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

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[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Peter Portugal - Design and Fabrication of Show and Museum Quality Cars[/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]'51 Packard Concept Car Pininfarina GT style[/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Earned the Best 1946-1954 American Closed Car Award at the Greenwich Concours 2005[/FONT]​

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51 Packard Concept Car Pininfarina GT style

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ELqKx2UcD8

 

I believe the answer is YES. Here's the SIA article. Hopefully,it won't disappear on me and some one knows how to make it bigger and more readable. Otherwise, you will have to get out your magnifying glass. LOL

 

Picture of a picture of the O-We-Go-Cycle car on friends Garage wall.

 

THE ORIGINAL T TOP

1948 Tasco Prototype Automobile

This is a Derham-bodied prototype for a post-WWII American sports car.

It is a one-off vehicle designed by Gordon Buehrig.

The Tasco is the first car in the world with a T-top roof.

Buehrig patented the idea and sued GM when they used it on the 1968 Corvette. He received very little for his patent.

This mostly-aluminum prototype was created to inspire a contract with the Beech Aircraft Company for production of an aviation-styled automobile.

This unique car includes fiberglass steerable front fenders. Looking at the front it looks like jet air intakes on the sides of the grille.

The Tasco really gives you the impression of an aircraft with the glass canopy and the interior with aircraft style guages and controls

The company name 'Tasco' is an abbreviation for 'The American Sportscar Company.

Mr. Richie Clyne donated this car to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum

The first photo was taken in Wichita, Kansas in 1948 at Cardwell Manufacturing Company. It was in Wichita, Kansas with the hopes of getting a contract with Beech Aircraft Company for an aviation style automobile.

Beech had already built a prototype car in 1946. More on that later.

Photo courtesy of Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum

More Tasco Pics here;

http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/default.aspx?carID=15182&i=4#menu

 

I remember reading the whole Tasca story as a kid in Automobile Quarterly. Not one of Gordon's better efforts in my opinion.

 

This Lancia is owned by collector John Moir of NH. It is a really cool car that I've seen at a number of shows. It has a fully retractable hardtop roof.

From http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z9154/Lancia-Belna-Eclipse.aspx

In the late 1920s, Georges Paulin, a dental technician living in Paris, invented a retractable hardtop. He patented the design and sold it to a French coachbuilder, Marcel Pourtout. This firm built several cars on the chassis of a French-built Lancia - a Belna, very similar to the Italian-built Lancia Augusta.

This model, the Belna Eclipse, has a hand-operated hard top, counter balanced by bungee cords, that disappears into the trunk. Later, when Pourtout built Eclipse models on Peugoet chassis, these tops were operated electronically. The car is powered by a water-cooled, overhead cam, narrow V4, 1,196 cc (1.20L), 35 hp engine coupled to a 4-speed manual transmission equipped with free-wheeling.

 

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<BIG><BIG><BIG><BIG><BIG><BIG>Northstar Gallery</BIG></BIG></BIG></BIG></BIG></BIG>​

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<BIG><BIG><BIG><BIG>"Flying Ladies"</BIG></BIG></BIG></BIG>
<BIG><BIG><BIG><BIG>The Art of the Automobile Hood Ornaments and Car Mascots</BIG></BIG></BIG></BIG>
Sensuality in the form and design of the classic automobile hood ornaments and mascots
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Chrysis by René Lalique ​

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1933 Plymouth Coupe


1934 Packard Sedan
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1932 Auburn Phaetom Sedan


1930 Cadillac V16 Imperial Limousine


1932 Packard Light 8 Coupe
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1931 Cadillac
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Classic and Antique Automobiles
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1935 Buick 96S Sport Coupe


1955 Rambler Custom - Farina Body Female Mascot
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From Sept 2003

CARMEL, CALIF.: Bonhams & Butterfields offered jewelry and timepieces, automobilia and collectors' motorcars on Friday, August 15, 2003

