History Photos taken before WW2 - history in black and white

http://autohistory.blog.hu/page/5

 

http://autohistory.blog.hu/page/5

 

http://autohistory.blog.hu/page/5

 

Check the link and you will find this car is "Old Blue". Jack Newell, who restored it, died a few years ago but his family still has the car.

 

Oldsmobile Limited 4-passenger Tourabout - like this one http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5343834 - not sure if this one was followed up or not. Six cylinders - five inch bore, six inch stroke - 707 cubes - 138 inch wheelbase - 40x5 tyres - two running boards per side. The Pierce 66 was somewhat bigger with a seven inch stroke giving 855 cubes.

 

1920 Oldsmobile - http://media.photobucket.com/image/%2522oldsmobile truck%2522/netmole/trucks/29015v-1.jpg

 

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/PopularMechanics/10-1924/mobile_stable.jpg

 

good for oxen too...

 

1906 advertisement from the Buffalo Automobile Club Tour Book. Image source: private collection.
Buffalo Heritage Press

 

Here's a keen '20 Dodge, thanks to American-Automobiles.com!
Anybody wanna share any knowledge about the top?

 

Dr J H Purves, the inventor, with a model Dynosphere. Note the enclosed cabin.

Dr Purves claimed that the use of one wheel instead of four gave great economy of power. This seems highly doubtful. Dr John Purvis had set up the West of England Electricity Company, so he was presumably not a solitary eccentric. This picture and those below from Popular Science (USA magazine) sometime in 1932. Future versions were intended to be steered by using machinery to move the cabin to one side, tilting the wheel.

 

Probably theirs Jimi, there's lots of Semmes pics here at the LOC

 

ehdubya, THANKS for the link to Semmes. Gotta love the Library of Congress, eh?
Surely seems that Semmes had a thriving business adapting Dodge bodies task-
specifically for commercial customers, at least from about 1910 to the mid-'20s! It
does seem they had two Washington, D.C., locations, at Connecticut Ave. and at
Massachusetts Ave., one of which underwent a big renovation and expansion at
some point. Cool look back through a window in time! Thanks again!





For Krogmann & Sons

For Hellman's Mayonnaise







Renovation and expansion work


For Post Cereals


Semmes Motor Co., Washington, D.C., bodywork for Koob Meats

 

Here's one from my wife's family.
Grandpa Smith driving, Nan in the front seat, Aunt Gladys and Mum in the back,
Note the camping trailer and extra headlamps - either the scuttle lamps or the ones on the front have been added.
Mart.

 

A great picture. Thanks Mart for sharing it with us.

 

I thought you'd like it. Any idea what was going on with the headlamps??
Mart.

 

For the first few years of production the Austin Seven had its headlights on the scuttle and then they were shifted to the front. This car looks to have both sets. Could be an early car with the later ones added. A google search shows cars of around 1925-6 with either light setup.

 

All Austin Sevens up to January '27 had scuttle lamps when they shifted to the front. They were then thought to be illegally placed there and by September of the same year they were put back on the scuttle only to go forward AGAIN in 1928.
Grandpas car is 'probably' a '26 or '27 Type AD Tourer with the correct scuttle lamps, the front lights have been added but don't look like Austin ones they are a bit too big and mounted too low between the front wings and the radiator.
I notice also the wheels have chrome centres which I think came in in the early thirties my '28 Chummy had black centres. The tyres are definitely bigger than the ones you would expect to see on a vintage Austin filling up the arches almost to the crown. What with Grandpas patent sidemounted spare tyre it is a highly personalised car and all the better for it.

'bugger' - Just noticed the flat bottom windscreen. makes it a '24 to '26 Type AC

 

I think the original tyre size was 3.50x19, those look like 4.50s.

 

http://retor.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html

 

http://www.porcelainplates.net/michigan_archive.html

 

http://members.chello.nl/j.baartse/cars/Cars_P.html

 

http://id.mind.net/~truwe/tina/roadwork.html

 

http://www.evnut.com/misc.htm

 

http://www.policemotorunits.com/id55.html

 

http://www.eaaev.org/History/index.html

 

http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/tag/cars/

 

Truely the mother of all threads.

 

Splendid!
I have a similar photo - somewhere - of my father, grand mother/ father & friend in a very early scoop scuttle A7 Chummy taken in the late '20s near Skegness.

 

Car is '25 or 26. - commonly known as a Pramhood Chummy The front headlights are an addition. Not sure how the 6volt battery would cope with four headlights. Possibly the scuttle lights were wired for side only and the fronts for head. Yes, tyres appear to be oversize. Interesting arrangement of the spare wheel. Was it so fixed to the door to allow it to be opened or did the driver have to use the passengers car?