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

1932 Ford. John Milner style.

 

The Sir Vival: Safe At Any Speed!

<!-- google_ad_section_start --> With all your side-curtain this and active-restraint that these days, all mandated by a vast bureaucracy, it's hard to imagine a time when safety features were something that crazy white-coaters cooked up in their labs. Stuff like seats that swiveled backwards right before a crash, or a car made in two separate sections, like a locomotive-and-caboose combo. Here's an interesting article on these and other innovations, courtesy of the Gray Lady. [New York Times]
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The 1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket Concept, a gold colored 2 passenger car, which was styled to resemble a rocket, made its debut at the 1956 General Motors Motorama and was used at many other auto shows.

The Rocket had a fiberglass body with nerf-like built in bumpers that give an overall rocket effect. It was powered with a 234 CID, 275 horsepower Rocket V8 engine and weighs 2,500 pounds.

The upholstery was done in blue and gold leather. The speedometer was mounted in the center of the two-spoked steering wheel along with buttons to tilt the wheel, making it one of the first vehicles with a tilt steering wheel.

As either door was opened, the roof panel automatically raised and the seat came up 3 inches and swiveled outward for easy entry or exit.

The Golden Rocket was revised several times and stayed on the show circuit for several years.

The 1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket featured a seating system in which a roof panel was raised and the seat was elevated and rotated toward the entering occupant when the door was opened. Buttons on the steering wheel allowed the column to tilt downward, providing the driver with easier access.

A wild-looking bronze-metallic two-seat coupe was the most projectile-like Olds show car, and one of the quickest: Its 234 V-8 was tuned to produce 275 hp, which must have been impressive considering its curb weight of about 2,500 pounds. Like most of its predecessors, the Rocket had a fiberglass body. Roof panels rose, resembling Mercedes&#8217; gullwing-style, and the seats lifted and swiveled out to welcome the posterior when the doors were opened. Conventional bumpers were replaced by nerf-like built-in bumpers, and one of the first-known tilt steering wheels was in the cockpit.

Oldsmobile Golden Rocket (1956 &#1075;&#1086;&#1076. &#1059; &#1101;&#1090;&#1086;&#1075;&#1086; &#1082;&#1091;&#1087;&#1077; &#1089;&#1080;&#1076;&#1077;&#1085;&#1100;&#1103; &#1087;&#1088;&#1080;&#1087;&#1086;&#1076;&#1085;&#1080;&#1084;&#1072;&#1083;&#1080;&#1089;&#1100; &#1080; &#1087;&#1086;&#1074;&#1086;&#1088;&#1072;&#1095;&#1080;&#1074;&#1072;&#1083;&#1080;&#1089;&#1100; &#1082; &#1076;&#1074;&#1077;&#1088;&#1103;&#1084; &#1076;&#1083;&#1103; &#1086;&#1073;&#1083;&#1077;&#1075;&#1095;&#1077;&#1085;&#1080;&#1103; &#1087;&#1086;&#1089;&#1072;&#1076;&#1082;&#1080;-&#1074;&#1099;&#1089;&#1072;&#1076;&#1082;&#1080;. &#1063;&#1090;&#1086;&#1073;&#1099; &#1087;&#1072;&#1089;&#1089;&#1072;&#1078;&#1080;&#1088;&#1099; &#1085;&#1077; &#1091;&#1076;&#1072;&#1088;&#1103;&#1083;&#1080;&#1089;&#1100; &#1075;&#1086;&#1083;&#1086;&#1074;&#1086;&#1081;, &#1082;&#1088;&#1099;&#1096;&#1072; &#1090;&#1086;&#1078;&#1077; &#1087;&#1088;&#1080;&#1087;&#1086;&#1076;&#1085;&#1080;&#1084;&#1072;&#1083;&#1072;&#1089;&#1100;, &#1072; &#1088;&#1077;&#1075;&#1091;&#1083;&#1080;&#1088;&#1091;&#1077;&#1084;&#1072;&#1103; &#1088;&#1091;&#1083;&#1077;&#1074;&#1072;&#1103; &#1082;&#1086;&#1083;&#1086;&#1085;&#1082;&#1072; &#1086;&#1073;&#1083;&#1077;&#1075;&#1095;&#1072;&#1083;&#1072; &#1087;&#1086;&#1089;&#1072;&#1076;&#1082;&#1091; &#1074;&#1086;&#1076;&#1080;&#1090;&#1077;&#1083;&#1102;.
Source: Bill Bowman - wiki.gmnext.com; www.gmphotostore.com; www.442.com; &#1040;&#1074;&#1090;&#1086;&#1088;&#1077;&#1074;&#1102; 2000-11

 

The 1954 Oldsmobile Cutlass Concept had a road height of 51.5 inches, and a body of reinforced plastic. An aviation theme was prevalent throughout the Cutlass from aircraft-style instrumentation to sleek tailfins.