Collectors and enthusiasts took great interest in a series of rare and beautiful glass mascots by Rene Lalique, each introduced in the 1920s and '30s. Lalique introduced a magnificent opalescent example named Vitesse in September of 1929. Considered quite rare, it was offered in absolutely pristine condition and sold for $51,750. An earlier Lalique opalescent glass mascot featuring a mermaid brought $3,680 while additional Lalique works depicting a horse's head (sold at $6,670), peacock's head (sold at $8,625), a female nude (sold at $3,795) and several birds each found buyers. Nearly doubling its estimate was a fine and rare tinted glass dragonfly mascot introduced in the spring of 1928. Lalique's Petit Libellule brought $46,000

Lalique opalescent glass mascot "Vitesse," $51,750.​

 

One thing many do not realize, but to amortize the costs of developing the Ford Retractable, the same basic design and mechanism was used on the Ford thunderbird and Lincoln Continental through the 60's. Though a soft top, it used the same basic power driven setup to fully encase the top underneath the deck lid for a clean look.
It was still a complicated system.

 

I wonder if nude female mascots on cars would be considered politically incorrect nowadays...................

sigh........it was a different era.

Just like the proliferation of "dagmars" in the 50's........

The name Dagmar Bumpers (and Dagmars) was a direct reference to Dagmar (born Virginia Ruth Egnor) <SUP id=cite_ref-0 class=reference>[1]</SUP> the early 1950s television personality who was as well known for her pronounced cleavage as she was for her dumb blonde character on the program Broadway Open House. Dagmar's physical attributes were further enhanced by low-cut gowns and the shape of her bra cups, which were somewhat conical. Egnor was amused by the tribute.

 

"It is a Woman's Idea of Beauty"

 

The first mention of the Dagmar in the automotive press appears in the August 10, 1922 issue of The Automobile:

“Crawford Producing Dagmar Sport Model
“Features Custom Built Body with Victoria Top
“The Crawford Automobile Co. of Hagerstown, Md., is now in production on a sport model to be sold under the name Dagmar. This is mounted on a 135 in wheelbase chassis and is characterized chiefly by a special sport type of body of the custom built type fitted with Victoria top and seating four passengers. The car has a high narrow radiator, two spare wheels mounted on each side of the hood and fenders with straight lines and sharp angles giving a distinctive appearance.
“The component parts of the chassis include a model G-T 3 5/16 x 5 ¾ in. Continental engine with chain drive, Zenith carburetor, Westinghouse starter, American Bosch lighting generator and magneto ignition. The gearset is a four-speed Brown-Lipe unit driving direct on third and over-geared on fourth. Front and rear axles are of Timken manufacture. The rear springs are 53 in. long and the rear springs 56 in. Spicer universal joints and Brown-Lipe multiple plate clutch are employed.
“The wheels are artillery type wood but are covered with dummy plates, giving the appearance of disk wheels. The engine is mounted on a three point support with the rear supporting arms fastened to the frame by bolts screwed up against a helical spring.
“Equipment includes six 33 x 5 in cord tires, 35 gal gasoline tank mounted at the rear of the chassis, Stewart-Warner vacuum tank, Willard battery, one-piece windshield, Hartford shock absorbers. Gas-O-Meter, clock, drum type head lamps, Moto-Meter and cigar lighter.
“Body colors are optional while the trimming is all of brass. Price of the car is $3500 f.o.b. Hagerstown.
“The body is provided with a flat deck for a trunk at the rear. Vertical body cleats of brass protect the rear body panel.”
(Caption beneath rear ¾ view of Victoria) “The Dagmar Sports Model, produced by the Crawford Automobile Co., to sell at $3,500 f.o.b. Hagerstown, Md. It is mounted on a 135 in. wheelbase chassis. Equipment includes six 35 by 5 cord tires, 35 gal.gasoline tank and many extras. Body colors are optional, metal trimmings are all of brass.”
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The diminutive four-passenger Victoria coachwork gave the Dagmar a sporting look, not unlike the popular Packard Victorias of the time. Its artillery spoked 35-inch wheels were covered with conical steel wheel covers capped off with brass hubcaps that featured a red hexagonal indentation a-la Packard.
Although no formal lawsuit was brought, former Moller Motor Car Co. accountant Edward Darner recalled to Arthur Lee Homan that Packard made his firm aware of the fact that the red hexagons were their trade-mark, after which Moller introduced a redesigned unit.
The radiator cap consisted of a nickel-plated sphere in which were installed nautically orientated red and green electric running lights. The included Motometer looked back towards the driver while a blue lens faced oncoming traffic.
A massive gas tank resided behind the rear tonneau which was serviced by a foot-long filler tube. The 138” wheelbase single drop frame chassis was powered by a Continental 6-T engine which developed just over 70 hp , comparable to the 75 hp Twin-Six offered by Packard. The Brown-Lipe 4-spd overdrive transmission made a top speed of 87 mph possible, however two-wheel brakes made stopping the massive vehicle from that speed a dicey proposition.
A Neville “More Room” steering wheel was standard equipment allowing the driver to slide the wheel up and out of the way before leaving or entering the driver's seat. Also included were folding front seat backs that allowed the vehicle’s owner to take a short nape if desired.
It’s difficult to tell from photographs that the sleek-looking Victoria measured fully six feet tall at the windscreen. Open versions weighed in at 4700+ pounds, closed versions considerably more. A single-drop frame combined with 35-inch wheels accounted for the Dagmar’s substantial height and road clearance. The Dagmar’s low appearance was further enhanced by its long 138” wheelbase frame and carefully proportioned coachwork.
In January of 1923 a Petite Sedan joined the Sport Victoria in the Dagmar lineup. The proportions of the four-door close-coupled coachwork and sharply slanted brass-plated windscreen and matching front quarter windows gave the car a distinctive look which was further compounded by the flat military style fenders. The interior was upholstered in high-grade mohair with exposed mahogany bows covering the inside of the roof.
Autobody included a profile of the petite sedan with the following description:

