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

AJ, that is WAY cool. Though I love hotrods, I'd say
there isn't a LOT to do here, what with the BIG-dis-
placement eight-cylinder. You could make a 'rod
without changing anything to where it couldn't be
put back pretty easily.

When I was "growing up" in the mid-sixties, a lot
of guys could afford only stuff to make the car look
meaner and sound LOUD (pretty trad, if you ask me).
Some guys torched the front springs, and we know
that can be put back, too. THIS is a car that could
be the BEST of TWO worlds, if you see what I mean.
It has, after all, been repainted, so it's not as though
anyone would ruin the patina of original paint.

I hate to say this, but given that less than 200 were
made, I think the $10-grand range is LOW!

 

I have to post this here, if only from the standpoint of RARITY. Anybody know of a handy '36 REO auto, not truck? THANKS to SunRoofCord (a fount of info!) for steering me to a cool site.


End of the line, 1936. Thereafter REO made only trucks. This body by Hayes was maligned as unimaginative but was shared with Graham as a cost-cutter. For Graham, it would be remembered as their least attractive model of the '30s.

Seems funny to me, since the lines are so close to all the Chrysler Corp. and GM models that would bow for 1937! (Note the "turret top"!) And the PRICE is only slightly higher than the Plymouth and competitive with the other MoPar makes!

 

From a cool site SunRoof pointed me to, a NICE color ad
for the underslung 1913 Norwalk. NOT one you often
hear of today! And HOW MANY makes came out of West
Virginia? I have a notion, the car pictured is the $3,000
"A-Series" four-passenger touring on a 136-inch wheel-
base, 38-horse, 377-CID T-head six with Carter carb.
(Norwalk also offered a massive 49-hp, 525-CID T-six
"B-Series" on a whopping 144-inch wheelbase. Might this
be THAT model?)

 

1912 Norwalk photo, THANKS to the West Virginia Division of Culture & History!

Here is a pretty remarkable photo! A 1912 Norwalk Underslung, WHEN they were still made in Norwalk, OH, at the behest of a fella name Arthur Skadden. Note the Ohio plate. 912 was Norwalk's last production year in Ohio. The Norwalk itself is pretty remarkable, for several reasons. They were actually made for more years than the better-known American Underslung, yet their high price (in the $3- to $4-thousand range!) meant that fewer were sold and, thus ONLY ONE KNOWN SURVIVOR today! Any scarcer, and they'd be extinct! At least after the first couple of years, Norwalks could be had with a choice of three large sixes, including one topping 500-CID.



Original Norwalk badge is THANKS
to the Friends of Norwalk Foundation,
Inc., of Martinsburg, W V, where the
Norwalk continued in production
through 1922.

The Norwalk was preceded by Skadden's AutoBug (not to be confused with AutoBuggy), made only in 1909 and 1910, and there may well be as few as ONE of those, as well! More research needed.

 

Wow the whole article - thanks for posting, swi66.

This article was posted on the AutoPuzzles.com site.

 

Made only two years -- and mail-order. THIS has to be scarce!

1909 mail-order Metz Plan at a railroad train station, Tazwell, Virginia.


The 1909-1910 Metz Plan was a pretty unusual car
for its time, in that Charles Metz actually made a mail-order,
do-it-yourself car a practical -- and arguably affordable --
reality. American-Automobiles.com states that some 4,000
Metz Plan cars were sold for between about $350 and $450.
Metz's "plan" was to pay off debt of the old Waltham Orient
company he had bought in 1908. He'd send the cars, a box
at a time, to buyers for $25 to $27 per box. It was said that,
when done, the Metz owner would have a 10-12-hp car worth
about $600. The above car was ID'd by HAMBer LGS of New
Zealand. THANKS!!!



