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

SunRoof, LOVE that '48 Commodore woody. And the '49 pickup looks to be rather well done; I guess that's what they might have look like, had Hudson continued to make pickups!!! ('cause they made a NICE on a few years earlier!)

 

1947 Hudson pickup truck. For my money, every BIT as keen as the '37 Stude
Coupe Express Pickup (save, the Hudson could use the side-mount spare! Classy
touch!).

 

SunRoofCord said: The annals of automotive history tell the story of the Twentieth Century American Dream; the belief that anyone with an ounce of sense and some technical and management knowledge could start an automobile company.

Jimi adds: Though I am Irish, I was trained as a journalist and learned to love succinctness. I think THAT ONE SENTENCE pretty well sums up the very birth of the U.S. auto industry around the turn of the last century!

 

1912 Apperson Jackrabbit.
This was on a postcard to my Grandfather from an auto dealership as a reminder to get his "all-important lubrication every 1000 miles."

 

1937-1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express

The 1937-1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express was years ahead of its time, but one of the most innovative commercial vehicles in history was no commercial success.

As a car-pickup hybrid, the 1937-1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express predicted by decades the Ford Ranchero and Chevrolet El Camino of the 1950s. The 1937-1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express successfully melded car-like comfort and styling with pickup stamina and utility. It did not, as Studebaker hoped, tap an unmet need in the marketplace.

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The beautiful 1937 Studebaker Coupe-Express combined a coupe cabin and an open cargo bed, predicting the car-pickup category by decades.
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From the cab forward, the 1937-1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express pickup was much like Studebaker's Dictator coupe. But behind the passenger cabin sat a double-wall pickup box capable of hauling up to half a ton.

Advertising for the 1937-1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express stressed its strong, all-steel construction and roomy, comfortable cab with passenger-car appointments.

For example, the seat, ceiling, and door panels were upholstered in cloth (leather was a no-cost option) and the seatback was adjustable. Dual wipers, sun visor, safety glass, and rearview mirror were standard; so were rotary door locks for safety and easier closing.

Studebaker proclaimed that the "fully streamlined open pickup body is built entirely of 16-gauge steel with outer and inner panels, combining strength and rigidity with smart, modern appearance.

The 1937-1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express was lively, too, with ample power in 1937 from an 86-bhp, 217-cid six and then in 1937 from the 90-bhp 226 Commander six.

Styling of the 1937 Studebaker Coupe-Express was outstanding, as well -- especially for a pickup. Grille, hood, cab, and fender lines were in flowing harmony. And in line with its "posh truck" image, the 1937 Studebaker Coupe-Express had chrome bumpers at both ends, and a sidemount spare in the right front fender.

For 1938, styling was revised by the famed Loewy Studios. Studebaker's 1938 car lineup also got a facelift from the Loewy Studios, which was on contract to Studebaker and responsible for most Studebaker car and truck designs from 1938 to 1956.

The 1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express revisions included a prow-front grille in place of the previous slim, lateral-bar radiator. However, the 1938 Coupe-Express eschewed the passenger models' new faired-in headlamps, retaining 1937's pod-mounted units.

The 1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express restyle also brought a shorter hoodline that reduced clearance between the doors and the trailing edges of the front fenders. A $44.50 "standard accessory group" included a sidemount spare in the right front fender, bumper guards, and passenger-side windshield wiper. Unfortunately, 1938's shorter hood forced the sidemount tire to sit above hood level, making it look like an afterthought.

Other 1938 options were genuine leather upholstery, a metal tire cover, vacuum-control gearshift, "Hill-Holder" clutch, and overdrive with freewheeling.

Despite good looks, fine performance, and a workable combination of comfort and utility, sales of the 1937-1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express were poor. Production of the Studebaker Coupe-Express peaked in 1937 at between 3,500 and 3,800 vehicles (sources differ); 1938 saw only about 1,000 copies built.

Collectible Pluses of the 1937-1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express

• Superb styling for 1937
• Good performance
• Strong club support
• Good survival percentage
• Decent parts supplies

Collectible Minuses of the 1937-1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express

• Not often offered for sale
• Expensive when offered
• Replacement body parts are scarce
• Ungainly facelift for 1938

1938 Coupe Express pictured in attachments

 

1939 Studebaker L5 Coupe-Express

The 1939 Studebaker L5 Coupe-Express was mechanically more advanced than other trucks of the period. It was better-performing than the groundbreaking 1937 Studebaker Coupe-Express, and better looking than the awkwardly restyled 1938 Coupe-Express. What the 1939 Studebaker L5 Coupe-Express did share with the earlier Coupe-Express versions was disappointing sales.


