like the Packard is wearing the sponsoring company's logo on the rear door.  Each tour particpant would have this on their car.  A small consolation to pay in order to get free gas.  We could probably look the tour up in a CCCA magazine of the late 50's and figure out who owned it then.  The Mercedes Benz cabriolet B parked behind it may be of interest to some on this forum too.           

Edited by K8096 (see edit history)
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