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

I did a photo shoot today at a Salt Lake City museum. As Jimi Said, "what a trip." It was like trying to do a glamour shot in the middle of a rummage sale in a walk-in freezer. Ya had to be there. But I found some interesting critters.

First is a 1909 DeWitt High-Wheeler with transverse full-elliptic springs and all the period trimmings.

Then there was a 1915 Stutz Bearcat on a 1926 Buick chassis. Strange.

Another weird one was a 1928 Caddy Convertible Coupe with a Nailhead Buick (that I couldn't get permission to open up and photograph.)

The whole mess is here:
http://www.chevyasylum.com/cruisin/cruisin2011/20110209/Welcome.html

There were a coupla vehicles that weren't in the museum...a 65 Rambler and a 28 Graham Bros truck. The Rambler seemed to be a daily driver and the truck served as a "conversation piece" at a nearby restaurant.

What a trip is right!

 

Wow, Ray/Chevy Asylum! That was a trip well worth making
-- despite all the hardships, buddy! The '09 DeWitt blows me
away. Awesome specimen of one you just don't hear of often.
Appears to have been a car made with a lot of pride; I'll bet
they were not CHEAP!!!

And I have to say, YOU take the Uncle Tom McCahill Trophy
for the most original simile or figure of speech I have ever had
the pleasure to hear (speaking of the photo shoot under duress):

"It was like trying to do a glamour shot in the middle
of a rummage sale in a walk-in freezer."

LOL. SOME folks just have THE GIFT!!! Post any time, man!

 

And I have to say, YOU take the Uncle Tom McCahill Trophy
for the most original simile or figure of speech I have ever had
the pleasure to hear (speaking of the photo shoot under duress):

"It was like trying to do a glamour shot in the middle
of a rummage sale in a walk-in freezer."

LOL. SOME folks just have THE GIFT!!! Post any time, man!

Thank you for the virtual trophy. McCahill definitely had a way with words: He described "the AC Cobra as "hairier than a Borneo gorilla in a raccoon suit". Between his writing and that of Jean Shepard, I used to laugh hysterically every time the magazines arrived (Mechanics Illustrated and Car & Driver.) That was a LONG time ago.

When I find something interesting, I'll be sure to post it here. Now I gotta go back to my part time job as Target 550 web elf and do a little updating.

 

Indeed, the DeWitt seems to be in the ultra-rare category, to say the least!
The make didn't even appear in most lists I check, but Wiki had a very brief
item on it and stated DeWitts were only built in 1909 and 1910 in North Man-
chester, IN. They used an air-cooled two-cylinder opposed engine and came
in high-wheel runabout and high-wheel truck. Named for a Swedish immi-
grant, Virgil DeWitt. As always, THANKS, Wikipedia!



Wikipedia poster Infrogmation of New Orleans submitted this 1909
DeWitt photo to the WikiMedia Commons project. This car is in Florida,
but his comment was interesting: "1909 DeWitt on display at Tallahas-
see Automobile Museum (with unfortunate smattering of irrelevent kitch)."

[Hey, at least he didn't call it a rummage sale in a walk-in freezer! LOL]

 

Yeah, you have to have strong kidneys, even now, to read some of Uncle Tom's choicest observations -- either that or keep extra underwear handy. I don't have any ONE favorite, but he could complement a car with measured class, or he could shower praise -- either of which manufacturers would have appreciated. Or, he could make company people wanna crawl under the nearest rock.

For example, Tom said the little Continental-engined four-banger of Buffalo possessed take-off performance "like the snap of a rubber band." But when he road-tested an early Buick, he observed that stepping on the accelerator was "like stepping on a wet sponge." LOL!!! He compared a certain Jaguar's heater to "an old lady breathing on your leg." He was enthusiastic about the advent of wider 60-series tire tread, commenting: "You couldn’t put more rubber on the road if you ran over a fat cop in a rain poncho.”