1909 Metz Plan Roadster, THANKS to American-Automobiles.com!



"Say I!" ??? How about if I say "aye"? Read this 1910 Metz Plan ad!
It's a gem! (And about 35 years later, Preston Tucker got in trouble
for a comparable program!)<!-- / message -->​

 

Metz/Waltham Automobiles &#8211; Motorcycles &#8211; Bicycles &#8211; Air-Car

History of vehicles built in Waltham & Brockton, Ma. by Charles H. Metz and the Waltham Manufacturing Co. Metzauto@gmail.com


Waltham on Wheels July 10th Gathering Photos.






Published in:

• Metz Automobile Registry

on October 4, 2010 at 6:46 am Leave a Comment


Waltham on Wheels July 10th 25 Lexington St. Waltham, MA

Rain or shine the Metz gathering will happen at the Waltham Museum. If you have an interest in these automobile it is well worth the trip with or without your car. At 2PM, Al Arena will present a slide show and history lecture on the Metz,Orient and Waltham Automobiles. Several owners are planning to return again this year and depending on the weather display their cars.
Additional NEWS:
George Albright Metz Room at the Waltham Museum
When the new elevator instalation is completed, we hope to occupy part of the garage for our 8 Metz and Orient cars. The Metz Room when completed is sponsored by George Albright of Fla. who donated a 1905 Waltham Orient Deluxe automobile.
This is the only Waltham Deluxe automobile known to exist. When this room is completed and the automobiles installed we plan to hold a very special event because their will then be the worlds only Metz Auto Museum in the city where they began. Our our goal is winter of 2010. This will be an International attraction for Metz owners and historians around the world.

Published in:

• Automobile Bicycle Motorcycle
• Marsh Metz Motorcycle
• Metz / Orient Videos
• Metz Automobile Registry
• Metz Company
• Orient Bicycle
• Orient Buckboard
• Restoration
• Waltham
• Waltham - Orient Automobile Registry
• Wanted/For Sale

on July 8, 2010 at 2:30 am Comments (1)


1906 Orient Buckboard #2613


Orient Buckboard #2613


Good Morning;
Well, we are not be going to be present for your July 10 gathering but I will share the latest pictures of the 1906 Orient buckboard, serial number #2613 that I have been working on for the last eight months. I drove it in a local parade on June 5th, 2010. Put about 15 miles on the car and it drove and ran extremely well and we won a blue ribbon in the antique car class. The restoration will be on going for several years as the museum has funds available for small items like the carburetor air filter and kerosene headlight and side lights &#8230; Do you have any idea what a pair of original style side lights would cost???
Thanks for keeping us in the loop.
Bob Stewart
Grant County Historical Museum.in Canyon City, Oregon. We have what is supposed to a 1906 Orient Buckboard that has been in our museum since 1962.It is in remarkably good shape for as old as it is. Recently the board decided to try and fix it up and enter it in 2009 Grant County Fair parade.According to the original owner ours is a 1906 model.I am wondering if our information is incorrect? It appears to be a dual fuel engine, starting on gasoline and maybe running on kerosene after warming up,but we really don&#8217;t know.There is a very small fuel tank under the seat and a larger tank behind the seat.I hand cranked the engine over for the first time in almost 50 years. It has good compression and turns over easily with the compression release pushed down.We are needing a few parts that we can see so far.
1) distributor cap
2) air filter assembly
3) ignition switch
The ignition switch is all there but when the knob is pulled out, it comes all the way out in your hand. The air cleaner apparently screwed onto the carburetor as there are threads on it and the rest is missing. A wiring diagram would be most helpful.We have purchased 4 new tires and tubes from Corker Tire Co. The wheels are made of wood with steel spokes. Mounting the new tires without scaring up the wooden wheels will be a challenge. The wooden fenders are shot, the rears have been replaced with metal ones and the fronts are plywood which are falling apart. We think that they can be replaced with a good quality 7-ply marine grade 1/4&#8243; plywood. What do you think? Any help would certainly be appreciated. Please share your comments with everyone in the comment section at the bottom of this post.




