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

It was an Auburn and it was powered by a Cummins diesel. I think there's more info about it earlier in this thread.

 

THANKS, Bomb! Yes, that answers the Harroun question: Clessie Lyle Cummins had been on Ray's crew when he won the 1911 Indy 500. And it is REALLY keen to be reminded that Cummins had totally convinced the folks at Auburn to begin offering diesel-powered models, just before Errett Lobban Cord pulled A-C-D out of the auto business totally.

I wonder if the pictured car still exists someplace in its old hometown???

(Also, oddly enough, no one has yet come up with info or pix of a living, breathing Harroun auto, inquired about by VintageRide.)

 

Author Tom Cotter has written several books on fascinating barn finds; The Cobra In The Barn, The Hemi In The Barn; The Corvette In The Barn and The Vincent In The Barn. The title of each book only relates to one of several stories in each book. I have just finished reading "The Hemi In The Barn" and one of the stories that I found the most fascinating was about the Mercedes Aktion P and the danger that some people put themselves in to get this car that supposedly didn't exist out of Russia. The serial number on this car is 408377.

The following is courtesy of prewarcar.com

http://www.prewarcar.com/index.php?option=com_content&catid=34&id=2840&view=article&Itemid=100

This interesting model is known as the Mercedes-Benz 540K Aktion P(for Panzer)W29-W129. In the summer of 1942, the German government ordered Daimler-Benz to build twenty 540K Armored Innenlenkers.

In response to this, 18 second-hand 540K cars were confiscated and 2 brand new chassis were used. All the confiscated bodies ( 6 Cabriolet A's, 6 Cabriolet B's and 6 Innenlenkers) were scrapped.

All sides , roof and floor : 2.3 mm steel, front window 35mm : other windows : 30 mm safety glass, weight : 2930 KG tyres : 7.50-17 (Beschusssicher).

The cars were used by Himmler, Kaltenbrunner, Goebels, Speer, Rosenberg, Backe, Seys-Inquart, Terboven, Koch Greiser, Abetz, Hans Frank and Karl H Frank.

The 540K Aktion P's from the last two men still exist today, car #408417 of K.H. Frank is in the Technical Museum of Prague, the other #408400 was used in Poland by Dr. Hans Frank and was restored and sold by the firm Thiesen in Germany in 2004.

The denomination W29 - W 129 is not correct according to factory specification which specifically says W24.

All that aside, let's not forget about the dark times in which these cars appeared on the road.

A 1939 version (the Unarmored car) appears briefly in Schindler's List... (Movie Car Database)

Car historian Frans Vrijaldenhoven from The Netherlands has an interest for unusual cars with unusual owners. For instance this Mercedes 540K that was owned by Dr. Arthur Seyss-Inquart, the Reichkommissar (Reich Commissioner) was in The Netherlands during the German occupation from 1940 until 1945.

The Armored coupe with licence plate RK-2 disappeared directly after World War II and we don’t know what happened to it. What we do know is that it was a Model W24 AP (short for “Aktion Protektion”, the Armoured version of the 540K) built from 1943 until 1944.

The engine was a supercharged 8-cylinder in line with engine-number 408387. The car weighed some 3100 serious kilograms and was fitted with 7.50-17 bullet-proof tires.

Are there any of these Armored cars left? Has anyone ever seen this particular car and knows more about its history?

Possibly, someone can translate this for us;

http://www.traumautoarchiv.de/html/6133.html

 

Thank you so much for the story!
Great read, and info we would never have found out about.
One of the great things about this thread and those who gravitate towards it, is the appreciation and the history that otherwise would be forgotten.
A passion we all share!

 

You're welcome Jimi, though I didn't really offer much more info about the Cummins Auburn. I recall reading more about the car somewhere though I don't remember where that was. There was quite a good write up about it.
I'm somewhat of a diesel head with over 30 years of experience with them so anything about the early diesel powered vehicles sparks some interest to me.

 

Here's a link to a Hemmings blog article article about the Cummins powered Auburn.
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/...owered-auburns-of-clessie-cummins/?refer=news

 

Thank you so much for the story!
Great read, and info we would never have found out about.
One of the great things about this thread and those who gravitate towards it, is the appreciation and the history that otherwise would be forgotten.
A passion we all share! <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->__________________
SWI66



Well said, Gary! In a little over a year and a half, we've located some cars that were just mysteries, at least for us -- often thanks to relatives of auto pioneers. They suddenly realized people DO still care about cars and people of a century or more ago!