Most people enjoyed McCahill, though he had detractors, plus a known bias toward Chrysler letter cars. I think his "McCahillisms," as they've come to be known, really threw gasoline on the American horsepower race in the '50s. And where high-performance had once been assessed by the flying mile and hill-climbs, Tom made "Zero-to-60" times a contemporary benchmark. He coined the term "idiot lights,"

There was only one Tom McCahill! Anybody got a fave McCahillism to throw in before we return to regular programming???

 

Jim............"Smoother than a pocketful of jello" and "Silent as a fish`s kiss" were two of my favorites. And his description of a Hollywood actress..." Flashier than sheet lightning, And not a lick more sense" Carry on

 

Yeah, FJ, he was something! He tested some 600 cars in his time, and I'd bet he had 1,000 one-liner similes to got with them. Mechanix Illustrated wouldn't even acknowledge that he'd died for several years!

Update
Correction and better detail: It was NOT a Buick but the '48 Olds 98 Futurmatic that Tom McCahill tested and stated that stepping on the gas "was like stepping on a wet sponge." Insiders believed the public embarrassment compelled Olds to install the Rocket 303-CID in the lighter 88 model, too. We all know that was pretty much a factory hotrod, back then!

 

It's sounding as if ONLY ONE genuine (non-repro) DeWitt
survived past 1910. Leaves me wondering WHO might
own the real McCoy???



1909 Dewitt High Wheeler on Royal Feltner's site. He
states there that ONLY ONE survived the fire that
destroyed the factory (May 1910), and that was before
sales actually began. [Link below has "interesting" de-
tails about the fire.]

<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O></O>
<O></O>

Identified as a DeWitt two-passenger runabout, though I get
the impression this may be one of several repro DeWitts. Price
of the original was under $600. Source:


DeWitt Automobile Building - NORTH MANCHESTER
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
www.nmanchesterhistory.org/businesses-dewitt-eberly.a...

 

1911 Midland Raceabout, restored by Wilkinson & Sharp in 1958, this exciting raceabout entered a 50 year long sleep from which it emerged in 2010.

More Here;

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/tag/midland-raceabout/

 

There is only one Dewitt listed in the HCCA directory. It is 1902 model living in Oceanside, California. This creates a mystery if Wikipedia said they were only made in 1909 and 1910.

 

See Page 101 of this thread for more info in this car.

 

Yup, Jim. Fascinating stuff, not only about the intro of Diesel into Indy racing but how it got diesel banned from Indy. I'll remove my post #4571. But it's still a keen machine and a gr4eat reason to revisit it. Folks, go see Page 101 -- GOOD exchange there, anchored by SunRoof's posts. Great stuff!

 

No reason to remove post #4571.

 

Yup, Jim. Fascinating stuff, not only about the intro of Diesel into Indy racing but how it got Diesel banned from Indy. I'll remove my post #4571. But it's still a keen machine and a great reason to revisit it. Folks, go see Page 101 -- GOOD exchange there, anchored by SunRoof's posts. Great stuff!
<!-- / message -->

 

Hey, no problem. None of us Needs numbers. I just don't want the thread to get flabby with unnecessary repetition. I don't always remember to run a check, so I goof. If you goof, just fix it, right?

 

Oh, and THANKS, Jim! I don't have the catalogue, so guys who do can often clear up mysteries pretty fast.

In this case, the DeWitt -- as you say -- it seems to have gotten more complicated. The Standard Catalogue shows a 1902 DeWitt but no '08 to '10. So it seems there just may have been TWO RARE makes by the same name (not that unusual).

It surely seems that the early DeWitt has to be in the ultra-rare catagory (only extinct is more rare! LOL).

But, I'm in some doubt about surviving '09 or '10 DeWitts, since there are some 10-12 repros that were made by proud residents of North Manchester. Whether we figure it our or not, I am glad the subject came up!

Thanks again to EVERYBODY!

