History We ALL Love a DARE! PIX of TRULY Extinct Makes?

If you are interested in a cool gas/electric hybrid then you have to check out the 1930s "Snow Cruiser" that was abandoned in the Arctic in 1939. There were 50hp motors on each wheel but they were not powerful enough when the cruiser got stuck in deep snow. I think it really needed tracks.

http://www.joeld.net/snowcruiser/snowcruiser.html

 

If you are interested in Voisin then check out this site: http://www.automobiles-voisin.fr/

 

Sometimes I get to thinking that the use of weed must have been pretty common back in the early days of the auto industry. I mean, just LOOK at some of the crazy names that abounded -- names that an automaker wouldn't dream of slapping on his cars nowadays! Lulu? Dodo? Bugmobile? On and on!
Sometimes, I get fixated on some kooky name, and I am COMPELLED to try and find out if the car itself was half as kooky as the NAME!!!! Such is the case with the Dudly Bug, made in Menominee, MI, in 1913-1915. According to Wikipedia, it was a gas-powered cyclecar, built by the Dudly Tool Co. At first, the Dudly Bug came with a two-cylinder air-cooled engine. The 1914 Dudly came with a four-cylinder engine of 98-CID.
Only about a hundred Dudly Bugs were made, and since cyclecar survival seems generally less than that of more conventional cars, I GUESS the Dudly Bug is pretty scarce today. STILL, it looks as though it would be FUN to tool around in -- maybe drop a Kawasaki engine in, too!


1914 Dudly Bug cyclecar, Dudly Tool Co. Menominee, MI,
gratefully acknowledged from the site, earlyAmerican-
Automobiles.com, created & maintained by enthusiast
Royal Feltner, Amesbury, MA

 

Man, I have a soft spot (who doesn't?) for the early runabouts
and speedsters! They cut such a keen image!​

<CENTER>
Very appealing artist's rendering of the same </CENTER><CENTER>1906 Pungs-Finch Roadster pictured previously,</CENTER><CENTER>thanks to American-Automobiles.com.</CENTER>

Another nice one!

1921 Daniels Speedster, Daniels Motor Car Co. Reading,
PA (1915-1924), again thanks to Royal Feltner.​

 

Here's an email I got from Tony Murray in Louisiana, along with my initial response. -- Jimi

RE: Murray Eight, Murray-Mac Murray Car Corporation <HR style="COLOR: #e5e5e5; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e5e5e5" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->Hello sir, I am the great-grandson of the founder of the Murray Motor Car Corporation of Pittsburgh. I have been researching the Murray Eight and have a little information on the company, but have been unable to locate a servivng car. I would love to know your interest in the car, mine is strictly genelogical interest but I have found it very interesting. Thanks for your time!

Sincerely,
Tony Murray,
Pineville, LA


Hi, Tony, it's been busy here, so I'll make a quick reply and follow up , time permitting. THANKS for contacting me. We've had a ton of fun on the HAMB thread trying (often succeeding!) in tracking down extremely rare, defunct and sometimes actually EXTINCT makes of US automobiles!

To make a long story short, I have a mission to find more info and pix about the makes that include MURRAY in the company name. (Please refer back to pages 120-123 of our thread, if you have not read that material already.) There are two, PERHAPS three, iterations of cars with Murray in the name. I have grown to suspect these may not be related at all, given the timing of production and three distinct company locations.

The first MURRAY is 1902-3 and back in the curved-dash-buggy era. These were made by the Church Mgf. Co. in Adrian, MI. This company also produced the short-lived Lenawee, apparently a larger car.


www.autogallery.org.ru/ppreus.htm




Lenawee, 1903-1904, Church Manufacturing Company of Adrian, MI,
29k photo of 1904 Lenawee Tonneau from The Auto Collections





The second MURRAY goes from 1916, as MURRAY, to at least 1918, per auto historian Colvin (Wikipedia said 1921). These were produced by the Murray Motor Car Co., Pittsburgh, PA. From your commentary, it seems that THIS is the Murray car you seek knowledge of. Following is a brief entry posted on the 'net by ConceptCarz, regarding the Frick Car & Carriage Museum of Pittsburgh:

"The Murray Motor Car Company was organized in 1916 by William H. Murrary. His cars were aimed at the exclusive, high priced market. This was a very tough market to enter, as every detail of the car was to be of the highest quality. The coachwork was to be the exact specification of their clients. The engine and all mechanical components were to be powerful, durable, reliable, clean, and quiet. Power for the Murray cars came from a Herschell-Spillman V8 engine [confirmed by a second source]. Murray took design cues from the Rolls-Royce by using their radiator shell in the front of his cars."