Published in:

• Orient Buckboard
• Waltham - Orient Automobile Registry

on June 22, 2010 at 12:33 am Comments (4)


1912 Metz Model 22 Roadster up for auction


&#8220;After much deliberation and upon the advice of professionals, we have decided to turn the sale of the Sichel Trust collection over to RM Auctions. The car collection as well as memorabilia will be auctioned in Hershey, Pa., in October 2010. At that time, bids may be taken in person, by telephone, or over the Internet, and we will advise you of the process as the time grows nearer.&#8221;


Published in:

• Automobile Bicycle Motorcycle
• Marsh Metz Motorcycle
• Metz / Orient Videos
• Metz Automobile Registry
• Metz Company
• Wanted/For Sale

on June 3, 2010 at 2:33 pm Leave a Comment


2nd Annual Metz/Waltham/Orient Gathering July 10th.

The 2nd annual Metz Auto and transportation gathering will take place at the Waltham Museum on Saturday July 10th from 9AM-3PM. All owners of Metz/Waltham/Orient transportation vehicles are welcome to join us to display their vehicles. Please call the museum at 781-893-9020 to reserve your space. Please provide your name, telephone number,year and model of the vehicle you plan to display by July 5th.
Look back in our web site archives to see the photos and video of last years event.

Published in:

• Automobile Bicycle Motorcycle
• Marsh Metz Motorcycle
• Metz / Orient Videos
• Metz Automobile Registry
• Metz Company
• Orient Bicycle
• Orient Buckboard
• Restoration
• Waltham
• Waltham - Orient Automobile Registry
• Wanted/For Sale

on May 17, 2010 at 8:07 am Leave a Comment


History Channel:American Pickers TV Show

The TV show American Pickers latest episode features an Orient Bicycle and a Orient Buckboard. We will post the show when it is online.
We havn&#8217;t been able to find the show online yet but click the link above and you may find it any time.

Published in:

• Automobile Bicycle Motorcycle

on March 9, 2010 at 7:15 am Comments (2)