Obviously, we don't take credit for available info, but we do dig hard to read and re-read what's out there. It's a serious effort -- but, we have some fun doing it! We just help to stir the pot a bit. AMAZING what comes to the top now and then!!!

 

(Also, oddly enough, no one has yet come up with info or pix of a living, breathing Harroun auto, inquired about by VintageRide.)[/QUOTE]

LOWER RIGHT CORNER

Harroun - Model A-1 - 4 Cylinder - 16.9 Horsepower - 107 Inch Wheelbase - $595

 

Here's a couple of Harroun Motor Car items I found on the net but no actual car.

 

Jimi'shemi, I was checking out the list you made a couple pages back. I'm not sure about which car you counted in the Holley brand, but a friend of mine locally has one a 1904, so that could bump your number to 2. Also, another friend has a 1908 Galloway, a brand you could add to your list. Also, would Brush be considered very rare? Zust could be added, there are only about 4 accounted for.
Great thread.

 

Here are some photos I took of the Zust and a replica Thomas Flyer and Protos from the great Race.

<object width="450" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://backend.deviantart.com/embed/view.swf" /><param name="flashvars" value="id=89303318&width=1337" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://backend.deviantart.com/embed/view.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" flashvars="id=89303318&width=1337" height="385" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object><br />The Great Race: Zust by *<a class="u" href="http://quanticchaos1000.deviantart.com/">QuanticChaos1000</a> on deviantART

<object width="450" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://backend.deviantart.com/embed/view.swf" /><param name="flashvars" value="id=109632702&width=1337" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://backend.deviantart.com/embed/view.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" flashvars="id=109632702&width=1337" height="385" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object><br />The Great Race: Thomas Flyer 3 by *<a class="u" href="http://quanticchaos1000.deviantart.com/">QuanticChaos1000</a> on deviantART

<object width="450" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://backend.deviantart.com/embed/view.swf" /><param name="flashvars" value="id=109632129&width=1337" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://backend.deviantart.com/embed/view.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" flashvars="id=109632129&width=1337" height="385" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object><br />The Great Race: Protos 2 by *<a class="u" href="http://quanticchaos1000.deviantart.com/">QuanticChaos1000</a> on deviantART

And I got to drive the replicas.

<object width="450" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://backend.deviantart.com/embed/view.swf" /><param name="flashvars" value="id=109977871&width=1337" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://backend.deviantart.com/embed/view.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" flashvars="id=109977871&width=1337" height="385" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object><br />Sextant by *<a class="u" href="http://quanticchaos1000.deviantart.com/">QuanticChaos1000</a> on deviantART

 

Here are pictures I took of "The GHreat Race" Zust at the Buffalo Transportation museum when it was unveiled there after restoration.
http://rides.webshots.com/album/563426312uISwjI

 

While looking at the listy, tyhough no picture, I remembered finding evidence the Lulu cyclecar soes still exist.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...n4lAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qfIFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1325,2657422

So that one can be bumped to a (1)

 

Ben-Hur automobile artifact.

 

I love the proportions of that FRP; though there were a lot of early-Vintage American Victorias that had the same dramatic rakishness.

Have we had FRP on this thread?

 

Well cross referencing Jimi's list above with the HCCA directory, I came across a 1913 Burh 25 touring living in Wisconsin. There seems to be no information on the net on this make. Anyone have any info on the Burh????

 

The car I was referring to was a BURG from 1910, so maybe you've found something ELSE and quite obscure and interesting.

From June of 2010, here's the 1910 Burg I mentioned then. I've heard of Burg and also Berg, three separate makes built in three different states ........... but not Burh. Stuff like this makes this thread especially interesting!


<HR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e5e5e5; COLOR: #e5e5e5" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->June 2010: Once again, from Royal Feltner's great net site, is a 1910 Burg, belived to be the ONLY Burg still in existence. They were only made from 1910 and were gone after 1913, even before the first world war started. Burgs were built in Dallas City, IL, by the L. Burg Carriage Co., as confirmed by Clymer. Royal says this singular Burg is owned by Loren T. Utsinger. Loren must be proud to own a one-of-a-kind car!

The Burg S Series was mid-priced at around $2,000, while the R Series cost a whopping nearly $3,500. I cannot say about the early Burg cars, but by the final 1913 model year, they offered two pretty massive engines generating hp that we'd find disappointing today: a 421-CID six with 22 hp and a 348 six of 22 hp. The larger R Series rode on a 134-inch wheelbase, and the S Series was 10 inches shorter.

