Herb, I'm guessing you are talking about the late great Jerry Sherman, and I think the car is a Ralley not an Amilcar. I was in the barn only once, it was Hisso Heaven. I bought a 5Main HAL Midget engine from Jerry. What a nice guy, always enjoyed seeing his cars run in VSCCA events. Now for the sad news.....the barn burnt to the ground along with the cars, never knew that the total number was. Bob
anyone catch the latest "American Pickers?" Mike just picked a cyclecar that was used in a Andy Rooney movie. The seller had another one that looked like a model T but they couldn't agree on a price.
As one might guess, this thread is by far my all-time favorite...85 pages and still adding great images! Could I add one to the collection of me out riding in my 1919 Briggs & Stratton Flyer replica? The flexible oak frame actually works...sort of... Tom Bartlett
Right on Bob--and you may very well be correct about the car. These pix were taken in an open sided shed that Jerry's mother called the "Parthanon". Jerry and his mom were of the finest sort. Neighborhood vermin torched the barn--the BNC and WW1 aircraft engines melted but the Talbot race car and the Hisso that Jerry ran hill climbs with escaped- the Hisso was being restored by a local fellow since. I made a lot of mechanical pieces for the restoration. PS I remember the Hal well--two sets of rods, one set conventional, the other set were doubled up Ford 60HP rods. Sorry for the thread hijack-- Herb
Herb, This isn't a hijack by any means, it's always good to chat about great people from the past. I remember the two Bugattis Jerry had, and the Talbot GP car. One of the burnt Hisso chassis was at Dragone Classic Cars years ago. I remember the Ralley was maroon with a fabric Wyman type body. I don't know a thing about music, but remember Jerry playing the piano at the White Horse Inn after a VSCCA event, I think he took lessons.
For obvious reasons, are there any GN aftermarket detail pieces, like heralds, horn buttons, hub caps, hood ornaments, etc. being reproduced? Gary
Surprisingly, there might. A small "jam-factory" manufacturer would have made a lot of use of generic and proprietary bits, like Lucas "pork pie" taillights, etc., many of which are not only reproduced but relatively inexpensive. While they might not be specifically reproduced, the ornamental pieces you list would have involved fairly simple processes suited to the tiny output of such a manufacturer, which should therefore not be hard to duplicate one-off, given a bit of research.
Some of the simpler ornamental castings could be reproduced fairly easily by those that do this kind of thing, the hard part might be trying to get the pattern for it. You'd have to rely on a skilled pattern maker to carve one or ask a GN owner very nicely if you could borrow his hood ornament. In other news, this is absolutely stunning: What a fantastically proportioned and beautifully executed machine. Love it!
What did the GN mascot look like, by the way, if indeed they had one? especially as an air-cooled car hasn't got a radiator cap to put one on. It seems very much the sort of car that would attract aftermarket mascots - especially of the cheap and corny variety!
I used the hood ornament as an example, I believe there's a few pictures of GNs with them over this thread - not sure if they are original pieces though. Having said that, lack of a radiator didn't seem to stop GN putting shells and grilles at the front (spider excepted), probably to make them a little bigger, imposing and more car-like, I guess to dispel with the flimsy-cheap-cyclecar idea people may have had. I think there are a few electric machines built in the twenties/thirties that had similar styling characteristics - I'm sure I saw one on Jay Leno's Garage a while a go (not his Baker electric).
I see a lot of GN dummy radiators with plain tops, but I get your point. And I agree with you about the eminent rightness of the GN in that photo.
Agreed about th e GN pictured. I doubt that much of the bodywork (if any) is original, but it has near perfect lines to my eye. Herb
Weird Velorex/2CV mashup for sale (70k Czech Crowns=about 3500 USDollars) http://auto.aukro.cz/2cv-velorex-i2043933035.html I've seen pics of a Velorex with a complete Trabant drivetrain in front, but it wasn't a pretty sight...
I like that very much - I think it is a bit more complicated than some sort of crude cut and shut job. Look at the windscreen surround and ventilation flap.
Ned and all, If you happen to know of any GN art work that's "crisp" enough to get a good graphic design from, or sources for badges, ornaments, key rings, radiator caps, etc please let me know. Perhaps I could "lease" something from someone? I have no intent on copying the GN stuff, just want to use it to capture a little vintage style. The plan is to make a simple badge or herald that could be used on a grille shell, trunk lid or as a dash plaque. The round Lotus and BMW heralds come to mind, or the vertical rectangles like on a Rolls. No rush, just hoping so day to pull that off. Later, Gary
Are you aware of the Rapid Prototype process? This service is in your area: http://www.ems-usa.com/ From an original or mock up you could have a copy made that a foundry could cast for you. No idea on cost but if your just thinking about it this is a place to start.
I see the 1921 GN Touring car has a front engine driving the rear wheels. If this is not chain driven then what kind of driveshaft does it use? Solid or tube? Other than chain what do cyclecars in general have for a driveshaft?
I'd guess tubular, as it requires simple mild steel hollow stock. My sources indicate an engine-mounted clutch, I don't know whether single-plate or cone or something else; an open drive shaft to a bevel box and transverse countershaft bearing the (originally) three drive sprockets (two forward plus reverse). The relatively short countershaft might be solid round bar stock. There is some uncertainty as to what happens next: some sources speak of sprockets on the rear axle as per subsequent Frazer-Nash practice, while others refer to belt drive as per generic cyclecar practice from a second intermediate shaft. Can anyone clarify from experience?
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