1913 Metz Torpedo # 19189


1913 Metz Torpedo # 19189


1913 Metz Torpedo # 19189

As identified by Metz Specifications compiled by Franklin B. Tucker (&#8220;Antique Automobile&#8221;, March-April 1967) this was the 888th out of 4648 cars produced for 1913. On March 12, 1913 the Commonwealth of Kentucky (that&#8217;s &#8220;State of Kentucky&#8221; for those not from Massachusetts, Virginia, Pennsylvania or Kentucky) issued a Certificate of Registration to J.A Robinson of Waddy, Kentucky, certifying ownership. A Certificate of Registration would again be issued by Kentucky on March 2, 1918 to what I decipher to be &#8220;J.A. Robentson&#8221; of Waddy, Kentucky. The records that came with the car next identify it as being registered to Leo E. Hogan of Park City, Kentucky, on March 27, 1972. Mr. Hogan&#8217;s estate sold the car to Marshall &#8220;Jack&#8221; Armstrong of Meredith, New Hampshire (from whom I purchased the car), in November 1999.
Photographs of the car from April 1972 show the car painted canary yellow with black fenders and radiator shroud. Restoration of the car was started in January 1979 by Mr. Hogan, during which it was painted the current vermilion with black fenders and white pinstripe.
As for how this car came to be a &#8220;Torpedo&#8221;, it is currently an enigma. As identified by F.B. Tucker, the &#8220;Torpedo&#8221; body style was not offered in 1913. The &#8220;Torpedo&#8221; body style not appearing until the 1914 model year. However, it is known that &#8220;Torpedoes&#8221; were built during the 1913 production. Most notably, three (3) &#8220;Torpedoes&#8221; (identified by F.B. Tucker as &#8220;1914&#8221; model cars) being entered in to the Glidden National Tour in July 1913. [Note: Metz was the winner of the Glidden Tour that year.] The engine number identifies this car as being early 1913 production, well before the Glidden Tour. The body matches the design of the Number 6 car of the Tour with the exception of the Glidden Tour cars having &#8220;Prest-O-Lite&#8221; tanks, whereas this car has a carbide generator &#8211; standard equipment for 1913 production Metz cars. As this car was already in Kentucky four (4) months before the start of the Glidden Tour, and the Glidden Tour cars bore Massachusetts registration plates, we can surmise it is not one of the Glidden Tour cars. The Kentucky registration certificates of 1913 and 1918 do not shed any light on the matter as Kentucky merely identifies the cars as a &#8220;Metz made by Metz Motor Co.&#8221;, with no mention of body style or type, and no mention of color. Was the turtle deck an option for the &#8220;Roadster&#8221; in 1913? Was the turtle deck added at some unknown date between 1913 and 1972? The question is open to debate, although the car does look to this neophyte to be in its original configuration as delivered from Metz.
The original brass manufacturer&#8217;s identification plate, as described by F.B. Tucker, is missing. However, included in the paperwork for the car (not attached to the car) was an enamel oval radiator medallion of the form identified for later production (particularly for the Model 25, but also seen on pictures of the Model 22 Fore door), i.e. white background with black lettering &#8220;METZ WALTHAM-MASS-USA&#8221;.
A few tasks still need to be tackled before the restoration Mr. Hogan started will be complete. At some point of the car&#8217;s life, the engine, transmission and drive chain splash shields were lost and will need to be replaced. The hardware to hold the headlight lenses to the rims has also gone missing and needs to be replaced, and I need to fix the latch on the taillight lens. The roof bows are only useful as patterns. The headlight and taillight rims need to be re-plated. Should the cowl lights also be plated nickel, or left brass? I need to recreate how the exhaust brake looked and was connected, and re-plumb the headlights (or convert to electric?). I note that the steering column is designed to accommodate a lever for control of spark advance. However, there is no sign of the car ever being equipped with a lever for manual control of spark advance. The magneto (Bosch DU4) is not equipped for a spark advance lever. Ideas, helpful hints, direction to parts, etc., can be sent to me: David C. Adams at dcamcpuffin@aol.com.

Published in:

• Metz / Orient Videos
• Metz Automobile Registry
• Metz Company

on November 9, 2009 at 1:02 am Comments (1)

 

Air-cooled FOX engine of 1921-23. Powerful, it was a fave
of booleggers, according to American-Automobiles.com.
Foxes were way faster than the Franklins BUT way more
COSTLY, what with an open for $4 grand and a closed car
for $5 grand! This was the same gentleman, Fox, who made
Fox shotguns, proclaimed "The Finest." Illustration is
THANKS to AmericanAutomobiles.com!

Only ONE '23 Fox car is in existence. (I think 37Kid may
have some knowledge as to the veracity of the statement.)

 

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]Body-maker Budd's XP300 prototype. Anybody know anything about this proposed car?[/SIZE][/FONT]

 

Some detail:

http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z1849/Buick-XP-300-Concept.aspx

 

Made in Massachusetts, this is a Morse. Possibly the sole survivor. My apologies if already posted. Update: sole survivor of Morse built in Easton, MA. Another earlier example built in Springfield, MA also survives. This one is c. 1911, I believe.

 

THANKS, T-Head! You brought up a good example of a make that was around for over a decade, yet -- like so MANY of the early makes -- barely has ANY surviving specimens!

I still can't believe the reality: We can have pretty thorough tech info, some pix and ads, BUT only one, two OR NO actual surviving cars! That's what the ONGOING QUEST in this thread is. When folks put their heads and experiences (travels, museums, etc.) together, they can sometimes determine if a given make is truly EXTINCT; and sometimes, happily, we turn up a survivor or two!

Maybe one reason Morse didn't sell a bunch was the high price: as high as over $4,000, though the company seemed to try to get price DOWN their last couple of years, by about $500. If my hunting is correct, the one you show was on a 127-inch wheelbase and used a 336-CID dual-ignition VALVE-IN-HEAD four-banger with a respectable 34 horses.