The rakish 1939 Studebaker L5 Coupe-Express closed out Studebaker's ahead-of-its-time, three-year experiment with the car-pickup concept.

The 1939 Studebaker L5 Coupe-Express retained the basic 1938 Coupe-Express design, including cab and dashboard. In fact, it was a leftover, though the new, low Ford-like grille and front-end sheetmetal from the 1939 Commander passenger car were grafted on.

With headlamps built into the fenders, the fresh sheetmetal gave the 1939 Studebaker L5 Coupe-Express an all-new face, and fixed what made the 1938 model so disliked. In fact, styling is likely what makes the 1939 Studebaker L5 Coupe-Express is the most sought-after of the three Coupe-Express model years.

Despite improved looks and decent performance, the Coupe-Express didn't sell, partly because prices still ran higher than that of "real" pickup trucks, and there just wasn't much demand in a strained economy for a luxury light-duty hauler.

After the dismal 1,000 units of 1938, production rose to just 1,200 for 1939. The writing was on the wall, and Studebaker had already made the decision to drop the car-pickup hybrid even with the 1939 models still in showrooms.


The 1939 Studebaker L5 Coupe-Express car-like interior styling was little changed from 1938.

Besides, in 1939 Studebaker launched the Champion line of automobiles, a roaring success that soon occupied most of the South Bend company's attention. Finally, the Coupe-Express suffered from a malady that would eventually doom the Ford Ranchero and Chevrolet El Camino: truck people didn't think it was rugged enough, while car folks tended to prefer a conventional automobile.

Collectible Pluses of the 1939 Studebaker L5 Coupe-Express

• Good styling and performance
• Strong club support
• Mechanical parts in reasonable supply
• A lot of admirers

Collectible Minuses of the 1939 Studebaker L5 Coupe-Express

• Tends to be more expensive than the 1937-1938 models
• Hard to find
• Body parts are scarce

High prices and a lightweight image kept volume low; only about 1,200 examples of the stylish 1939 Studebaker L5 Coupe-Express were built.

 

1938 Packard Pickup

Sure could pass for Factory built but as far as I know, Packard never built Pickups in the late '30s.

 

Some old Tucker stuff from a 1960 True magazine. I saw the Tucker from the movie and a Tucker Combat Car at the Coppola Winery in the Napa Valley.

 

Neat!!! The Torpedo Special is quite interesting.

 

Profile of the Apperson automobile

The Apperson car was produced from 1902 to 1926 by the Apperson Brothers Automobile Company, which was located in Kokomo, Indiana. Apperson Brothers was founded by two brothers, Elmer and Edgar Apperson. They had worked with Elwood Haynes previously under a partnership company called Haynes-Apperson Automobile Company, and they even built one of America's first automobiles, which was designed by Haynes.

Apperson engines

The Apperson was first available with a flat-twin engine that was mounted in the front. The flat-twin used two cylinders, each of which were located on opposite sides of the crankshaft. It was an internal combustion engine and has been known for its use in the BMW motorcycle since 1923. As a BMW motorcycle engine, it is called the "Boxer." It was used in automobiles because it is easily adaptable to forced air-cooling.

The next engine used for the Apperson was a flat-four, or four-cylinder engine, with the cylinders arranged in a flat configuration. This was also called a "horizontal four" engine. It’s called a boxer engine as well. Boxer engines were so popular in early automobiles because they were better balanced than other four-cylinder engines.

The Apperson was then available as two models, each having a vertical four engine. The vertical four engine, also called a straight-four or inline-four, was an internal combustion engine featuring four cylinders, which were aligned in one row. This type of engine was used in most cars with a 2.4-liter displacement.

Apperson Touring Car

Apperson Brothers started producing the Apperson Touring Car in 1904. It came with a tonneau, which allowed for up to six passengers. The retail price of this car was about $6,000. It had a vertical-mounted straight-four engine, which was installed in the front of the car. The engine could produce 40 horsepower, and it had a four-speed transmission. The car's frame was built of steel and weighed 2,800 pounds. Other features included electric lights and a modern-day cellular radiator. A 25-horsepower version of the Touring Car was offered at a retail price of $3,500. It weighed in at 1,800 pounds.