That one paragraph creates a fair mental picture of the Murray auto.

One of the regular posters here found some 1921 and 1922 company records and build specs for the third car with Murray in the name, this time, MURRAY-MAC, built by Murray Motor Car Co., but in Atlantic, MA. He's HJManiac, and here's the info in a nutshell version: '21 and '22 Murray-Mac Series 70-T roadster & touring ($4,000 range). Beaver valve-in-head six w. 303-CID w. Stromberg carb (29 hp), water-cooled. 131" wheelbase w. artillery wheels. (Source Motor Age, Feb. 2, 1922).

Sources disagree on how long Murray-Mac was in business; one says it went through 1928, while Wikipedia says 1929. Like the Murray of 1916-18, the Murray-Mac was an EXPENSIVE car.

Probably the most frustrating thing is that NO PHOTOS of the Murray or Murray-Mac have been unearthed. Having a visual reference ALWAYS helps to put meat on the bones of any story, you know?

There is still work to do here, and no one's giving up -- especially since you say you have a family connection AND some facts. PLEASE SHARE what you do know about your ancestor, your great-grandfather and the car(s). -- Your friend, Jim

 

For those of you who are familiar with the NY to Paris Race, "the Great Race of 1908". The car pictured is the eventual winner of that race, the Buffalo Built Thomas Flyer.
They did not go actross the Atlantic, rather they went the long way around. Driving across the US, then up to Alaske where the plan was to drive across the Bering Strait, Across Russia and then on to Paris.
They assumed this would be easy as the race was ran in the winter when the Bering Strait would be frozen.
Note lack of roof, windshield, and of course these cars had no heaters either. There were also no roads so the majority of their travels were cross country using trails, canal tow paths, railroad beds or whatever.

Plans changed after discovering, there was actually no way to get a car to the Bering Strait as there were narrow mountain passages to cross that were no wider than a dogsled. Also, people in Alaska took the drivers of the Thomas to the Strait to show it to them. It is not a smooth frozen body of water as the promotors of the event assumed. It was literally mountains of moving ice. Basically, impassable and certain death.
The Thomas crew were the only competitiors in the race who made it to Alaske and had to return to California where all the competitors were shipped across the pacific.
http://www.thegreatautorace.com/

 

The prospect of "CERTAIN DEATH" surely would have a way of bringing about a re-thinking of any plan -- even though it might have looked good on paper!!! LOL

(On second thought, maybe that's why they assigned a young comedian to drive the car???)

 

On second thought, maybe even the Corphibian could have become part of the "Cars Pulled From the Ocean" posts!!! Heck, all in all, I think descretion WAS the better part of valor there, eh?<HR style="COLOR: #e5e5e5; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e5e5e5" SIZE=1>
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I would like to see a pic of that thing in the water. I don't see any watercraft license numbers on it. My gut feeling is that it might be a April fool's joke 5 weeks early. Those fasteners attaching the floatation devices (pantoons) don't look very watertight to me. I think old SWI66 is playing with us.

 

1939 Oldsmobile 8 Cyl. Convertible

Despite the so-called “Roosevelt Recession” of 1938, Oldsmobile weathered the storm by continuing to offer solid, conservatively styled and well-engineered automobiles to its loyal buyers. Oldsmobile was rivaling Cadillac in terms of luxury and reliability with the “L” Series eight-cylinder cars, providing comfort and luxury equal to the 60-Series Cadillacs.

Throughout the 1930s, Oldsmobile used the “F” designation for six-cylinder cars and the “L” designation for the powerful and smooth-running eight.

Of all 1939 Oldsmobile models, the L-Series Convertible was the rarest, with just 472 units built. This example, one of only two that are known to exist today, is beautifully finished in Trojan Maroon, complemented by a tan top and leather and cloth interior upholstery. It was restored many years ago and it remains impressive today, with the benefit of a recent and thorough detailing. A torquey inline eight-cylinder engine powers it, with comprehensive attention paid to its mechanical components during the course of the last year. Other features include a rare push-button radio with station call letters, front and rear bumper guards and a fully appointed trunk compartment with a jack, spare, top boot and storage bag.

After collecting data for 30 years, the Oldsmobile Club of America and the National Antique Oldsmobile Club both state that there are only two existing 1939 Oldsmobile L-Series eight-cylinder Convertible Coupes known to exist today. It has been documented in national publications and won AACA First Junior and Senior awards, as well as First in Class at the National Oldsmobile meet following the last full restoration in 1976. It was also featured in a photo essay in Cars & Parts Magazine.