"Dagmar 4-Passenger Petite Sedan
"Sloping-front sedan, built after the Rothschild system. Exterior is dark blue with gold strip, black moldings and upperworks. It has a 1-piece windshield; 'mahogany finished' angular fenders; outside exposed metalwork of brass; broadcloth upholstery with soft roof; exposed mahogany roof bars and window rails; gold-plated interior hardware. Sheet-metal housed artillery wheels."
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A picture in the June 14, 1929 issue of The Autocar depicts an early Dagmar petite sedan, pictured to the left, that had been further accessorized into a road-going locomotive in 1926. The captions reads:

"FIRE ENGINE OR LOCOMOTIVE?
"This strange vehicle is actually a car built to resemble a a locomotive and used for U.S.A. road inspection."
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Unfortunately the post-war recession affected the sale of new automobiles during 1920 and 1921, and an absence of orders for the firm’s wire wheels forced the firm into bankruptcy. In 1922 Poole Engineering sold the Maryland Pressed Steel Works to R.J. Funkhouser & Co., who subsequently sold it to Moller.
Shortly after Moller moved into the old Bicycle Works, he reorganized the Crawford Automobile Company as the M.P. Moller Motor Car Co. The official announcement appeared in the automobile trades in March of 1924. "Crawford Passes Out of Picture After Twenty Years; Makers Say Dagmar Is to Take Its Place."
The announcement coincided with the debut of a substantially revamped Dagmar lineup. Although the new Dagmar used the very same chassis and coachwork, the new car, known as the 1924 Model 6-80, abandoned the military fenders of the previous line for more conventional cully crowned units, made possible by the firm’s new sheet steel preses. Horsepower was also increased by installing a new 80 hp Continental 6-cylinder engine.
The 1924 Dagmar 6-80 could be ordered with a choice of brass or nickel trim, and prospective customers could have their car painted and upholster in any color combinations or materials that they saw fit.
In addition to the popular Petite Sedan, Dagmar closed coachwork now included a Coupe, Brougham and Seven-passenger Sedan. Open styles were now the Sport Victoria, plus a Two-Three Passenger Single Seat Roadster that was also available with a rumble seat. Suggested retail price of the 1924 Sport Victoria was $3500, the Petite Sedan, $4500, and the Town Brougham, $6,000.
The 6-80 was also distinguished by a larger, broader radiator and a travel trunk was now included on close-coupled models. Also new were faux leather-surfaced aluminum kick plates, aluminum cowl-lamps and a two piece ruby-colored stop light.
The spare tire’s disc wheel covers included a small door with a hidden tool compartment. As the Dagmar’s wheels were not demountable, only its rims and tires required changing when a puncture presented itself.
For the most part Dagmars were sold and serviced out of the firm’s office in the Dagmar hotel in downtown Hagerstown. Each car was built on special order and although the car was not nationally advertised, the car was mentioned in the automobile trades shortly after its New York City debut.
All of the firm’s vehicles were assembled by hand as the plant’s output didn’t justify the expense of installing a moving assembly line. Teams of mechanics assembled each chassis in place, with the various components wheeled from the warehouse as they were needed.
Dagmar’s were assembled on the first floor while the taxicabs were constructed on the third floor, but not before a new elevator was built as the existing one was too small to carry a taxicab, once it was fully assembled. The second floor was devoted to body building and finishing whether the vehicle was destined to be driven by a chauffeur or by a cabbie. Once completed, the coachwork would be transported on wheeled stands to the elevator then transported to waiting chassis on the first and third floor.