The Amazing Apperson Jackrabbit

Apperson Brothers had a love for speed, power, and the races. The company unleashed a 95-horsepower four-cylinder engine in 1906 that was priced at a whopping $10,500. The following year, the company released its famous Apperson Jackrabbit speedsters. These had 60 horsepower and sold for $5,000. The whole model line was referred to as "Jackrabbit" for a while, with several models to fit the buyer's needs. There were the 32.4-horsepower four-cylinder model and the 33.7-horsepower six-cylinder model listed for 1913. In 1914, a 33.8-horsepower, V-8 (90-degree) engine model was released. The V-8 had a displacement of 335 cubic inches, and it was called the Apperson 8. One distinguishing feature that really stood out on the Jackrabbit models was the jackrabbit emblem on the front grille area of the car.

Eight with Eighty less parts

The Apperson 8 was marketed in 1919 and 1920 as the "Eight with Eighty Less Parts." The reason Apperson Brothers could boast this was because the "Eight" engine that was used in Apperson cars literally had 80 less parts than other Eight engines. For example, there was only one cam shaft and only two cam gears meshed direct. The chain had been eliminated. The fours were merged into one at the base. These eliminations resulted in Four engine economy for an amazing, yet simple, Eight engine. The Eight engine could zoom from 1 to 40 mph in only 40 seconds, and the car was well balanced for its day.

Apperson Roadsters make their mark

The Apperson Roadplane six and eight engines were released in 1916. The name Roadplane was used as a marketing concept for roadsters instead of an actual model name. The concept was developed by Elmer Apperson, and the name Roadplane was used for the "Touring" car and the "Chummy Roadster."

In 1917, the Silver-Apperson was released. Its design was by Conover T. Silver. The name of this model was changed to Anniversary in 1919. In 1923, Apperson Brothers offered a proprietary six engine with 3.2 liters and a displacement of 197 cubic inches. Then in 1924, the company offered the Lycoming eight engine. Lycoming was a popular aviation engine manufacturer, but the company focused mainly on automobile engines during the early post-WWI period. Apperson introduced four-wheel brakes for 1926 models before the company's plants shut down.

Apperson in the races

Apperson Brothers had a passion for races and entered every time they got a chance. One of the famed Apperson drivers, Herbert Lytle, had been the star driver of the Pope-Toledo racing cars for several years, but resigned this position to drive for Apperson Brothers in 1908. Lytle started out driving an Apperson in the Savannah stock car races in March 1908. He drove the Apperson Runabout in the Savannah 180-mile Runabout Races and won. Lytle had driven in two Vanderbilt Cup races before and was very well known in his day.

The Apperson was entered into the 1911 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and was driven by Herbert Lytle, but Lytle didn't finish this race. Other Apperson drivers were Harris Hanshue, Hugh Harding, Sterling Price, Nick Nichols, Frank Goode, Swan Ostewig, Joe Seymour, and William McCulla. Though Apperson Brothers Automobile Company folded in 1926, memories of the company and its great Apperson models are still alive among classic car enthusiasts today.

 

1934 HUDSON TERRAPLANE PICKUP

 

1937 HUDSON TERRAPLANE PICKUP

 

1939 Hudson Terraplane Pickup

 

Wow, lots of GREAT pickup stuff -- rarer, I mean! As far as the '37 Stude, it was beautiful with its Dictator appoints and lines. Leno has one which was rescued and restored from awful shape from a New England pasture.

The '38 is just afterbirth on four wheels.

The '39 got back on track, VERY well, but no one was buying an expensive pickup back then. (Plymouth failed at that, too. Now, THOSE are VERY rare.)

 

Hudson Trucks, 1914-1957

Review and photo by Bill Vance Canadian Driver

Hudson is a name not usually associated with trucks. From the founding of the Hudson Motor Car Company in Detroit in 1909, sponsored by department store magnate Joseph L. Hudson, to the nameplate&#8217;s demise in 1957 under American Motors Corporation, Hudsons were known as speedy, well built, mid-market cars.

Surprisingly, Hudson also built light trucks for almost 20 years, although never in large numbers. The best remembered Hudson trucks were the handsome 1946 and 1947 pickups produced right after the Second World War.

The first Hudson trucks were privately built using car chassis&#8217;, and began appearing at about the beginning of the First World War in 1914. They were used as Hudson dealer service trucks and in public service applications like ambulances and fire department support vehicles. In spite of their apparent ruggedness and utility, Hudson didn&#8217;t formally enter the truck market until 1929, and wouldn&#8217;t carry the Hudson name for another decade.