 

Nope, to tell the truth, I have no talent or patience for photoshop. The Corphibian is real, and has been documented on several Corvair websites.
As most so called amphihbious vehicles, it is a device that is now not adequate for either purpose. Will work a bit either way.
Even the Amphicar, was a failure. (Unless of course you bought one cheaply and held on to it to sell at Barrett Jackson) They are fine for a small calm lake, but would be swamped easily in true ocean going waters, or for that matter in a strong current.

Top Gear experimented with creating amphibious vehicles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl3bsL7Nbnk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzxuEOxYSLE

Or you could try the 90 mile drive from Cuba

 

Okay Okay. Thanks SWI66. Except for this one.

I believe the following is the only REAL successsful Amphibious and they are 70 years old!

DUKW - WW2 Amphibious Truck

The GMC DUKW is one of the key vehicles of WW2​

The GMC DUKW
Certainly the world’s most iconic amphibious vehicle, the DUKW or Duck was one of the vital vehicles of WW2.
Almost written of as laughable during its earliest demonstrations by senior US Army officers, the smug smiles were soon wiped off their faces when the prototype DUKW answered a distress call in very rough seas right in front of them and safely landed the crew of a coastguard cutter on the beach. Suddenly the top brass realised the potential of the DUKW and a contract for production was signed.
Undoubtedly D Day and the days after were heavily influenced by the DUKW which allowed men, materials and supplies to be landed ashore before a port was taken, in pretty unpleasant seas.
Built around the Banjo axle GMC 6x6 chassis, the DUKW has the same GMC 270 cubic inch engine and transmission.
It has a very low seaboard but can handle some surprisingly rough seas.
Even 60 years on, DUKW’s continue to operate in civilian life, most notably for River Tours in major cities such as London, Boston and Dublin, where tourists marvel at the chance to be driven and ferried around the city in the same vehicle.
For the collector, the appeal has to be that you can swim it. But there are downsides.
The DUKW requires maintenance each time its swum and of course in salt water corrosion shows no mercy. It’s a vehicle that’s fun to own and operate but needs help and it’s not something you can do on a tight budget. If you have a DUKW, you will always have plenty of friends who want to go in the water with you, but who are likely to be less enthusiastic at the “after swimming” clean up and maintenance stage. However several DUKW’s have been successfully owned by groups of like minded enthusiasts. There is a huge following for the DUKW with an annual amphibious rally in a different European country – in 1994 the “amis des amphibes” swam the English Channel en route to the Normandy anniversary.
With every D Day anniversary, the DUKW enthusiasts are omnipresent and 2009 will be no exception, playing an important part in the beach head commemorative events.
Swimming in the sea shouldn’t be taken lightly as there is a lot more to it than just driving into the water, engaging the propeller and away you go. Safety is paramount and some concessions to modern equipment make a lot of sense. Many DUKWS have more reliable diesel engines and supplementary bilge pumps plus the obligatory safety equipment.
Restoration projects are really dependant on the state of the hull – with very few hulls not needing either major repair or total replacement. This can cost up to £15,000 for a professional replacement.
Depending on condition expect to pay between £25,000 and £30,000 for a fully operational and restored DUKW. You need somewhere to park it undercover and to maintain it – just covering a DUKW with a sheet isn’t enough to beat the corrosion as the salt gets in everywhere – especially the top hat sections on the hull, which then corrode the sheet metal.
You can drive it on a normal driving licence but may need some degree of marine certification and insurance for some waterways in UK and Europe. Prospective owners wishing to swim in the sea should check the maritime regulations before embarking on a purchase.
The specialist for DUKW and the all important spare parts, backed up with an immense technical knowledge of working on and operating these fabulous amphibians is Rex Ward, www.dukw.co.uk Tel 01189 306300.

Want to know more? Click Here







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</TD></TR><TR><TD>Photos by John Blackman www.militaryvehiclephotos.

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Speaking of Amphicars.....

 

Many thanks to Daniel Strohl of Hemmings Classic Car for the following;



As Mike informed us, it’s a LARC-60, which appears to be another name for the BARC (Barge, Amphibious, Resupply Cargo) or LARC-LX (Lighter, Amphibious, Resupply Cargo, 60 ton), basically a barge on wheels that could carry up to 200 people and 100 tons of cargo. The Army used them starting in about 1952 and appeared to have sold off its last one in 1999, though they saw the most action in Vietnam.