Although the adjacent railroad siding was mostly used for incoming parts and raw materials, the B&O railroad owned special freight cars that were specially outfitted for transportation of vehicles, which allowed Moller to ship completed cars by rail when necessary.
A picture of a Moller-bodied 1924 Ford Model T school bus indicates the firm was building commercial bodies in addition to Dagmars and taxicabs.
The only known authorized Dagmar distributor was the Penn-American Motors Corporation, a small operation owned by George A. Brower, and located next door to his Philadelphia Moon distributorship.
A handful of Dagmars were owned by the celebrities of the day. Gloria Swanson owned a 7-passenger sedan while another was used by an advance man for George White’s Scandals, a popular touring burlesque show. Another Dagmar was purchased by Harold L Lockwood, a Hollywood movie stuntman, airplane jumper and human fly better known as “Daredevil” Lockwood.
His Dagmar Roadster was ordered from Penn-American Motors in late 1924. Lockwood planned on using the car in his thrill show whereby it would serve as a mobbing platform from which he would catch a rope ladder dangling from a low-flying airplane, then climb aboard it to commence a series of wing-walks and sky dives

It took from five to six weeks to complete each Dagmar, with vast majority of that time spent in the Moller paint shop, where anywhere from seven to thirteen coats were applied, depending on the color. Once dry, the vehicle made its way to the firm’s trimming department where the car was outfitted with whatever type and color of material specified on the build sheet. William L. Beitler, Moller’s general manager at the time, then personally inspected each vehicle before its new owner was notified of its completion.
The experience of John M. Zerley, the purchaser of a 1924 Dagmar Sedan, was typical. His story was told by Hagerstown historian Harry Warner in a short piece in the April 27, 1974 Hagerstown Daily Mail:

“For instance, one day in mid-1924 a couple of Philadelphia contractors came to Hagerstown to make personal arrangements for the new Dagmar sedan and roadster they had ordered. John M. Zerley was permitted to confer with workers in the upholstery department so they could install exactly the shade of upholstery he preferred. Then he was measured, to permit mechanics to install the seat of his forthcoming vehicle at exactly the best height for his body. For some undisclosed reason, he also arranged to have ‘the doors lowered.’”
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A reported 300 hands were employed at the Motor Car Company during its peak periods of operation, one of which was mid-1924 when the firm was putting out scores of Dagmars as well as the first batch of Luxor taxicabs.
In September of 1924 much publicity surrounded the selection of Ruth A. Malcolmson, the current Miss Philadelphia, as the new Miss America. The pageant was a professional affair at the time, and Miss Malcolmson’s Philadelphia-based sponsors were eager to enlist local businesses to help celebrate her crowning.
George A. Brower, president of the Penn-American Motors, the Philadelphia Dagmar distributor convinced M.P. Möller that it would be in his best interest to supply Malcolmson a Dagmar for use on her victory tour of the United States, and a round-fendered blue and yellow Sport Victoria was presented to her in a special ceremony at the Fall 1924 Hagerstown County Fair.
It remains unclear whether Malcolmson actually owned the vehicle, as it’s possible the car was merely loaned to her, as was common practice at the time. Wire service and newspaper accounts of the events leading up to and including the presentation follow:

“MISS PHILADELPHIA IS PRIZE WINNER
“Atlantic City and Visitors Pay Homage at Riding Chair Parade of Picked Beauties of Country
“ATLANTIC CITY. N.J , Sept 4 (Associated Press) - Atlantic City and its throngs of 208,000 visitors paid tribute to beauty this afternoon when the most gorgeous chair parade in the history of its fourth pageant rolled down the board walk from Rhode Island to Albany avenues.
“The parade, which consisted of 12 sections, took over two hours to pass in review before the judges at the steeplechase pier. The route was nearly four miles long.
“The standard of beauty this year, insofar as the whole number of entrants is concerned, the percentage of girls whose beauty and charm are so nearly equal as to make choice exceedingly difficult is much greater than at any preceding parade.
“Miss Ruth Malcolmson, entered as ‘Miss Philadelphia’ was awarded first prize in the chair parade .Miss Chicago was second. Miss West Palm Beach third and Miss Cumberland fourth.”
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Malcolmson, who had previously won the “silver sea shell” grand prize in the 1923 Atlantic City amateur pageant, was selected Miss Philadelphia on August 27, 1924, paving her way to compete as a professional in the 1924 Miss America contest. Thursday’s Chair Parade was the first of many events that took place over the weekend, with the official contest taking place on Saturday. The Associated Press Wire Service reported on the latter event's results:

“ATLANTIC CITY, N. J., Sep. 6, (Associated Press) — "Miss Philadelphia,"
Miss Ruth Malcolmson, was chosen for the title of "Miss America" of 1924 at the close of the year's Atlantic City Beauty Pageant by fifteen artist judges here Saturday night. After her selection ‘Miss Philadelphia’ was crowned queen of the pageant with which goes possession of the golden mermaid for one year.
“The beauty trophy has been held by ‘Miss Columbus’ as Miss America for two successive years. ‘Miss Philadelphia,’ an un-bobbed brunette with a wealth of curls, is 18 years old. She weighs 132 pounds, and has blue gray eyes. She won the silver sea shell as the grand prize for amateur beauties in the pageant of a year ago.”
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The October 16, 1924 Hagerstown Morning Herald gave details on the presentation of the Dagmar to Malcolmson:

“Miss America Gets Greeting in Hagerstown
“Visits Fair And Is Guest At Banquet Given At Dagmar Hotel.
“Hagerstown will be advertised throughout the United States by Miss America, through the medium of her especially designed Dagmar car which was officially presented to her last night by George A. Brower, president of the Penn-American Motors Corporation of Philadelphia, on behalf of his company and through the courtesy of M.P. Möller. The presentation occurred following a banquet at the Dagmar Hotel given by Mr. Möller to Miss America, visitors from Philadelphia, and members of the Moller organization making and selling the Dagmar car.
“The girl who won the prize as ‘most beautiful of all contestants’ in the Atlantic City Beauty Pageant, Miss Ruth Malcolmson, was guest of honor at the banquet which followed her arrival there in the afternoon and visit to the Hagerstown Fair where she was introduced at the grand stand. Her appearance at The Dagmar last night drew a crowd into the hotel lobby to see her, while the pavement outside was so packed with onlookers that policemen had to request that the shades be pulled down so traffic wouldn't be stopped.
“As Miss America smilingly received the title to the Dagmar automobile which she will drive on her tour of the United States and as Miss Sesquicentennial, the guests clapped and cried for ‘speech!, speech!’ but Miss America shook her dark curls and laughed. ‘Oh, I can't, —not before all these people!’
“So the ‘fairy princess,’ as George Meade, chairman of the Philadelphia Boosters Committee terms her, was excused while William L. Beitler, the toastmaster continued his introductions.
“M.P. Möller, the host, and maker of the Dagmar car, made the welcoming address and invited the visitors to inspect the city of Hagerstown, which he has seen grow from a small town in the 44 years that he has lived here. ‘Philadelphia has a way of sending its best citizens to Hagerstown’ Mr. Möller said. ‘I came from Philadelphia myself before I moved to Hagerstown.’