Anybody out there know what $2,000 to $3,500 in 1910 dollars would equal in 2010 dollars???

 

Dawie, I agree. The FRP style lines look as good as ReVere and some other luxury marques! Stately BUT with flair!

As for whether it's been covered on this thread, the search function at the top of the page will reveal that.

BTW, if you run onto any MORE photos of the one-off Devo of 1936, we'd love to see more angles. The shot at the wedding party was nice, but MORE would be fab! Thanks, bro!

 

ModelEh, THANKS for bringing up Galloway. Though it's been mentioned twice on this thread, it really hasn't been featured in any detail. And because its primary purpose was to work hard, I'd lay money that few, if any, survived.

From 1914-17, the William Galloway Co. of Waterloo, Iowa, included their own Galloway "Auto Transport" in its very sizeable catalogue of agricultural equipment. With chain drive and a water-cooled, four-cycle opposed two-cylinder of over 14 hp, the high-wheel Auto Transport was very much a purpose-built vehicle -- part farm produce hauler and, for the weekends, a passenger car. An available "accessory" at $12 extra dollars was what HJManiac refers to as a "Sunday Go-to-Meetin' " seat, which would double passenger capacity to attend church or trek to town for provisions. There is an extremely well done and informative illustrated article at American-Automobiles.com. If you check it, I think you'll find it WELL worth your time!



1915 Galloway print advertisement, THANKS to American-Automobiles!


As for the Holley question, I could not tell if I was seeing different photos of ONE car -- first in unrestored condition, then restored -- OR if I was seeing TWO different vehicles. I'll revise that list accordingly to indicate TWO may exist.

And Zust, looks as though several folks jumped on that famous, if short-lived, make! THANKS, everybody!

 

As for Brush, they were made from 1907 to 1913, so any Brush would be "rare," yes. But Brushes in general aren't extinct or inordinately rare compared to some other makes. Surely, certain Brush years or models would be scarcer than others, though. (To me, the fancy of antique cars is like coin collecting in this respect!)

During the company's run, Brushes sold fairly well, averaging about 2,000 a year, and several times that number in peak years. My personal feeling is that the make established a good reputation for hardy endurance on the poorer road system of its time. (I am amazed at the amount of wood components in the underpinnings, BTW!) Though we'd consider Brush production low by today's standards, survival seems to be pretty good, both in terms of runners and museum cars.

It may be debatable, but one reason given for Brush's demise was the failure of the short-lived United States Motor Company in 1913. Had the venture succeeded, it might have eclipsed the scope of a GM or Chrysler, in that it comprised several existing companies, with the potential to share multifaceted resources -- still a novel concept in 1913! Besides Brush, other partner companies included Maxwell-Briscoe, Columbia, Stoddard-Dayton, Thomas (later), Alden Sampson trucks, and Chalmers, unless memory fails me. Though I'm not a business person, I felt the main failing of USMC was that it really functioned as a loose consortium of companies, without a central "parent" entity to handle critical decision-making, planning and policy.

Regarding the Brush make, my personal feeling is that the product fell out of touch with changing times, tech and market conditions.

​

This 1912 Brush photo is a repeat, but I can't help showing it, as it clearly
shows what snappy models the company was capable of building. THANKS
goes to American-Automobiles!​

 

Jimi;The car I was referring to was a BURG from 1910, so maybe you've found something ELSE and quite obscure and interesting.

From June of 2010, here's the 1910 Burg I mentioned then. I've heard of Burg and also Berg, three separate makes built in three different states ........... but not Burh. Stuff like this makes this thread especially interesting!
------------------------------------------------------------------
The car I came across was not a Burg or Berg. It was definitely a Burh unless there is a typo in the HCCA directory. I sent an email to the owner, so we will see if he responds with any info or pictures.

 

Man, this will be fun. I'm betting it's something we have NOT run onto previously!

 

The owner responded and confirmed it was a typo. The car he owns is a Buick. Oh well. Win some. Lose some.

 

Well, but hey! I love a goose chase, because some times you ifnd something better than you could have imagined. Take the example of your dad perusing the newspaper ads and asking himself (but aloud), "Hmmmmm. What's an Elcar?"