It's good to know two Morse cars survive. About a scarce as you can get with being actually EXTINCT, eh?

 

Wrench, THANKS for coming up with GREAT info on the XP-300. The 'net leads were confusing to me, so I didn't know for sure yesterday if they led definitively to Buick.

IMHO, the XP-300 is a MUCH more attractive car than Earl's LeSabre! And, man! If this was 1951, sure looks as though they scooped the second-series Kaisers and the new Packards, as well. Some touches (the heavy-handed "rocket booster" rear end, e.g.) are a bit much. BUT, hey, it's a concept/show car, right? Seems SEVERAL style touches were pointing in GOOD, cutting-edge directions!!!

The LINK you gave is MORE than worth folks' time to read!!!! (Leave it to conceptcarz, ALWAYS a great repository of info!). I never heard of netCarShow.com, but they surely have some great pix, too!






Photos ALL THANKS to conceptcarz.com!

 

Hemmings Find of the Day

1935 Wanderer W 250



As the seller of this Gläser-bodied 1935 Wanderer W 250 cabriolet points out, there&#8217;s a little bit of Wanderer in every new Audi. The builder of medium-priced cars became the fourth ring in Auto Union in 1932, joining Horch, Audi and DKW. The Audi Museum has a few in its collection, but beyond that, we don&#8217;t know where you&#8217;d go to see another one. That alone makes this an interesting proposition.

From the seller&#8217;s description:

This 1935 Auto Union Wanderer W 250 is a recent barnyard find in the truest sense. A Southern California man and his son bought the car in 1956, taking it to local shows and parades for the following three years until the engine blew a head gasket. As the owners were a family of engineers and tinkerers, the car was stored in the home barn on blocks, where it was carefully covered and occasionally examined. Like many such projects, though, the Wanderer&#8217;s needs were eventually forgotten, and the car sat preserved and more or less untouched in the same barn for the next 50 years. Though it is little known outside of the circles of prewar car buffs and German automobile experts, Wanderer is a historically significant marque that was one of the four brands that joined together in 1932 to form the Auto Union (in addition to DKW, Horch and Audi). The Auto Union&#8217;s logo, four interconnected rings, lives on today as Audi&#8217;s badge, and is prominently displayed on the grille of this classic W 250. With a straight six engine designed by Ferdinand Porsche and a coachbuilt cabriolet body that features elegant hood louvers, rear-hinged doors, pontoon fenders and a retractable canvas softtop, this W 250 is as wonderfully constructed as it is rare. For the true prewar automobile connoisseur, this car represents an amazing chance to acquire an all original, unrestored and unmolested artifact of the Auto Union legend. We have merely reassembled the car with a box of dissembled parts with which it came. This Wanderer does not currently run and its electrical system is still dismantled, but for the collector who is prepared to undertake some mechanical freshening, this car offers an unparalleled opportunity to present a concours-level preservation class car. This W 250 evidences no rust and panel fit is precise and pristine. The entire cosmetic presentation, from the interior wood paneling and leather to the original paint job, displays a warm patina that speaks to the car&#8217;s originality and authenticity. Other than a missing front bumper and replacement hubcaps, this Wanderer W 250 cabriolet is a completely original time capsule presentation that would make a fantastic foundation for an exciting preservation or restoration project.
<style type="text/css">#gallery-1 { margin: auto; }#gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; }#gallery-1 img { border: 2px solid rgb(207, 207, 207); }#gallery-1 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0pt; }</style>
<dl class="gallery-item"><dt class="gallery-icon"> </dt></dl><dl class="gallery-item"><dt class="gallery-icon"> </dt></dl><dl class="gallery-item"><dt class="gallery-icon"> </dt></dl>

 

Nice car there, SunRoof. And a great back story is ALWAYS twice the fun, too.

Below are two makes one hardly ever hears of. I WONDER if any survive in a collection or museum! Since there were only a couple of thousand cars in the whole country then, I tend to doubt it!