“Knows No Speed Limit.
“Mr. Meade, the next speaker, told his hearers with gratification that General Smedley D. Butler, says the Dagmar ‘knows no speed limit’. R.T. MacFarland, director of sales of Penn-American Motors Corporation, responded next, while Dr. J. Hunter Smith, Judge Burdick, of Hamilton, New Jersey, who got so tired of fining Dagmar speeders that he bought a Dagmar so he could do some speeding himself, and John Zerby of Philadel&shy;phia made brief remarks.”

The next day, the Herald reported:

“Miss Ruth Malcolmson, winner of the Atlantic City Beauty Pageant contest, skimmed away in her blue and yellow Dagmar car taking with her the ad&shy;miration of the men and the admiration and envy of all women who saw her. During her two day visit at the home of Mr. and Mrs. M.P. Möller, Miss Malcolmson devoted the morning to an inspection of the Moller plant where her Dagmar car, especially designed for the prize beauty's needs, had been made. In designing the flashing Dagmar model the automobile makers provided for a cigarette lighter, but Miss Malcolmson will probably never make use of this particular fitting of her Dagmar for she is neither a flapper nor a cowgirl type. Miss America is pain&shy;ted on the Dagmar presented to Miss Malcolmson.”
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The Dagmar 6-60, a budget-priced 120-inch wheelbase companion to the original Dagmar debuted in late 1924 as a 1925 Model. This car was initially called "Petite," but soon earned the nick&shy;name Baby Dagmar. The senior Dagmar, now designated the 6-80, retained its 138–inch wheelbase and 80 hp engine.
Equipped with and a three-speed Brown-Lipe transmission and 60 hp Continental 8-R six-cylinder engine, the 6-60 abandoned the larger car’s artillery wheels in favor of Tuarc solid discs, with the spares now located at the rear of the car. Also missing where the red hexagonal hubcaps and custom radiator cap, the latter replaced by a standard Boyce Motometer.
Black-finished drum headlamps also helped reduce the cost and all remaining trim was nickel plated. The pricier 6-60 Victoria retained the senior car’s elaborate illuminated radiator cap as well as its deluxe equipment which included a trunk, twin bumpers and kick-plates. Prices for the 6-60 started at $1775 for the touring, about half of what a senior Dagmar cost at the time.
The 6-60’s redesigned radiator was placed just forward of the front axle, as opposed to the 6-70 and 6-80s which was placed substantially behind it. The crowned fenders of the larger model were replaced by flat fenders which required fewer stamping operations to manufacture.
The trailing edge of the rear doors on the smaller four-door sedans and tourings had a cut-out for the rear fenders which weren’t necessary on the long wheelbase cars. Close examination of the 6-60 reveals many similarities with the firm’s Luxor taxicabs, although the Dagmar’s designer, John E. Harbaugh, shared credit for the design with Charles Bickel, Moller’s body engineer and delineator.
Photographs of a circa 1925 Series 6-70 senior Dagmar touring show an all-season California-style top with windshield wings and an unusual leather molding along the top of the rear tonneau.
The crowned fenders of the earlier cars are also absent, as is the illuminated spherical radiator cap. The side-mounted spares were now placed in wells built into the running boards although pictures of a 1925 Series 6-70 roadster show dual spare tires mounted at the rear.
The new senior cars also lost the distinctive brass trim found on earlier Dagmars and for the first time looked almost identical to many of their competitors.