Four engines (generally GM two-stroke 7.0-liter diesels) powered the LARC-60. Each engine ran through an automatic transmission and then powered one wheel, all of which were hydraulically steered. Two 48-inch propellers motivated the LARC-60 while in the water.

Of the 968 built, an estimated 600-plus were deliberately sunk in Vietnam just to dispose of them. So how this one ended up not only in private hands but also on a Maine beach is a mystery.

But if the day comes when we’re rich enough to buy our own island and need a personal ferry, we know what we’re buying.

 

SunRoof Jim said: Despite the so-called &#8220;Roosevelt Recession&#8221; of 1938, Oldsmobile weathered the storm by continuing to offer solid, conserva-
tively styled and well-engineered automobiles to its loyal buyers. Olds-
mobile was rivaling Cadillac in terms of luxury and reliability with the &#8220;L&#8221; Series eight-cylinder cars, providing comfort and luxury equal to the 60-
Series Cadillacs.

Jimi said: Jim, I think this is awfully well-stated. The Oldsmobile (post
Ransom and during the GM era) seemed to be "taken for granted," in my
opinion. About a decade LATER, Pontiac would get the rep as GM's "ex-
perimental" make. But around 1940, Olds was the make that really intro-
duced the first mass-market automatic transmissions -- AND with their
neck on the line.

I also feel that it was very unfair that the flat- and OHV eights started
to be regarded as passe, since they were (obviously) still very keen
engines, DEPENDING of course, on the expectations and user-applications
of the buyer.

Anyway, ALL of that aside, this is ONE ENJOYABLE car to stare at!!!!!

 

That is the one I was thinking of, Thank You. Interesting that both of these cars claim to be the only Pungs-Finch, the one I posted actually has the Pungs-Finch name on the grille not Finch Limited. What beautifully crafted automobiles, the "Brass Era" were.
Don Finch

 

<TABLE style="TEXT-ALIGN: left; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em; WIDTH: 25em; FONT-SIZE: 88%" class="infobox hproduct" cellSpacing=5><CAPTION style="FONT-SIZE: 125%; FONT-WEIGHT: bold" class=fn>Volkswagen Type 166 'Schwimmwagen'</CAPTION><TBODY><TR><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" colSpan=2></TD></TR><TR><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Manufacturer</TH><TD class=brand>Volkswagen</TD></TR><TR><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Production</TH><TD>15,000 (1942-1944)</TD></TR><TR><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Engine(s)</TH><TD>4-cyl. boxer, air cooled
1,131 cc, 25 hp @ 3,000 rpm

</TD></TR><TR><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Transmission(s)</TH><TD>4-speed manual
2-speed transfer case;
4WD only on 1st gear / reverse

</TD></TR><TR><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Wheelbase</TH><TD>200 cm (78.7 in)</TD></TR><TR><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Length</TH><TD>382.5 cm (150.6 in)</TD></TR><TR><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Width</TH><TD>148 cm (58.3 in)</TD></TR><TR><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Height</TH><TD>161.5 cm (63.6 in)</TD></TR><TR><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Curb weight</TH><TD>910 kg (1,345 kg GVW)</TD></TR><TR><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Fuel capacity</TH><TD>50 L (13.2 US gal; 11.0 imp gal)</TD></TR><TR><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Related</TH><TD>VW type 86 & 87</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>








Volkswagen Schwimmwagens used the engine and mechanicals of the VW Type 86 four-wheel drive prototype of the Kübelwagen and the Type 87 four-wheel drive 'Kübel/Beetle' Command Car, which in turn were based on the platform of the civilian Volkswagen Beetle. However, Erwin Komenda, Ferdinand Porsche's first car body designer, was forced to develop an all new unitized bodytub structure, since the utterly flat floorpan chassis of the existing VW vehicles was totally unsuited to smooth movement through water. Komenda patented his ideas for the swimming car at the German Patent office.
The earliest Type 128 prototype was based on the full-length Kübelwagen chassis with a 240 cm (7.9 ft) wheelbase. Pre-production units of the 128, fitted with custom welded bodytubs, demonstrated that this construction was too weak for tough off-roading, had insufficient torsional rigidity, and easily suffered hull-ruptures at the front cross-member, as well as in the wheel-wells. This was unacceptable for an amphibious vehicle. The large-scale production models (Type 166) were therefore made smaller, and had a wheel-base of only 200 cm (6.6 ft).
VW Schwimmwagens were both produced by the Volkswagen factory at Fallersleben / Wolfsburg, as well as by Porsche's facilities in Stuttgart; with the bodies (or rather hulls) produced by Ambi Budd in Berlin. From 1941 through 1944 a total of 15,584 Type 166 Schwimmwagen cars were produced; 14,276 at Fallersleben and 1,308 by Porsche. Given these numbers, the VW 166 is the most mass-produced amphibious car in history. Only 163 are known by the Schwimmwagen Registry to remain today, and only 13 have survived without restoration work