The first series production Hudson truck, also called a commercial car, was a light hauler called the Dover based on Hudson&#8217;s Essex car chassis. Dovers were offered in such configurations as panel deliveries and pickups. The Dover truck became the Essex in the early 1930s, now based on the Essex Terraplane car platform.

For 1934 the Essex name was discontinued, and Hudson&#8217;s trucks now became Terraplanes until 1937, when they became Hudson-Terraplanes for one year. The Terraplane name was then discontinued in both cars and trucks, and the trucks carried Hudson badges.

In 1937, Hudson introduced what would be its best known truck, the three-quarter ton Terraplane &#8220;Big Boy&#8221; pickup with a wheelbase stretched from the usual (2,972 mm (117 in.) to 3,150 mm (124 in.). In spite of low production, Hudson offered a dizzying array of models, some 19 in all. This was reduced to 14 in 1939, 10 in 1940, and eight in 1941.

During the 1930s Hudson and others offered an unusual kind of commercial application that was a combination car and truck. Hudson introduced its version called the utility coupe in 1937.

The utility coupe was an ingenious vehicle that could serve as a car or truck. At its heart was a pickup-type cargo box, complete with tailgate, that slid out of the trunk like a bureau drawer. When pulled all the way out it provided carrying capacity up to eight feet (2,438 mm) long. When the utility coupe was not required to act as a truck, the box telescoped back into the trunk, and with the lid closed it looked like a normal car. It was built until 1942.

Hudson&#8217;s 1942 offerings consisted of just two pickup trucks, the 2,946 mm (116 in.) wheelbase regular model, and the 3,251 mm (128 in.) wheelbase Big Boy. The Second World War stopped civilian automotive production from 1942 to 1945, and when it resumed, Hudson&#8217;s post-war pickup was the 3/4-ton Big Boy, although it was no longer called that.

The 1946 Hudson pickup was powered by the Hudson car&#8217;s long-stroke (bore and stroke 76.2 X 127 mm (3 X 5 in.), side-valve &#8220;Super Six&#8221; engine that featured a chrome alloy cylinder block. With a displacement of 3.5 litres (212 cu in.), it developed 102 horsepower. It had a column shifted, three-speed manual transmission when other trucks still used a floor-shift, and Hudson&#8217;s famous cork-insert, oil-immersed clutch. Overdrive was available, an unusual option for a pickup.

The Hudson pickup was fitted with a cavernous cargo box which measured a generous 2362 mm (93 in.) long, 1,219 mm (48 in.) wide and over 457 mm (18 in.) deep, providing 48 cu. ft. of cargo volume.

Hudson would carry its big, long wheelbase pickup over in 1947 will little change. Although sales of &#8216;46 and &#8216;47 models totalled almost 6,300, a respectable figure, Hudson decided to discontinue its pickup after the 1947 model year. Hudson changed over to unit construction for its new 1948 &#8220;Step Down&#8221; design cars, and since unit construction was not very conducive to pickup application, although a Hudson prototype was built, they chose not to develop a new pickup.

Hudson had started out like other manufacturers, basing its trucks on car models. But whereas brands like Chevrolet and Ford began to separate their truck lines in the late 1930s and early &#8217;40s, and make them more rugged, purpose-built commercial vehicles, Hudson stayed with its car-based pickups. The result was that Hudson&#8217;s pickups, which were essentially cars back to the rear window, were more civilized and stylish. Hudson&#8217;s 1946-&#8217;47 models are among the best looking pickups ever offered.

Because they stayed with car-based pickups, Hudson pre-dated by a good decade the sedan pickups that started with the arrival of the 1957 Ford Ranchero, followed a couple of year later by the Chevrolet El Camino.

 

SunRoof, I did not know that Terraplane was doing pickups so early! Cool trucks -- leading, of ocurse, into regular Hudson versions, thereafter -- if briefly.

Talk about RARE!!! Most people don't even know who made pickups in the day!

 

1937 Plymouth Pickup

 

I knew they had made them in the late '30s but I really like the '34. Just learned they built a '34 Plymouth Pickup but try to find a picture of one. Lots O Luck. Seems I'm always stumblling on to other neat stuff when looking for something else. I have a picture of a really cool Early '30s Willys Pickup I'll have to post.

 

SunRoofCord said: During the 1930s Hudson and others offered an unusual kind of commercial application that was a combination car and truck. Hudson introduced its version called the utility coupe in 1937.