 

De Witt -



http://nmanchesterhistory.org/HistoricalSociety/newsletter-nov00.html

"Highwheeler automobiles were a short-lived phenomena, with demand running from about 1907 to 1911. It is likely that approximately 100,000 highwheelers were built. At the peak of highwheeler popularity in 1909 there were 41 major, nationally known makes of highwheelers. This is up from 15 in 1907, and 31 in 1908. By 1910, it had fallen to 24, and then down to 9 makes in 1911. DeWitt Motor Vehicle Company would not have been counted among the major makes."
.........
"Mr. Virgil DeWitt was a Swedish immigrant who ended up settling in Auburn, IN. He married an Auburn woman and was associated with the Kiblinger company, and later, the McIntyre company. As the boom in highwheeler cars got underway, Virgil DeWitt arranged to build a manufacturing facility in North Manchester and produced at least two models of highwheelers under the name of DeWitt Motor Vehicle Company. The DeWitt vehicles were virtual copies of McIntyre vehicles. The engine, mechanism, and chassis appear to be identical to McIntyre models, with perhaps minor differences in bodies and accessories. In fact, Mr. W. H. McIntyre was the major stockholder of the DeWitt Motor Vehicle Company.

The two models that are known to have been produced by DeWitt Motor Vehicle Company are the two seater runabout and the two seater light truck."
.....................

The whole article (14 pages) is worth a read:
http://nmanchesterhistory.org/HistoricalSociety/newsletter-nov00.html

 

Merryweather -






"The Merryweather name has long been associated with fire-fighting equipment, stretching back several hundred years. In 1692, Merryweather introduced their first product, a leather fire bucket. In later years they would supply equipment to stately homes, factories and fire brigades across both the UK and the Commonwealth, continuing in production until the mid 1980s. Their equipment was fitted to a number of different lorry chassis during the 20th Century, the example in the photo above being a classic example. Their first motor-driven fire appliance was launched in 1903, replacing earlier steam-driven, horse-drawn appliances that this and other firms had produced. ..................."

http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/merryweather.htm

 

Oldsmobile Limited -

the 1908:



http://www.sportscardigest.com/kirkland-concours-delegance-2010-report-and-photo-gallery/?nggpage=3


"Seattle Children's Hospital Award
1908 Oldsmobile Limited Prototype
Owned by Bob Sullivan"

http://www.kirklandconcours.com/gallery_2010.html


..............................


1910 model



http://reoldsmuseum.org/images/1911OldsLimited.gif

http://wn.com/oldsmobile

More photos:

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/2149/Oldsmobile-Limited-Touring.html



..............................


1911 model



http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Oldsmobile/11_olds_Limited_7Passngr_Touring_DV-06-PB_01.jpg

http://www.conceptcarz.com/events/eventVehicle.aspx?carID=13521&eventID=160&catID=1173

..........................







http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile

.....................

 

http://www.histomobile.com/dvd_histomobile/fr/173/1910_Oldsmobile_Limited.htm

 

Not a car, just an engine - Vulcan V8 - Extinct?




"The Eight-cylinder V type Vulcan engine
70 × 150mm. 3,540 cc" - circa 1919.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vulcan_V8_engine_(Autocar_Handbook,_Ninth_edition).jpg

Very little information on the Vulcan V8 engine. There is the above photograpgh of the engine, but very little other information that I can find.

The same photo appears on this site http://abitabout.com/V8+engine , but no new information.

What vehicles did the Vulcan V8 power? Is it extinct?

 

1922 Vulcan 20HP Tourer

 

Thanks, HJ.

"The 20 available from 1920-1922 with 3.3 L Vulcan engine...........", I read that article in Wikipaedia and missed/didn't see/failed to appreciate the most important few words in the article.

Consequently I didn't follow up the http://www.svvs.org/help14.shtml details either.

Does anybody have knowledge if any 20HP (V8) Vulcans survive?

 

1922 Vulcan 20HP Tourer


This little entry on the Surrey Vintage Vehicle Society site had a wee bit of info:
IDENTIFICATION AND DATING: 1923 Vulcan 20HP Tourer: Photo received from Roger
Corfield (UK) of what he has always believed to be a Belsize, because his father told him
that grandfather had owned one. From the ages of the children, the photo must have
been taken in the early 1920s, probably 1922 or 1923. We can advise that registration
EK2**8 was issued by Wigan CBC in about November 1922. Although the radiator has
superficial resemblance to a Belsize we can advise this is much more unusual, being
a 1922 Vulcan 20HP Tourer.