The CHASE is a big part of what's fun about those really early cars, eh? Me, I love a chase and a mystery, don't you? Hell, lookit. We found ALL three extant Dixie Flyers just a couple of days ago, after we'd searched known sources AND kept up our OWN yappers! LOL!

You never know!

 

<HR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e5e5e5; COLOR: #e5e5e5" SIZE=1>
<!-- / icon and title -->Maybe this is a good case-in-point. I just ran onto this pic today, and I'm not even sure the poster
had it pegged. (But, guaranteed, it's on the Rare or even Ultra-Rare list!) Anybody wanna venture
a WAG???

 

Stutz Blackhawk

 

This explains why I could not match it to any specific Marmon models. I think that Stutz actually sold this model as a separate make so technically it is a Blackhawk not a Stutz Blackhawk. Total output was less than 2000 cars. The wheelbase was 127.5" which explains its appearance - the Marmon 78 was only 120".

 

Mention was made recently of a surviving Holley car. There is a restored example here in NZ so it is not extinct, just rare.

 

Jim, has anyone mentioned the Climber? It was the only car produced in Arkansas, and I believe it would go in the "Ultra Rare category, as only two are known to survive. They are both currently in the Petit Jean Auto Museum, located about 20 minutes from me.
They were expensive, and were made from 1919 -1924, with only around 200 cars made. I found this info at encyclopediaofarkansas.net, thought I'd share. I'll try to get a pic of the Climber they have on display- I believe the second Climber is unrestored and not shown at this time.
It looks to be a beautiful car.
....In February 1924, the Pulaski County Chancery Court heard the Climber Corporation’s bankruptcy action. The company was declared bankrupt and put under the control of a receiver. On March 17, 1924, the receiver, X. O. Pindall, sold all of the Climber holdings, and the company closed. Total production for the Climber Corporation was approximately 200 cars and approximately seventy-five to 100 trucks.
Although the company was constantly plagued by a lack of funds, and also a lack of parts, in its early days, the cars and trucks that the company produced were good vehicles. The company produced two car models, the Climber Four and the Climber Six, and at least two truck models, in one- and two-ton versions. The Climber Four, which was called the Climber “Four-Forty” in advertisements because of its four-cylinder, forty-horsepower Spillman engine, was a five-passenger touring car with a collapsible top and side curtains. The bodies were built of twenty-gauge rolled steel mounted over a wooden frame and initially came in three color patterns: dark maroon body, black hood, and cream wheels; black body, dark green hood, and red wheels; and battleship-gray body, black hood, and white wheels. Later models came in solid colors, either brown, black, or Brewster green. Upholstering and seat covers were Wilson and Company’s shrunk split leather, and each car came with a set of tools that included a pump, a jack, a set of tire tools, a set of six wrenches, a pair of pliers, a screwdriver, and a tool bag.
The Climber was also a durable automobile that could handle the rough roads of Arkansas at the time. To publicize the car’s abilities, an endurance test was conducted in the winter of 1919–20 under the supervision of William B. Owen, state highway commissioner. After the car’s engine was started in Little Rock, it was kept running constantly as the car traveled through 20,239 miles of “winter mud and rain over nearly impassable roads of the South.” The test ended on the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol when Governor Charles H. Brough disconnected the car’s carburetor, shutting off the engine. The toughness of the Climber was illustrated in another test when the car was driven up the steps of the State Capitol. One early advertisement for the company also specifically targeted Arkansans when it said, “You believe in Arkansas. You live in Arkansas. The Climber Four is made in Arkansas for Arkansas roads. Buy a Climber Four and save the freight.”
In addition to the lack of parts and lack of capital that greatly plagued the Climber Corporation’s ability to produce the cars, the car’s expensive price ($2,250 for a Climber Six) did not help matters, especially in Arkansas, which was not a wealthy state. (By comparison, a Ford Model T cost $355 in 1920 and $290 in 1926.) As a result, in 1922, there were only ninety-six Climber passenger cars and eight Climber trucks licensed in Arkansas, while there were 43,772 licensed Ford passenger cars and 5,205 licensed Ford trucks. In 1923, the number of Climber cars licensed in Arkansas dropped to ninety-four and dropped again to ninety-one in 1924. The number of Climber trucks licensed in Arkansas remained at eight in 1923 but dropped to six in 1924. In addition, two Climbers are known to exist, both located at the Museum of Automobiles outside Morrilton (Conway County).

 

Here you go Five-oh.