Period images to relieve some of the stress

[alsancle]

This made me laugh so I had to post it.

[alsancle]

If this looks cool to you then check out my Soap Box Derby thread here:

 

 

[alsancle]

I've always liked these,  especially the four door convertible.

[DLynskey]

6 hours ago, John_Mereness said:

Something spooky going on with this funeral home? How else would you explain a photo taken in 1938 showing a 1940 Packard and a 1941 Chevrolet?

 

Don

[alsancle]

Something Ed doesn't get is that I'm a Hollywood Graham aficionado.

[alsancle]

[alsancle]

[alsancle]

[Walt G]

A few more to start the week off: The Cadillac phaeton was for sale as a used car by the R-R dealership in New York City approximately in 1928.

The town car is a Citroen model B2 dating from 1921, note how small the wheels are .

The panel body on the rolling platform would be mounted on a Packard model 115 chassis produced in 1937. This was the way bodies got moved around from place to place when at a coach builder .

Even after a year the momentum and purpose of this thread doesn't seem to be slowing down any , a few of you still want to check out what is here being contributed by

some great people who take the time and make the effort to share things with us. Keep well everyone and pray that everyone stays well and life can return to all the good

things we took for granted before. PLUS we all need a weeks dose of THE BIG H  in October!😉

Edited March 29, 2021 by Walt G
typo (see edit history)

[SC38dls]

Walt, this thread deserves too go on for a very long time. It has been a fun, good diversion from the craziness of the last year. But even without that this has been the most interesting thread on this forum for a long time. Where else could an unsophisticated car guy get to see so many great images of cars and settings we never even knew existed? It’s a testimonial to your historical, artistic, educational background. You have taught us all to enjoy that artistry in the automotive industry. I’m sure many appreciate it as much as I have. Thank you and all that have contributed to it. It is the thread of the year and probably in the history of this forum. 
dave s 

 

PS - maybe there should be an award for the thread of the year at the annual convention if there is not one now. If so my VOTE is for this one! 

Edited March 29, 2021 by SC38DLS (see edit history)

[58L-Y8]

Walt:

It looks as if the Rolls-Royce dealer 'spiffed-up' the appearance of that Cadillac V-61 with two-tone paint, plated headlight and radiator shells, Spirit of Ecstasy ornament and 'thin-stripe' white-wall tires.  Dual, rear-mounted spares and trunk add to the looks, just needed a jaunty set of disk or wire wheels to complete the package.   Earlier 1920's styling did tend toward the utilitarian drab, something those patronizing an upscale used car operation would not be seeking or attracted by.   This dealer knew his customer's desire to appear current, stylish and most of all, prosperous.   

[Walt G]

Rolls-Royce in New York City had a huge advantage as not far away from their showroom(s)  , just a short drive over the Queensboro Bridge on the east side of N.Y. in Long Island City was Brewster & Co. that had a huge multi story factory at the east end of the bridge where used cars or any cars could be refreshed ( today's "in word" is refurbished) .

 

Re the thread - well , as the saying goes " you inherit your relatives and pick your friends"  That was a favorite of my good buddy Austin Clark. So, the family here is all "old car types"  those cars may be 20 years old or over 100 years old. We all love history and as I have said already , it goes beyond the subject of the vehicle with wheels in the photograph to the signs, lettering, buildings, people dressed of a era etc. It transports us back to when these machines were new or near new and being used for a moment or so.  Automotive and local history have always been a passion for me  , usually not understood why I like it at the time by my contemporaries . It is why I was active in the Society of Automotive Historians decades ago as an officer and Editor of their publications. I am just so thankful to AACA for putting up with all of these pages , images etc. they are the ones to be thanked as well as all the contributors worldwide, its not just me, it's all of you.

WG

[John_Mereness]

18 hours ago, Walt G said:

There hopefully will be a history of the Willoughby Company done within the next year or so. I have the company photographs albums of the vehicles they built ( commercial vehicle bodies as well for local businesses) that were the personal property of Francis Willoughby ( mostly in the 1913-29 era) and signed as his in his hand in ink. The photographs in the albums to some extent also show how the structural woodwork was framed) Plus the information, ads, etc. of the company that they were based on in Utica, NY. in their very early years. The original factory plant that was 3 stories tall has been reduced to a one story building.

 

[John_Mereness]

15 hours ago, alsancle said:

I've always liked these,  especially the four door convertible.

Also think neat - and then my mom chimes in that the "cool" kids did not drive Hudson's, Studebaker's, kaiser's, and ...

[LCK81403]

Interesting accident photo, automobile not identified, sourced to the City of Toronto Archives.

[LCK81403]

This doesn't appear to be Duesenberg country.

[keiser31]

1 hour ago, LCK81403 said:

Interesting accident photo, automobile not identified, sourced to the City of Toronto Archives.

Looks like a Model T Ford to me. Here is a 1918 coupe....(edit: I see the wrecked car is listed as a 1918 Ford T on a Ford site). Rare car as it would appear.