Another name that would see mass production (and in a much bigger way than the Starfire), Cutlass was billed as "the ultimate in hardtops." Mounted on a 110 inch wheelbase, it featured fastback styling with a louvered backlight, the combination bumper-grille, swivel seats (much in advance of Chrysler&#8217;s) and copper-toned glass for screening harsh light. The copper-metallic Cutlass was a predictive car in many ways; today&#8217;s Saab 900 uses a copper-tinted glass, having determined that color to be the most effective.
Source: www.gmphotostore.com, www.442.com

 

Debuting at the 1962 Chicago show, the Ford Cougar 406 featured top-hinged, electrically operated gull-wing doors, and came equipped with the new 406 cubic inch V-8. The engine developed 405 horsepower and 448 pound feet of torque. Swing-up headlights were concealed in tips of the fenders. This was the second Ford concept car to wear the Cougar nameplate. The original was a 3/8-scale model from 1956. Mercury first applied the Cougar moniker on a 1967 two-door hardtop pony car, based on the Mustang

 

The Cougar II, the third of the X-Car group, was named after the Cougar I which preceded it by a scant 18 months. It was the most radical of the first three show cars and was not based upon an established Ford platform. Instead, the iridescent candy red car was constructed on AC-Cobra tube frame (Chassis #CSX2004) obtained from the newly-created Carroll Shelby Enterprises in California. However, the chassis set up had to be modified: To clear the hood, the high-performance 289 Ford engine was moved rearward in the chassis. Intended as a response to the powerful and lithe Ferrari, it was the most competition-oriented of the first three X-Cars.

The Cobra II was probably the most beautiful of the three X-Cars, but was the least influential in terms of styling. This fastback coupe was designed before the Corvette Stingray. Built on a Cobra frame, the 289 K-Code powered car and wire wheels set a styling standard that was hard to replicate. The candy-red car still exists today.

OK, I was playing today before work and found a bunch of stuff.....................

 

On July of 1955, the Chevrolet design studio staff create a dream car for the 1956 GM Motorama shows, called Corvette Impala. The Corvette grille and grille surround are incorporated, as well as other Corvette components. This hardtop five-passenger sports sedan shows the name "Corvette Impala" on the front emblem and rear license plate. On January 19 of 1956 the Motorama show opens in the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, running for nine days. The 1956 Corvette makes its debut and the Corvette Impala show car is displayed

 

SWI, look as if this one-of-a-kind beast was rescued
from a junkyard. Got any particulars?

 

Sir Vival photo is thanks to flickr. I keep trying to
peer through the glass to try & spot James Mason
as the demented Capt. Nemo, piloting the dreaded
Nautilus, scourge of late-19th Century sea lanes!

 

Honestly, safety car??? It already looks like a train wreck. An Austin rear-ended a Hudson which, in turn, was rammed into a Powell!

This 1959 car's exceeding ugliness has surely earned it internet immortality. Maybe it's GOOD that this one survives -- to ensure that no one is ever permitted to repeat the error!!!

If you want a TON of belly laughs, visit a couple of the 'net chat boards where people express their "feelings" about the Sir Vival (Sir "Viral"?)

 

This has to be one of the most popular threads on the HAMB lately, I love it.

 

Whoa, MailBob, THANKS, buddy! We have way too much fun here, digging around through the dregs and diamonds of U.S. auto history! God bless Ryan & the HAMB editorial team for putting up with us. Myself, I thought, coming in, that I knew a bit about car history, but I have learned a friggin' ton. Speaking for myself and the regs & semi-regs, we love hearing others say they find it enjoy able and informative -- 's-what it's about!