The utility coupe was an ingenious vehicle that could serve as a car or truck. At its heart was a pickup-type cargo box, complete with tailgate, that slid out of the trunk like a bureau drawer. When pulled all the way out it provided carrying capacity up to eight feet (2,438 mm) long. When the utility coupe was not required to act as a truck, the box telescoped back into the trunk, and with the lid closed it looked like a normal car. It was built until 1942.

SunRoof, I am glad you brought up "coupe-pickups" as some companies called them. I'll bet most people have never seen one of THESE, either. And, I doubt anybody ever hotrodded one! In the '30s when companies were still trying to offer as many body styles as possible, I do feel these made sense.

 

One of the many cars I could have had for a song was a '39 Plymouth
pickup, but I didn't have two nickels to rub together at the time!

 

Heard that, SunRoof! While on the subject, I really thing the grand daddy of ALL pickups was a 1905 International Harvester, though i cant remember what they called it. It was a sort of OPTION on Harvesters passenger car that year -- JUST as they were breakingin into the auto BIZ.

IH thereafter gravitated almost entirely to trucks and cross-overs, though the term hadn't been created yet. IH is under-appreciated, in part because people dont seem to know where to categorize them. IH was just sort of ALWAYS there, quietly motoring along!!!

 

1941 Chevrolet Utility Coupe (Coupe Pickup)

 

If we are going to discuss Utility pickups, we can't leave out the Austrailian Ute. Here's a 1934 Ford Ute

 

1940 Studebaker Champion Utility Coupe.

BTW, Coupe is technically pronounced Coo-Pay. Coops are for Chickens. And that's the truth, Believe it or not.

 

Commodity Carrying Coupe

<!-- Writer --> Hemmings Motor News - SEPTEMBER 1, 2006 - BY MATTHEW LITWIN

A businessman's pickup hidden by a 1937 Terraplane body

Just how frustrated do you get when the signal to your cell phone is inexplicably dropped during an important call while you're zipping down the interstate above the posted speed limit? Better yet, just how much business do you accomplish in a day when the fax machine or Internet is down?

It's pretty hard to imagine, in this fast-paced world of technology, that not so long ago, ordering car parts or household goods was accomplished thanks to what we today call snail mail. Important documents were, for the most part, sent via registered mail--though in some cases, that still holds true today. Even before the early word processors and strip malls that pre-date today's mega-structures offering just about everything, there was a band of professional drivers who traveled the earliest roads of the highway system: The traveling salesman--often the subject of early cartoon bits portrayed as hailing from Walla Walla, Washington--brought the malls of yesteryear to the doorsteps of Small-town America.

Businessman Coupes were offered by just about every manufacturer as late as the '50s, and even a few into the early '60s. In most cases, they were stripped base models without rear seats. The door-to-door driver would pack his goods into the coupe and hit the then-open road, reading Burma-Shave signs along the way, no matter the time of year, or weather, that awaited him.

The Utility Coupe, an alternative to the Business Coupe, ventured out onto the business byways for only a few years, initially introduced by Plymouth in 1935 and followed by Chevrolet and Pontiac in 1937. Hudson's Terraplane Utility Coupe Pickup was also introduced for the 1937 model year; however, Hudson promoted it as a separate model, unlike the other manufacturers. The design began with the basic coupe, complete with a top-hinged rear trunk lid. Hidden inside the trunk is a steel box--basically a compact pickup bed--measuring 49.50 inches long and 38 inches wide, with a total depth of 11.50 inches. The total load capacity is rated for a half-ton, a significant number when considering it's packed into a coupe-like platform.

The metal cargo carrier is mounted to a slide rail system not unlike that found in filing cabinets. It can be extended--via handles mounted to the end of the box--to two open positions to assist loading/unloading, the first of which is a point just prior to the rear bumper. Fully extended, it slides to eight inches beyond the bumper. Like a pickup, the rear tailgate can be lowered to bed-level, with each end of the tailgate supported by chains. This also aided the commodity carrier by enabling longer packages to be transported. For those extra large products, the owner can remove the trunk lid.

A channel-section frame complete with a longitudinal leaf-spring suspension, I-beam front axle, and a solid rear axle, provides a simplistic, yet sturdy, 117-inch wheelbase platform for Hudson's Utility Coupe Pickup body. It is also the most powerful light-utility vehicle of its time thanks to a 212-cu.in. L-head straight-six engine that cranks out 96 horsepower, beating out Plymouth's 82hp engine, as well as Chevrolet and Pontiac's 85hp offering. The total curb weight for the hybrid truck rolls in at 2,855 pounds, and its base price stood at $750.