Edited March 29, 2021 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[nzcarnerd]

On 3/29/2021 at 9:44 AM, nzcarnerd said:

 

A photo taken in Hastings, New Zealand, of the new Pierce-Arrow imported by The Tourist Motor Company for local tobacco magnate Gerhard Husheer. He bought three Studebaker Presidents and two Pierce-Arrows during the early/mid 1930s. I think all five cars have survived but I would would have to check on that. The subject was discussed a few years ago on a local facebook page.

 More on this one. I will add a post re the Studebakers later. 

 

Apparently the two Pierces import for Husheer were a '34 and a '36.

 

Perhaps a Pierce expert can tell us whether this is the 1934 or 1936 car? Both were 12s as I understand it.

 

This first photo was posted on a local facebook page purporting to be the 1936 car. I presume that is Gerhard Husheer standing beside it. It looks very similar to the car in the top photo.

 

 

 

What I presume is the same car when owned by author Maurice Hendry in the early 1960s.

 

 

 

The same car a few years ago in the Southward Museum near Wellington.

 

 

 

I will assume these photos are all of the 1934 car?

 

Apparently the 1936 car went to Australia many years ago.

[nzcarnerd]

On 3/29/2021 at 9:44 AM, nzcarnerd said:

 

A photo taken in Hastings, New Zealand, of the new Pierce-Arrow imported by The Tourist Motor Company for local tobacco magnate Gerhard Husheer. He bought three Studebaker Presidents and two Pierce-Arrows during the early/mid 1930s. I think all five cars have survived but I would would have to check on that. The subject was discussed a few years ago on a local facebook page.

 

 

More on the Studebaker Presidents imported for Gerhard Husheer by The Tourist Motor Company.

 

Unfortunately I don't have any 'period' - as in near new - photos of the cars but I do know some of the more recent history of them.

 

Just for how long Husheer kept them and who owned them until the 1950s I don't know - yet.

 

The first was a 1931. Both this and the 1933 were original and unmolested cars until they fell into the hands of a 'collector' in the 1970s who 'sexed-up' their paint jobs.

 

I took this photo of the '31 at the NZVCC International Rally in Rotorua in 1980. It stayed with the same local owner there for about 50 years until it changed hands just about a year ago. It has moved to the south of the South Island.

 

 

 

The same car a few weeks ago at a show in Cromwell. Whether it has been repainted or just 'looked after' I don't know.

 

Funny - I have only just new noticed it has had its wheels changed.😀

 

 

 

I don't have any photos of the 1932 car but I have seen it. It was owned - and may still be owned by the family of - Les Lemmon who had an 'all sorts' museum in a relatively remote area in Hawke's Bay. I recall speaking to him when I visited there in 1975. He had served in the New Zealand army in Italy in WW2 and had brought back various souvenirs. He passed away some years ago - 15 or so? - but I think his family still have his stuff, although the museum was closed about ten years ago. There were only a few cars in the museum, one of which was a rare Napier 40/50. He liked to believe his President was a Pierce-Arrow and had made some detail changes to it to support his claim. He did drive it south to Christchurch - a minimum two day drive - for the NZVCC Pan Pacific Rally in 1986. 

 

Edit - seems the Lemmon collection is being 'rehoused' somewhere. They have a facebook page - not much info though - The Lemmon Trust Museum | Facebook

 

A photo of the '32 from that page - 

 

 

The 1933 President is a rare Model 92 Speedway President of which - understandably due to the Depression - only 635 were built. I believe only about ten survive and this is the only right hand drive sedan. It was painted white with purple in the '70s and has since changed hands again a couple of times and somewhere along the way the purple parts were painted red. The son of the current owner posted on a local facebook page just this week asking about the colours as the red is in need of redoing and there is some of the purple visible in places.

 

I took the first of these in Rotorua in 1980, and the second photo is from more recently, after the colour change. As far as I know the car still has its original interior.

 

No doubt there is more to be told about these cars.

 

 

 

 

[edinmass]

The green car is a 1934. It has incorrect and missing trim. Wrong headlight lenses and rings. I interesting car that it appears to have chrome wheels on steel artillery wheels, something I have not seen on a 1934 before. Why not chrome the radiator shutters also? Side mount covers went missing over time. The single pilot ray light has also gone missing. Chrome side mount covers were very unusual in 1934 on ANY car. They are great drivers if properly sorted.

Edited March 29, 2021 by edinmass (see edit history)

[Dave Gelinas (XP-300)]

[Dave Gelinas (XP-300)]

[Dave Gelinas (XP-300)]

[Dave Gelinas (XP-300)]

[wayne sheldon]

6 hours ago, LCK81403 said:

Interesting accident photo, automobile not identified, sourced to the City of Toronto Archives.

 

 

That photo has been around the internet for a long time now. Often discussed. It is actually one of the rarest of all model T Fords as far as actual factory built cars go! It is one of at least four variations of the 'removeable pillars' 'couplet' cars built from mid 1917 through 1918. And this is the rarest variation with its padded high roof line. There may or may not have been a few non-padded similar roof line cars (I have serious doubts Ford built any that way, all era photos of the high roof line couplets that I have seen seem to show the padded top?). The other three+/- variations 1917 and 1918 couplets had basically flat roof lines. All of those variations had windows in the doors and body that lowered all the way down, and the B pillars could be removed and stored under/behind the seat. This gave a feeling more like an open runabout with the top up than the later fixed pillar coupes did.

