From the graveyard of dead makes: once upon a time, the Maytag company of Newton Iowa made much more than washers and dryers (and blue cheese). In fact, founder F.L. Maytag got started making farm equipment and stationary engines, and his washers were originally just a sideline to fill production downtimes. Anyway, in 1906 Maytag teamed with a Des Moines lawyer named Edward Mason to start the Maytag-Mason automobile company. The car was designed by a young pair of Des Moines bicycle mechanics named Fred and August Duesenberg (yup, the same ones!). Produced in Waterloo IA between 1906 and 1911, the Maytag (also sold as the Maytag-Mason and the Mason) featured a powerful flat 2 cylinder motor with a chain drive. They were very successful in racing and hill climbs. Much more here: http://www.maytagclub.com/page-30.htm
Thanks! One of the cool things to note is that the Maytag "Goat" was also the Duesenbergs' first race car. Nine years after Maytag-Mason went under, a Duesenberg driven by Jimmy Murphy won the French Gran Prix, and is to this day the only American-built, American-driven car to win a European GP. In the course of Googling around, I found another interesting Iowa-built make, the Colby -- here's a pic of their 'Red Devil' race car from the early 1910s http://www.iptv.org/iowapathways/artifact_detail.cfm?aid=a_000013&oid=ob_000015
The first car I built (age 14....52 years ago) was a soapbox racer powered by an opposed-twin Maytag washing machine engine. I drove it to Junior High School about a mile away when weather permitted.
When I was 16 some buddys mounted a Maytag engine on a 20" bicycle with a Gleaner combine unloading auger pully bolted through the rear wheel and direct belt drive. Did I mention NO BRAKES. Wore a pair of shoes out riding that thing around one sunday afternoon. Fun and games in farm country.
I've been looking for one of the twin cylinder Maytag engines used on the washers for awhile. I really need one for a future project bike.
And... Maytag heir Fritz Maytag revived the old Anchor Steam Beer label back in the 1960s and brews it in San Francisco. Excellent beer.
The Duesenberg Brothers were born in Germany, exactly in Kirchheide/Lemgo, which is about 20 kilometres from where I live.......
HA! GV- me and lil Brother- Scarliner were early machanics of death rids too...he was always the test pilot... For sopme reason brakes and even throttles[wired wWOT] were never used! I remember on incident where we installed a Homelite chain saw[big un] on a minibike equipped as I describe... He went up that little acceleration retarding-hill like abat outa hell and into the side of our chickenhouse... Kinda like when Wylie cyote ran thru those mountains with arms outstretched!!
Whirlpool Corporation bought out Maytag a couple of years ago and the Newton Iowa washer/ dryer plant is scheduled to close December of 2007. So history repeating itself and the opening of the Iowa Speedway in Newton that has had Indy cars and Nextel Trucks would be a great place to build cars at the big factory that once produced washing machines. History circle if there could be one. Another FYI, The Maytag Dairy farms in Newton run a very successful dairy farm that produces Blue Cheese that is world known and at the most expensive resturaunts world wide. Cob
Cool thing about the Colby is the fact that it was Underslung. I'll post some photos later after I clean them up.
Yep...our Maytag plant here just closed... Threw about 1000 workers out in the cold... I think they moved to someplace called "Mexico"??
I remember one of the first SO CAL open houses, there was a 34 Ford Roadster there with a Duesenberg engine in it. It was built way back in the day. I like this one, it just won Pebble Beach.
Dan Gurney in his V-12 Eagle won the Belgium G.P. in 1967, car was possibly the most beautiful rear engined G.P.car, That was the second and last American G.P. driver/car win.. the guy is an old lakes/Bonneville/road race/Gran Prix/NASCAR/motorcyle champion. Easily the best driver to come out of the USA. Dan Gurney for President 2008!
Yes, I've had it. A very fine cheese indeed. And...Mr. Maytag is producing Malt Whiskeys too. "Old Potrero" is a 12 year old single malt. At $99 a bottle I have yet to try it. He also has "Old Hotaling", a blend of 9 year old whiskeys. $59. "If, as they say, God spanked the town for being over frisky, Why did he burn the churches down, But save "Hotaling's Whiskey"? "Hotaling's Whiskey" was (not surprisingly) a whiskey warehouse. It was located in downtown San Francisco on Jackson St. in 1906. It survived the earthquake and fire with contents intact while everything around it was destroyed.
Since we have the 6 degrees of seperation going on, here's a pic of one of the Dan Gurney BMX bikes from the mid seventies. This was his mono shock model and he had at least one other one, the Eagle. Nik
I have 14 maytag coinop washers....Brilliant washing machines! especially when they can run 20 years without a problem and every dippo under the sun overloads them,****s in them..( true!)and generally demonstrate their mental illness problems when washing clothes...
www.fantasyofflight.com has a pair of V-12 aircraft engines geared together to drive one prop. WWII prototype iirc. Yep,you guessed it Maytag. Bet that pup would spin some loads...
I didn't buy the Maytag....... The price ''to me'' was several thousand $$ more than anyone else.... f-that.... I'm not Jesse James Dan Gurney is a nice guy but he's not the best driver we have ever had from the US AND He damn near killed Dennis ***e with that stupid Toyota
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