3-12-1925 Hagerstown Daily Mail Display Ad:

“DAGMAR
“The Car You Will Like Better at the Journey's End. An Automobile Classic
“A TWENTY-FIVE minute spin will convince the connoisseur, that in Dagmar, new feats of automobile achievement have been reached. As mechanically perfected and attuned as the highest priced car produced, yet the price is considerably less. Analysis will convince you of the exquisite mechanism. But the Dagmar goes beyond that, it offers an Individual car.
“Style, line, color, upholsterings and trimmings of your own choosing, and Dagmar is the first car to offer this service at a nominal price.
“The car that reflects your personality. Brilliant, rich or dark coloring, brass or silver trimmings, exquisitely applied on the swagger-lines, that you feel the distinction of the car as it cuts through space, with a confidence and silence that makes you realize Dagmar is the master of them all!
“M.P. Moller Motor Car Co. Sales and Service. DAGMAR HOTEL BLDG.”

One of the very last Dagmars manufactured was a nine-passenger Model 6-80 Limousine built for the firm’s owner and namesake, M.P. Möller, sr. The massive vehicle was shipped overseas during the summer of 1927 where the Möller family used it to tour England, Italy, Holland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.
The brass-trimmed Limousine featured an upright windshield and was outfitted with a large brass luggage rack on the roof. Artillery wheels were needed to support the weight of the massive vehicle, which even at that late date was still equipped with brakes on the rear wheels only.
By the time the Möller family left for Europe, the Motor Co.’s prestigious Dagmar Hotel showroom, which had been established by Moller after the cars 1922 debut, had been discontinued.

Henry Austin Clark and Beverly Rae Kimes’ Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1805-1942, list total Dagmar production as 417 vehicles: 1923-135; 1924-127; 1925-93; 1926-61; 1927-1. Clark & Kimes figures are substantially greater than estimates supplied by Keith Marvin and Arthur Lee Homan in their 1960 article in the Automobilist.
In preparation for their story, Marvin and Homan interviewed a number of former Moller employees and family members, who could account for only thirty-seven distinct cars. They concluded that the actual number of Dagmars produced was likely somewhat greater than 37 but unlikely to be more than 100. What little remained of the firm’s records in the possession of the Möller family at that time gave no concrete indication to back up either party’s estimates.
However, it is recorded that Keith Marvin assisted Clark & Kimes in the preparation of the first edition of the Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 (published in 1985), so we can only assume that additional information had been located to support the Standard Catalog's substantially higher number of 417 Dagmars.
Adding further confusion to the numbers is a statement given to Homan and Marvin in 1959 by John E. Harbaugh, Moller’s chief machinist/engineer. Harbaugh stated that “not more than 50 Dagmars were built”. As Harbaugh was one of only two surviving employees interviewed at the time, his summation puts some doubt on the Standard Catalog’s figure of 417 vehicles.
As none of the parties responsible for the figures are alive today, the actual number of Dagmars built will likely remain another one of automotive history’s great mysteries, however it is common knowledge that only two of the vehicles, a 1922 Dagmar 6-70 Petite Sedan and a 1924 Dagmar Five-passenger 6-60 Sedan, managed to survive.
The 1922 6-70 Sedan’s last known owner was Catonsville, Maryland resident Charles Glanzer. The stunning maroon military-fendered petite sedan was discovered in its original state in a Long Island, New York garage in the mid-60s.
The 1924 Model 6-60 Sedan was owned for a number of years by Edward S.Darner, a former Moller bookkeeper. It was originally purchased by William Wolf, a machine shop foreman, who died after he had run it little more than 2,000 miles, His widow insisted on selling it to Darner, who used it as a daily driver before converting it into a pickup truck in 1942.
Luckily Darner retained the rear doors and fenders he had removed from the vehicle, which were transferred to its subsequent owner, Hagerstown resident Paul Poe, who purchased the car from Darner in 1967. Poe subsequently embarked upon a thorough restoration of the car to its original 5-passenger configuration. The completed car was first shown June 7, 1969 at the Hometown Antique Auto Meet which took place in Williamsport, Maryland.
Although both vehicles are thought to reside in Maryland, their current whereabouts are unknown.
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Sunday, June 07, 2009