Since we sort of stumbled on the subject of UGLY defunct cars, the 1959 Sir Vival obviously takes THE cake, right? But for second place, I nominate Paul Lewis 1937 prototype Airomobile for downright ODD looks. Its bizarre fish tail only seems to lack a propeller in the middle! (The three-wheel car, in fact, was extremely well-handling, balanced and had 60 Ford V-8 horses for power.)

Anybody else got a car you LOVE TO HATE for its homely beauty??? VOTE NOW, EARLY AND OFTEN! LOL


Photo source: Thanks to FindRareCar.com
(Hemmings AutoBlogs)


And some called the Edsel ugly? Looks classic, compared to some
all-time stinkers!

 

To tell the truth, given the year, and what it's contemporaries looked like, I actually love the styling. Consider, the 58 Buick, could they have added more chrome if they tried?
The Edsel, especially in it's convertible form is timeless now, try and buy one affordably!
And for technological idea's of the era, The push button automatic on the steering wheel, was innovative, though not particularly reliable.
Kind of like the Skyliner retractible hard tops, great idea, but would it catch on...........

 

Have not researched it much further, but was amazed to find it still exists.
How it survived, I don't know, maybe something to look for later.........

 

Clark Griswold needed one of those for the "truckster". Rusty where's the dog?

 

Motorcycle Cop(James Keach) to Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase):
"Do you know what the penalty for animal cruelty is in this state?"

Clark: "No sir, I don't."

Cop: "Well, uh, it's probably pretty severe!"

 

Thanks again to Daniel Strohl of Hemmings Classic Car for the following;

Vintage Warhoops, pre-Bortz

Recently got an email from Greg Steinmayer of Dearborn, Michigan, inviting us to check out his photos of the Warhoops junkyard – specifically of a few Motorama show cars hanging out at Warhoops before Joe Bortz discovered and subsequently bought them.

The cars are the Lasalle, Lasalle II Roadster and the Biscayne. The Lasalle was nearly complete, right down to the tires with the whitewalls down the center of the treads (the plexi windshield was inside the car.) and the phony engine. The roadster was almost completely destroyed but enough parts were left to see what it had been.



The Biscayne was missing its doors, roof, interior, chassis and trunklid. I took the photos in the late 1980’s/early 1990’s at Warhoops, a junyard located in Sterling Heights, Michigan, about 6 miles due north of GM’s Tech Center. They used to get all of GM’s stuff. Of course, with nearly 20 years gone, none of the other cars visible in the pictures remain – Warhoops has gone completely to modern iron.

The more I look at these photos, the more I think about how Bortz is a lucky lucky man.

 

1955 GMC L'Universelle Truck


The GMC L'Universelle concept truck was unveiled in 1955 to show forward thinking in the area of delivery vehicles. The futuristic styling of L'Universelle influenced design in the '60s with the first compact passenger van from Chevrolet, which was built on a Corvair chassis.

 

1954 El Camino Dream Car


The Cadillac El Camino, first displayed in 1954 as part of GM's Motorama show, had a fibreglass body and a brushed stainless steel top which was a preview of Cadillac styling later that decade. The passenger compartment used a curved glass, aircraft-type bubble canopy.









1956 Centurion Dream Car


The 1956 Buick Centurian was an aerodynamic four-seat coupe with a patented rear-mounted television camera to provide a rear view to the driver. Front seats automatically slid back when the doors were opened for easier entry and also moved forward to provide entry and exit to the back seats. A cantilevered steering wheel positioned the steering shaft down the centre of the car, allowing more legroom for the driver.









1964/65 Futurama


The experimental small commuter car Runabout was unveiled at GM's Futurama at the New York World's Fair in 1964. A three-wheel hatchback, Runabout carried two passengers and had ample storage room. Also on display at Futurama was the Firebird IV, another sleek, turbine-powered car with strong aircraft styling cues. The GM-X Stiletto was an advanced, high-performance car with styling strongly influenced by aerospace design. It featured aircraft-type steering, a maintenance monitoring system with toggle switch controls, and a three-way speaker system for inside/ outside communications. It also debuted at the 1964 New York World's Fair.

 

Holy crap, SunRoof! Man, he's got osme RARE stuff in there!

Dood, you should post this over on the "Old-Time Junkyards" thread, too. Great pix. Rare stuff is scarce in bone yards anymore, BUT you occasionally find real oldies and low-production-run stuff!