1901 Toledo steamer and a ca. 1902 Mors, THANKS to the Surrey Vintage Vehicle Society! Desmond Peacock of the S.V.V.S. ID'd these two toughies!!!

 

And here's a nice color shot of a MUCH later Mors, a 1914 restored from
a "tractor" conversion by Ted Parsons of Victoria, AUS. His son Barry
reported to S.V.V.S. that there are about 14 surviving Mors in Australia.
That's probably a WAY better survival rate than in wetter climates!
(BTW, isn't this body style often called a "torpedo roadster"?)

 

The current HCCA membership directory lists two Mors in Florida, a 1902 Type Z Racer and a 1908 Grand Prix.

 

And 4 Toledos, a 1901 A Stanhope in Pennsylvania, a 1902 Runabout single seat in Indiana, a 1902 Dos A Dos in Ohio, and a 1903 Touring in Alaska.

 

Spectacular finds from the Forties

Courtesy of Hemmings



This unrestored Tucker 48 and a concours-level Chrysler Newport should both ring the bell for Gooding & Company in Scottsdale. Images courtesy Gooding & Company

We have learned about two highly unusual cars that will be offered to interested bidders by Gooding & Company at its 2011 Scottsdale, Arizona, auction on January 21 and 22. The first has the potential to be the PR coup of the whole Scottsdale week. It’s the Tucker 48 sedan bearing serial number 1010 that hasn’t been seen in a half-century, which it apparently spent concealed in a private barn in the Pacific Northwest. According to Gooding, this Tucker has just 10,000 original miles, some of them rung up in record runs on the Bonneville Salt Flats, and wears its factory Waltz Blue finish.

The other big news from Gooding is the consignment of one of the five surviving Chrysler Newport phaetons from 1941 with LeBaron coachwork, shown at Pebble Beach in 2009. Gooding believes each of the cars is expected to bid at $1 million or more.

​

 

Jim, I'm positively amazed. I thought the conventional wisdom
was that all 50-some Tuckers were accounted for. Yow!

 

I'm sure this one was known, just not seen for a while. Same thing happens with Duesenbergs all the time.

 

This one was accounted for, just locked away by an owner who was not interested in selling.
Follow this link, car is actually in deplorable condition!
http://www.tuckerclub.org/bbs3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1925

makes me ill, but someone may save it.

 

SWI: Makes me ill, but someone may save it.

Jimi: Not save a Tucker? I'm not following you,bro.

 

Certainly a nice car. The German cars of the era just ooze CLASS (to me anyway. )





http://www.opelparty.com/Berichte/b96.htm





http://70724.homepagemodules.de/fil...er+W+250+Gl&auml;ser+2-Fenster+Cabriolet+1936

 

http://www.brighton-early.com/mors.html





"1902 Mors AC 30 - London to Brighton Veteran Car Run - 2002"
http://www.freefoto.com/images/21/6...++-+London+to+Brighton+Veteran+Car+Run+-+2002



http://www.lbvcr.com/cars2009.cfm/CurrentPage/14/sort_type/car_entry_no



Not sure if this survives



http://www.weplug.com/images_1/a9e70afdcaf5239833b34dfa954cbe9c20090404135431.jpg



"Photo de la Mors d'Henri Fournier pendant la semaine de vitesse de Nice en 1903 où elle ne rencontrera pas le succès.
Elle est déjà dotée d'une carrosserie proche du type Dauphin.

On voit bien l'évolution spectaculaire des Mors en moins d'un an."
M630

http://www.weplug.com/images_1/0b9732f441254eb1a98d383c8172cf3920090414194048.jpg

 

One man's junk is another man's complete barnfind restoration project! They were asking 500k, let's say it was sold for 450k, and it sells at auction for 650k. That still leaves 400k to restore it and you are not underwater. By my math it may sell for more then the 650k.

EDIT: I'm not trying to say it's a good deal at 650k, just that somebody will pay it for the "privilege" of restoring it - even if they end up underwater later on (which you always do)

 

Wow!