Based in Southport, UK, Vulcan made autos from 1902 through 1928 and commercial vehicles all the way through 1953. Though that resembles a Triple-A emblem up front in the above photo (at least to me), the spotty evidence seems to show this is a British Vulcan 20, which would have the V-8. One of Grahame's sources also mentions Vulcan trucks, and this vague passage from Wikipedia at least hints that the Vulcan V-8 might have been employed there too, at least for a few brief years:

"The 20 available from 1920-1922 with 3.3 L Vulcan engine and from 1923-1925 with 3.7 L shared mechanical components with the 1 1/2 and 2 ton trucks."

Though detailed info is a bit elusive, what is available definitely seems to indicate that Vulcan tried MANY power plants over the years, AND, further, the V-8 appears to have been used only for a few brief years. We know that at least a few Vulcan autos survive, but I seriously doubt that any of the Vulcan V-8s do. To put it another way: I'm going with SWI's patented rule-of-thumb: EXTINCT, until evidence surfaces to prove otherwise.

Scan from <CITE style="FONT-STYLE: normal" class=book sizcache="6" sizset="10">The Autocar (Ninth edition, circa 1919). Autocar Handbook, </CITE>
<CITE style="FONT-STYLE: normal" class=book sizcache="6" sizset="10"></CITE><CITE style="FONT-STYLE: normal" class=book sizcache="6" sizset="10">p. 43,fig. 29, London: Iliffe & Sons.</CITE>

 

Obviously not a V-8, but at least a surviving 1904 Vulcan, thanks
to Grace's Guide (gracesguide.co.uk/wiki/Vulcan_Motor_and_Engineeri... ).



Nov. 1909 Vulcan ad from the British motoring journal,
The Autocar., also thanks to Grace's Guide.

 

1953 Ford Vega Roadster

“Vince Gardner Special”

​

History Overview:

This “One Off” prototype was commissioned by Ford Motor Company and financed by Henry Ford II. Willys Wagner, stylist for the international division of Ford and the legendary Indy racecar designer, Frank Kurtis awarded the project to automotive designer, Vince Garner. This is the complete history of this famous "one-off" concept vehicle ever built as told by Ford Motor Company archival information.

Ford Motor Company commissioned this "one-off" prototype via a Motor Trend Magazine design contest in September 1950.

Winner of the design contest was legendary automotive designer, Vince Gardner. Vince's resume includes Studebaker, Ford, Budd car body manufacturer, and most notably, the Auburn Automobile Company design department. Under the direction of Gordon Buehrig, the design team was responsible for the famed Cord 810. Vince's influences from his days at the Auburn Automobile Company are clearly evident in the Vega's (Cord-Like) disappearing headlights and swept "boat-tail like" rear.

Vince was presented the award at the Los Angeles Motorama in November 1950 by Willy's Wagner, stylist for the International Division of Ford Motor Company and by Chief Judge, the legendary Indy race car designer, Frank Kurtis.

The first round of financing from Ford for the famed Vega was a mere $500. Knowing this was not nearly enough, Vince decided to pay a visit to Henry Ford II. So one snowy night, he hopped on a Dc3 in South Bend, Indiana for a flight to Detroit. Vince didn't have an appointment but he did have his scale model mounted in this neat little box. Everything hinged so the top opened up and the sides all folded down to showcase the model. All the views of the car were drawn on the appropriate panel in blueprint form.

Upon arrival, Vince marched into Ford's office where the receptionist asked what he wanted. Vince said, "I want to see Hank". When the receptionist pointed out that they did not have any Hanks in the office, Vince insisted "Oh yes you do. You have Hank Ford. Tell him Vince is out here with something he'll be really sorry to miss".

After he succeeded in gaining admission to Mr. Ford's office, he plopped his clay model down on the desk and began talking non-stop. Ford put up with this for 30 minutes. Then, all of a sudden, Henry Ford II punched a button on his intercom and instructed his secretary to cut a check to Vince for $8,000. The Vega Roadster was to become a reality.