I have never been sure just when this variation was built, but generally believe it was during 1917 model year (Ford rarely made changes that complicated manufacture!), most likely soon after the folding top couplet was discontinued mid-year. Regardless, this variation was manufactured likely less than three months! At least one, and I think maybe two of these survive. Only about ten to twelve total survive of the little more than year and a half production of removeable pillar Ford couplets.

[nzcarnerd]

From a facebook post - actress Leila Hyams in 1928. The car? Maybe a Cadillac, by the hub cap?

 

[nzcarnerd]

Vaseux Lake, British Columbia, a 1913(?) Cadillac. From the Old Kelowna fb page.

 

[nzcarnerd]

1925 Buick in Oregon - 

 

 

 

[nzcarnerd]

Iowa 1916, a new Haynes according to the poster who said it was his grandfather's first car. With Buster the dog.

 

[nzcarnerd]

Not that long ago but I guess we should respect those who can keep the same car, and the same woman. 

 

[nzcarnerd]

I guess you would never tire of looking at this one. I see she turned 90 a few weeks ago.

 

[alsancle]

1 hour ago, nzcarnerd said:

Not that long ago but I guess we should respect those who can keep the same car, and the same woman. 

 

 

That is awesome on a number of accounts.   But he needs to go back to the Cragar SS mags.

 

[alsancle]

If you guys don't know what the Pickwick Nite Coach was then 1. Shame on you.  and 2. check out this thread with a movie of it in NY.   Pretty cool!

 

 

[alsancle]

[alsancle]

Is it possible to be a plastic Cord elitist?   I like the Glen Pray 8/10 cars  but do not care for the later Samco versions.

This is a used car lot in California in the 1970s.

[J.H.Boland]

14 hours ago, wayne sheldon said:

 

I have never been sure just when this variation was built, but generally believe it was during 1917 model year (Ford rarely made changes that complicated manufacture!), most likely soon after the folding top couplet was discontinued mid-year. Regardless, this variation was manufactured likely less than three months! At least one, and I think maybe two of these survive. Only about ten to twelve total survive of the little more than year and a half production of removeable pillar Ford couplets.

Here's one of the surviving examples. It once belonged to a doctor, who was the brother of E.P.Taylor. The story goes that whenever the good doctor's wife wished to ride in it, he had to slide down the windows and remove the pillars so that she could climb in without removing her huge flowery hat ! After she was safely inside, he had to reassemble it. The pictures were taken in the mid-seventies, and the car is safely stored in it's own special-built garage.

Edited March 30, 2021 by J.H.Boland (see edit history)

[alsancle]

7 minutes ago, J.H.Boland said:

Here's one of the surviving examples. It once belonged to a doctor, who was the brother of E.P.Taylor. The story goes that whenever the good doctor's wife wished to ride in it, he had to slide down the windows and remove the pillars so that she could climb in without removing her huge flowery hat ! After she was safely inside, he had to reassemble it. The pictures were taken in the mid-seventies, and the car is safely stored in it's own special-built garage.

 

 

Ed's cheer-leading aside,  I have never had any interest in a Model T.  Until now.

 

[dictator27]

8 hours ago, nzcarnerd said:

Vaseux Lake, British Columbia, a 1913(?) Cadillac. From the Old Kelowna fb page.

 

The famous Vaseux Lake overhang on Highway 97 near Penticton, British Columbia.  For obvious reasons it was removed in 1937, but not before countless photos similar to this one had been taken.  Something needs to be done about the blind corner in the background, though.  It is still claiming victims.

[nzcarnerd]

2 hours ago, dictator27 said:

The famous Vaseux Lake overhang on Highway 97 near Penticton, British Columbia.  For obvious reasons it was removed in 1937, but not before countless photos similar to this one had been taken.  Something needs to be done about the blind corner in the background, though.  It is still claiming victims.

 

Something similar to this is Hawks Crag on the Buller River in Westland in New Zealand. It is probably one of the most photographed sections of road in the country. It was initially excavated in 1869 during the gold rush days and has remained much the same but with gradual improvements ever since.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1916

 

An Oldsmobile Viking in the 1930s

 

Big trucks use it regularly - this one is a mobile surgical unit.

 

The river floods occasionally - this one is from 1993.

 

 

Edit - a 1953 photo. From the look of the damage to the railing there had been another flood through not long before.

 

 

[nzcarnerd]

Another feature in the Buller Gorge was Fern Arch. It was widened and 'daylighted' many years ago but is still very narrow and controlled by traffic lights. The arch was damaged in the big earthquake that hit the area in 1929 and was demolished in 1937.

 

 

 

 

 

A 1906 postcard.

 

This last photo is very small but the county registration plate says the photo date is not later than 1925.

 

In 2019 someone stole the traffic lights - 

 

Lower Buller Gorge traffic signals stolen at Fern Arch, SH6 | Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (nzta.govt.nz)