All Schwimmwagen were four wheel drive only on first gear (and reverse gears with some models) and had ZF self-locking differentials on both front and rear axles. Just like the Kübelwagen, the Schwimmwagen had portal gear rear hubs that gave better ground clearance, while at the same time reducing drive-line torque stresses with their gear reduction at the wheels.
When crossing water a screw propeller could be lowered down from the rear deck engine cover. When in place a simple coupling provided drive straight from an extension of the engine's crankshaft. This meant that screw propulsion was only available going forward. For reversing in the water there was the choice of using the standard equipment paddle or running the land drive in reverse, allowing the wheel-rotation to slowly take the vehicle back. The front wheels doubled up as rudders, so steering was done with the steering wheel both on land and on water.

 

From 1942 to 1943 the U.S. Military commissioned the building of up to 12,000 new Amphibious Jeeps with the initial purpose of transporting troops from ship to land and back.
These SEEPS or Sea Jeeps as they were called were build by the GPW Ford division and designated as GPA's with the "A" indicating "Amphibian".

1942 Ford Amphibious GPA Seep

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The SEEPS were miserable failures in their intended sea duty purposes with many sinking in moderate to high wave conditions, however they later proved valuable in river crossings.
Only about 5000 SEEPS were actually produced before being discontinued in 1943.



They were made in 1942 and 1943, and about 12,788 (or 12,785 depending upon the source) of them were made. Ben Carlin, owner of HALF SAFE, a GPA which he sailed and drove around the world, thought that only half of the above figure were made, but serial numbers of surviving specimens suggest that the 12,7XX figure is correct.

 

Yes, I've ridden in a DUKW, Tenesee river tour in Chattanooga, Tennessee!
It was a blast!

http://www.chattanoogaducks.com/

 

Hold the phone! I cry, "O.T.!" Once again, HJ has used
a protracted auto theme as a means to sneak in s'more
cheesecake! I say this is sarong!!!

 

I don't know what this is but I think it's very well done. Found it over at a thread of pictures taken at the Detroit Autorama Thursday Evening.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=450183

 

As the saying goes "Gotta Be The Shoes"

Ref my signature. I think this is what my Dad was talking about.

 

Hey, that's somebody's grandma now..............

She is nice though...........

 

All I can say is, "Holy shit!"

 

Thanks Jimi for finding some more pictures of it. I see a Packard Grille, Cord style Fenders, Doors patterned after the Round Door Rolls Royce. Back patterned after a certain Packard. what do others see????

 

Myself, I'd love to know the pedigree of that beautiful mill under the hood! WOW

Obviously, this was a labor love for somebody. I wonder if awards were given at this show (?).

 

And SPEAKING OF DUCKS . . . what better time
to talk about an imaginary car that got probably
more ink and screen time than a lot of REAL
cars?!? Donald Duck's 1934 Belchfire Runabout!


Sincere thanks to Gilles R. Maurice of Calisota
Online, Researches of Disney Comics and Cartoons
(calisota@online.fr) for this Don Rosa drawing
of Donald's 'ol 313 Belchfire.

Officially, Donald's Belchfire bowed on July 1, 1938, in the Disney comics. In terms of milking laughs, Donald's roadster may have rivaled Jack Benny & Roscoe's Maxwell! Though, ostensibly, Donald built the rattletrap runabout from odd parts with his own two (er, uh?) wings, the Belchfire was actually modeled losely after a 1938 American Bantam, successor to the Austin Bantam.


Grateful acknowledgement and appreciation to the WikiMedia
Commons project for this '39 American Bantam image.


The diminutive American Austin and American Bantam of 1929 to 1941
were certainly different from most anything else on the U.S. streets
and highways. Really hard to believe, though, that Bantam designed
the prototype for the iconic JEEP, still produced today.

 

Oops, that one reference should have said "American Austin", the make that went from '29 - '34. I got my tongue caught on my eye teeth and couldn't see what I was saying!!!