 

Now THAT is to die for.
Got a big pic, SWI?

 

I'm on a concept car kick............
so much available to find on the net!
<CENTER>1955 Olds DELTA

</CENTER><CENTER></CENTER>A four-passenger close-coupled coupe just fifty-three inches high, mounted on a 120 inch wheelbase similar to that of the production 88. The Delta was designed to consider new materials and design features, many of which are taken for granted today: dual fuel tanks in the rear fenders, cast-aluminum wheels, anodized aluminum trim, a center console for radio controls and extra storage. Styling was strictly Harley Earl, very rounded with the dipped beltline that would permeate the GM line by 1957-58, and the car was two tones of metallic blue.

 

Jimi, a friend of mine just sent me photos of a car for which we are trying to identify. These are the only pictures I have and the car is several hundred miles away so more are not expected any time soon. This ought to be a real head scratcher. Most notably is the rear suspension which appears to be 3/4 elliptic spring setup. Besides this, there is a brass data plate in one photo under a hex bolt on the right rear where you see the coil springs which is for the shock absorber manufacturer. I have a higher res photo I could email someone more talented than me to zoom in on it. From what I can read, it says: "Carspring Shock Absorber Mfg Co. Minneapolis, Minn. USA ALLSPRING". Some interesting things I noted:
* Appears to be a grease fitting on the front left spring shackle? Possibly higher end car?
* Wheelbase seems kinda short. Tank would likely be exposed as well as the rear of the springs with a body on. The frame doesn't extend past the springs.
* The apparent accessory aftermarket ALLSPRING "shocks"
* Headlight post mounted to fender
* 2 piece fenders? Looks like outside and apron crimped together?
It would appear to be from the teens I would think given the wood spokes, lack of front brakes, and such.

 

Since WWII the only commercial Oldsmobiles have been specially lengthened ambulance and hearse chassis, Cotner-Bevington making a specialty of the make in the 1960s and 70s.
Divco-Wayne Corp., the parent company of Miller-Meteor, had bought Cotner-Bevington in 1964 as a budget companion to their popular Cadillac coaches and from 1965 on, Cotner-Bevington built only on Oldsmobile 98 chassis. Soon after Oldsmobile introduced the Toronado in 1966, Cotner & Bevington planned a whole line of custom hearse, ambulance and limousines based on the Toronado front-wheel-drive chassis. When they tried to get funding for a prototype Toronado from the executives at Miller-Meteor, their parent company they were told the project could not continue.
As Cotner-Bevington was purchased by DIVCO-Wayne as a lower-priced companion to Miller-Meteor's premium Cadillac professional cars, their executives believed that a coach based on the new flashy Toronado would infringe on Miller-Meteors premium status.
Waldo J. Cotner (1909-2001) and Robert Bevington (1911-2000) ran the Blythville plant for Miller-Meteor but were now merely stockholders in the parent company and had no say in the matter, so they decided to form their own independent firm to manufacture the Toronado coaches. They sold their stock in DIVCO-Wayne for capital and named the new enterprise American Quality Coach, as they were forbidden from using their own names as they were now trademarks owned by DIVCO-Wayne.
Their first product was an airport limousine - the AQC Jetway 707. It was 28' long with a wheelbase of 185", had 8-doors, seated twelve to fifteen, and featured twin rear axles - the first stretch limousine known to use them. The Jetway 707 featured an unusual vista-cruiser-style raised roof, with integral sky-lights and a completely enclosed cargo area with a hinged rear door.
A complete line of AQC hearses, ambulances, combination cars and limousines were planned, but unfortunately all of their working capital was tied up in the tooling for their first run of airport limos, and when they failed to sell, the firm was forced to abandon the other coaches. A current owner believes that only 52 Jetways were built between 1968-1970, although professional car historian Bernie DeWinter believes that the number is closer to 150.
Although later coaches were sold and titled as 1970 models, they were all built on leftover 1968 Toronado chassis. By 1970, AQC had run out of money and closed down the once-promising enterprise, just two short years after it had begun.
National Cash Register Co. (NCR) purchased one of the the first twin-axle Oldsmobile Toronado AQC Jetway 707 Limousines for use in Dayton, Ohio for ferrying executives between the airport and their corporate headquarters. A second was purchased by NCR shortly before AQC filed for bankruptcy in 1970.

