History Photos taken before WW2 - history in black and white

Here is a little traffic LA style, 1936 at Santa fe & Olympic.

 

Opening day for the Holland Tunnel, NYC, November 13, 1927.

 

Stoddard Dayton speedster. I don't know which I like better - the car, or the price to park. Think I'm leaning toward the car...

 

Interesting press photo of a 1925-26? Chevrolet in another land that thinks it can swim.

 

Another Swim Mobile, this one is captioned; press photo of an Amphibious automobile from Aug. 12, 1921. Could these two swimming cars be from Germany?

 

A press photo of a 1928 Model Cadillac owned by Al Capone from Nov. 27, 1929.

 

More German engineering. This was a rocket car built by the Opel works in Russelheim, 1928. It was said to reach 85mph in 6 seconds at the Avus racecourse in Berlin. AP photo.

 

Great picture. What makes it extra interesting is that the car was around 30 years old when the picture was taken. The driver and passenger are enjoying the occasion as are the spectators on the sidewalk.

 

The best engineering in the world isn't much help, if you can't drive. Not sure what led to this chain drive mishap in Germany. Most of the photos of wrecks I've seen show the bystanders looking at the aftermath, but these guys have gladly posed for the photographer (possibly hours later, after those bandages were applied -- unless he was already bandaged when they took him for a ride, in which case he was a very unlucky guy).

 

What a wreck! Need a tow truck? How about a 1913-14 Cadillac?

 

Hey, Twin6, here's one that reeks of nostalgia.



Photo was captioned something about the Brooklyn Navy Yard, but it
doesn't seem correct. Keen photo, anyway! Source appreciation is
gratefully expressed to: www.rubben.be/photoblog/?cat=4

 

New car, a "60 horsepower National," in Oakland, CA, 1911:



Graf Zeppelin over Oakland early 1930s:



Nut Tree along old Highway 40 east of Vacaville, CA, 1937. Note highway emerging into sunshine beyond shade trees at far left, about a mile west:

 

Cut55, thanks for the great pix. Here's another of the Graf, location not known.

 

More Nationals. Might be a Mass. plate on the right.

 

Definately a Mass plate-1917 on that National. Uh-oh, no National photos handy. Would you settle for another Indianapolis-built car? Here's another Stutz.

 

This is going to be an excellent thread.

From the 1911 Monaco Rally.

Henri Rougier standing beside his Turcat-Mery.

 

Welcome kurtis. That Stutz looks very familiar...

Who was GGB?

 

1910 Esso Amoco Service Station. Sincere thanks extended to
American-Automobiles.com for this backward glance into time!

 

News flash - wiki to the rescue. GGB in the Stutz:

George Grantham Bain (January 7, 1865 – April 20, 1944) was a New York photographer. He was known as "the father of foreign photographic news".

 

this is a great thread

 

Another from the GGB collection.

President Taft's White Model M Touring in 1909.

Count the valve stems.

 

Another White. Count the valve stems and the fish. This might predate bag limits or licenses altogether.

 

Great thread! Keep 'em coming...

 

Here's a car to die for (and I have a hunch we'll see more as the thread continues): 1911 Oldsmobile Limited.

 

Here's another White-1907-steam, of course.

 

Nice. Here's an earlier White steamer - a 1904, I believe. The Whites had incredible technology for the time - a monotube boiler that used about a quart of water to run the car, a two cylinder compound engine, and a condenser. And unlike their contemporaries (Stanleys) they had a transmission which allowed water and fuel to be pumped off the engine while stationary, much to the envy of the Stanley owners who had to manage that task manually or off the engine but with one rear wheel jacked off the ground.

 

He IS one happy man behind the wheel of that monster, now isn't he ?!

 

A circa 1906-08 what was called at the time the Pierce Great-Arrow. This car has a set of incredible and large set of magnifying lens acetylene headlamps.

 

Another Pierce-Arrow which appears to be a 1913 Model 38, with a custom limousine body, just no doubt freshly finished at the body builders.

 

Alberto Santos-Dumont during 1909 carrying his new fangled flying machine on the back of his Renault.