Vince relocated to Hollywood, California and spent over 2 years building the lightweight aluminum bodied roadster. Gardner tapped Phil Weiand, a founding father of the Southern California hot rod movement, to help build power train components. When Henry Ford was in town, he would check-in on the progress and sometimes even bring his celebrity friends, Groucho Marx and Red Skelton. Howard Hughes also paid a visit.

Upon completion of the car, Ford Motor Company summoned the "one-off" Vega Roadster back to Dearborn to celebrate the firm's 50th anniversary. Ford displayed the Vega for a long time at it's Rotunda Exhibition Hall and then it was handed back to Gardner and eventually slipped into obscurity, however, not before a seed was planted. While strolling through the 1953 Paris Auto Show, Henry Ford II first acknowledged interest in building his own two-seat roadster, which would become the 1955 Ford Thunderbird.

In the late 1990's noted restoration expert, Fran Roxas, restored the Vega. It was accepted for display at Pebble Beach and took first place awards at Meadow Brook Concours and famed Hershey.

The car underwent a three-year restoration which was completed in 1998. It won first place at the Meadow Brook Concours in Michigan and at the AACA in Hershey, PA

​

This beautiful and unique concept has now found a new home with the Pack Automotive Museum

http://www.packautomotivemuseum.com/c201.html

 

Here's another shot of that "mobile library". Can't you just picture that hot rodded, selling hot rod books at an event?

 

Jim, that's one exciting concept, and THANKS for posting it.
The Auburn/Cord pedigree and the dual intake would floor
any auto freak! It is OBVIOUS that, for Gardener, this was
a long-term labor of love. But, though the article is very in-
teresting, they buried the SIGNIFICANCE in the third-to-last
paragraph, IMO:

"While strolling through the 1953 Paris Auto Show, Henry Ford
II first acknowledged interest in building his own two-seat road-
ster, which would become the 1955 Ford Thunderbird."

 

Even more eye-opening when we note that Ford's last roadster was for 1937.

 

Two for the price of one - Project 2000/2008 and Chevrolet project 195-Y-15. Both/all extinct?



http://reocities.com/MotorCity/factory/6952/chev/chev.htm

Project 2000 was the local Australian design project for the first Holden. Based at the Woodville plant, it created a lot of good ideas for a locally produced Holden car. Some ideas, like the 2008, made it all the way to a full-scale prototype, but nothing ever made it into production. The 2008, built over a Willys Overland chassis, was the final proposal and for the 1940s period the streamlined styling and square headlights were ahead of most Detroit ideas. Practical, minimal, simplistic, with straight sides and integrated bumper bars.
Holden had been pretty gung-ho about producing its own cars in Australia, but Lawrence Hartnett, the General Manager at Holden's, had a hard time convincing the Yanks in Detroit to allow him to proceed. In his impatience he sought the assistance of the Australian government who were eager to promote local manufacturing after the war. Later Hartnett observed that the American bosses in Detroit probably didn't like him. Maybe they thought he was a bit of a socialist, being so chummy with the Chifley government? The American GM management were incensed when they finally found out about Project 2000, apparently nobody had told them. They kicked out Hartnett, 'shelved' Project 2000.

..............................



http://reocities.com/MotorCity/factory/6952/chev/chev.htm

195-Y-15 was an old abandoned Chevy prototype designed in 1937, gathering dust somewhere in Detroit. When the people at GM in Detroit looked at Hartnett's specifications for a mid-sized six cylinder Aussie car they decided they already had a ready-made solution. They dusted off the 195-Y-15, rejigged it a bit, and voila, here's your new Holden! Which is why the 48-215 looked 'oh-so-Chevy' and 'oh-so-Pre-War'. It was a Chevy, and it was pre-war! Even Chifley himself comments in those old newsreels by saying that the new Holden looked 'somewhat American' in design; he was bang on the money there.

..................................

The 195-Y-15 has ties to the 1930's Opel which, in turn, was part of GM's Light Car Project of the era. There was also a 195-Y-13 and 195-Y-17, making 3 in all, that were built in the US by Louis Thoms engineering team in 1936 (?).