Dagmar Bumpers...Perky Pointed Protuberances




Remember Dagmar? She was the bodacious blonde on the '50s TV show, Broadway Open House.Her name lives on in the hearts of classic car buffs and fans of early network TV variety shows. When GM's designer Harley Earl put those perky, pointed protuberances on the '50s Chevy, Buick and Cadillac bumpers, he thought he was reminding us of the artillery shells that helped to win the war. But that's not what every red-blooded American Boy thought of when he saw them. There was little doubt left about what they looked like when the black "pasties" were added to the tips on the Cadillac Eldorado.
Virginia Ruth Egnor was given the Dagmar name and told that her job was to be a ditzy blonde, but she was dumb like a fox and way out in front in more ways than one. Show Host Jerry Lester was not happy when the network listed her as the star. She made the cover of Life Magazine. Jerry did not. She went on to considerable success on other shows.

 

Not to mention the great Art Deco Motor Magazine cover illustrations by Jules Gotlieb


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January 1929 cover of Motor magazine

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January 1930 cover of Motor magazine



January 1931 cover of Motor magazine​

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January 1932 cover of Motor magazine</CENTER>

 

Dagmars, hood ornaments, and Gotlieb's cover art. Page 75 needs a bookmark.

Thanks guys. It looks like I'll need a cigarette.

Vintageride

 

RE; Post 1464

Amazing! The tops are actually UP. Every time I see one, the top is usually some where between HALF UP and HALF DOWN. Never UP! Never DOWN!

 

Personally, I'd rather see a regular '57-'59 Ford Convertible then a Retractable. Even thought the regular Convertibles had a higher production, they seem to be much rarer then the Retractables. Plus, I like the lines of the regular Convertibles better

 

Actually, at the time I was at the show, was Concours day.
so tops had to be up, and perform the complete operation for the judges.

In my album I did take some pictures during one of the operations.
and some were down.

 

QUOTE VintageRide: Dagmars, hood ornaments, and Gotlieb's cover art. Page 75 needs a bookmark. Thanks guys. It looks like I'll need a cigarette.

Jimi: I'll second that emotion !!! I just OD'd on nostalgia!!! Those eloquent ornaments! AND those Gotlieb cover paintings!!! His loving yet sensual visual treatment of the human female form is almost without equal, even in finer art media, IMO.

 

Dagmars, yep remember that well. BUT, I ALSO often heard them called "Jane Mansfields."

 

HJ, DISTINCTIVE-looking cars! But, long time since I saw a cow-catcher on an automobile!!!

 

AlsAncle: RE Post #1463, REALLY, I don't think there could BE a much finer testament to the Stutz marque than the VERY FACT that a long-lived make produced only 35,000 cars in total, YET is among the true stand-outs in auto history !!! (3 exclamation points there!)

Would that anyone should remember my name 70 years after I've departed the veil.

 

This car is owned by Tony Miller and yes it is a 1951. In Tony's words" it's a phantom -- really a '51 disguised as a '50 (note the rear license plate). I always liked the Vic body style, but preferred the simpler trim and detailing of '49 and '50, so I built the car that I thought Ford should have done."

I've seen this car in the flesh and it is GORGEOUS!

 

I can't remember your name now. LOL. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

SunRoof, now get to be a DOG, too, right along with HJ! You guys are such comedians! (But don't give up your day job, so to speak.)

 

1937 Rena

This car was designed and built in 1937, for the MGM Studios by Hibbard of auto design fame (LeBaron). It was built for Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in Babes in Arms but never got used in the movie

It was built on a cut-down 1937 Renault chassis with a Ford V8 engine and 3-speed transmission. The body is all steel.

It was later used at the Hollywood Bowl and featured in the 1947 Rose Bowl parade.

This car now sits in a friends Garage in Wisconsin and it is as small as it looks.