 

The Parisienne: Profile of a Custom Car

by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide

The Parisienne, a custom Cadillac built by Milton Melton, blurred the line between a custom and a coachbuilt classic. Most customs of the 1950s were built by or for young guys, often to impress their buddies and attract girls. However, with the Parisienne, this was not the case.

<table align="center" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><center>
The Parisienne, a custom Cadillac built in 1954, was
restored in 1993 and is 19-1/2 feet long.

</center></td></tr></tbody></table>Milton Melton was a middle-aged supermarket executive from Beverly Hills in 1954 when he took possession of a brand-new $5738 Cadillac Eldorado. He immediately drove it to Barris Kustom Autos for a unique customizing treatment.

The Barris crew's main task was to section the car three inches. They took the metal out of the hood, the tops of the doors, and the rear fenders. The Barris guys also modified the hood with integral scoops on each side, chopped the windshield 1-3/4 inches, fabricated frames for the vent windows, and cut down the side windows.

The other radical work involved the rear portion of the 129-inch-wheelbase brute. The Barris shop laid back the housing for the Contin*en*tal spare at an angle, sinking it into the decklid. This required pancaking the decklid and lengthening the fenders a full 20 inches to make the Continental kit appear integral. The extra length extended the car to almost 19 and a half feet!


<table align="center" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><center> The typical Cadillac fins were removed to give
the Parisienne its unique custom car look.

</center></td></tr></tbody></table>In the process of lengthening the fenders, the Barris crew removed the Cadillac's characteristic rear fins and relocated the stock taillights in new, lower, openings. They also modified the rear fenders with '54 Packard-style bulges at the leading edges, and reworked the side trim by adding chrome-trimmed air scoops below the bulges. Finally, the exhaust was routed through a modified '55 Pontiac rear bumper in four shotgun-style outlets.

Prior to shipping it off to famous coachbuilder Bohman & Schwartz for a custom-built top, the Barris shop cut down the front seat four inches and added rolled-and-pleated upholstery to the dash pad.

<table align="right" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><center>
In 1993, English wool
carpeting replaced the old
upholstery in the Parisienne.
</center></td></tr></tbody></table>At Bohman & Schwartz, the Parisienne received a two-piece top, done in the "sedanca de ville" style similar to town cars of the early 1900s. Maurice Schwartz built the top using an oak frame with sheetmetal panels covered with padding.

The rear portion was bolted to the car, and the front portion was clamped in place for easy removal. Bohman & Schwartz also added a pair of cast-bronze landau irons to the top and painted the car white.

The completed car made its debut at the 1955 International Motor Review in Los Angeles, dazzling classic and custom enthusiasts alike. The story goes cold from there until noted hot rod and custom collector Kurt McCormick found it in Hemmings in 1978 and bought it sight unseen for $2500. The car sat until '93, when Kurt restored it to the form shown here.

Kurt took a couple of liberties with the restoration, installing a 1960 Cadillac 390-cid engine bored to 396 inches, lowering the car 2-1/2 inches, removing the tuck-and-roll upholstery from the dash, and adding English wool carpeting in the interior and trunk. Kurt made all the changes in the true spirit of the car, only adding to this historic custom's stately coachbuilt demeanor.

 

This is the 1953 Motorama Show Car, Pontiac Parisienne. It features an open front landau style roof.

The Parisienne was created to market test a romantic concept. Built like the old town cars of the 1930s and featured front seats the moved back a foot to allow for easy entrance. With a black exterior and a pink interior it still is a very striking model. This car was ordered destroyed in the late fifties. It was discovered during the 1980s in a New Jersey junkyard and restored.

1953



1954

 

Frank, man, this is a pretty fascinating mystery! If our regulars can't tell you what it is, they can probably offer some clues.

To me, the whole configuration says this came before cars settled into some "conventional" construction, which would have extended past WWI into at least the early'20s. The lack of bumpers and the fender construction surely seem to say WWI era to me, but I've guessed wrong before!

The thing I find most fascinating is the semi-elip. rear springs WITH those little dual coils back there! Maybe this was a limited "brand-specific" experiment???

Thanks, Frank, for the challenge. Not much to go on, but we can always take it to the main HAMB board, as we have a ton of guys who know early cars & parts!