Hudson's commercial vehicle output in 1937 was 8,058 units, a company record and a 77.1 percent increase from the output of the previous model year. Yet, it's unknown exactly how many were Utility Coupe Pickups, and recent indications are that the remaining number is somewhere under two digits. The Terraplane name began to be phased out the following year, becoming part of the Hudson line. The Utility Coupe Pickup would not survive into post-World War II production.

 

1940 Hudson Traveller

 

Marsh-Metz manufactured autos and motorcycles in Brockton MA.

 

1913 Metz Torpedo # 19189


1913 Metz Torpedo # 19189


1913 Metz Torpedo # 19189




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Metz Leaves American Motor Company

Metz Leaves American Motor Company
Motorcycle Illustrated
January 15, 1909 Page #8

C.H. Metz for three years mechanical head off the American Motor
Company, Brockton, Mass., announces his retirement from that firm. He
has purchased the Waltham Manufacturing Company&#8217;s plant, at Waltham
Mass. This concern makes the Orient automobile, and by his new
acquirement Mr Metz becomes the largest individual operator of an
automobile plant in America, the capacity of the Orient factory being
5,000 cars a season.

Since 1882 Mr. Metz has had experience along the
inventing, manufacturing and selling end of bicycles, motorcycles
and automobiles. He is a man of undeniable inventive talent, as well as a
practical man. He started in 1882 as an enthusiastic rider of the
high wheel bicycle. In 1885 he was the champion racing man in central
New York State, his home being in Utica.

In 1886 he commenced to manufacture bicycle attachments.
In 1891 he led the crusade for lighter bicycle construction; in 1893
he organized the Waltham Manufacturing Company, makers of the
Orient bicycle, which concern he has just bought. And he increased
their output in three years up to 4,500 machines per annum, while in
1897 the total number of machines manufactured was 15,000.

In 1898, the concern started to manufacture automobiles, and also,
for the first time, produced a motorcycle. In 1902 they built Metz motorcycle,
and on this Mr. Metz made a mile record straightaway of 1.10 2-5, which
was an extraordinary record for those days. In 1905 Mr. Metz affiliated
himself with the American Motor Company, and the next year, marketed
the Marsh-Metz motorcycles. Surely this is a fine record, and no doubt Mr.
Metz will still further enhance it in his now enterprise.

Low-Priced Car from Waltham

The Automobile
March 3, 1910
Page#452

Low-Priced Car from Waltham
In the Metz Plan car, the lower limit of automobile price has been reached, this being sold in parts, so that one may buy and assemble at leisure. This plan also allows of buying at one&#8217;s financial convenience, and has many more advantages, some of which are well told by the makers, C. H. Metz, president of the Metz Company, Waltham, Mass. He says: &#8220;No argument will induce the man who longs for a palace and who has the means to acquire it, to put up with a modest cottage.
&#8220;The expense of maintaining our little car in comparison with the big tourist is in about the same proportion as the cost of dwelling in a cottage is to the luxury of living in a mansion.
&#8220;If it is a matter of how many miles per dollar for your automobile use and pleasure, we can figure as close as anyone in the business, and our statements can be substantiated. We do not pretend to tell you what you should purchase, but you owe it to yourself to ascertain which car will carry you the farthest with the least trouble and expense.&#8221;

1909 running Metz Plan car http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s82lui0uGo8&feature=player_embedded

Metz Brings out Three Delivery Cars

The Automobile
December 9, 1915

page #1051

The Metz Co., Waltham Mass., has placed on the market three types of delivery cars in addition to its roadster and touring car. All are on a 25-hp, chassis , model A, having an express body selling for $475, with prest-o-lite tank and oil side and tail lamps. Model B is the same except that it has Gray & Davis starting and lighting and sells for $525. Models C and D correspond to models A and B, respectively, except that they have roll side curtains, model C listing a $525 and model D listing at $575 model E uses the Gray & Davis electric system and has a closed delivery type body. it sells for $600.

 

From the November 2, 1912 edition
Saturday Evening Post

 

SunRoof, that's a GREAT pic, clearly showing how this worked -- worth
a thousand words. To paraphrase Michael J. Pollard, nice "coup-ee'" !